An email was received a couple of weeks ago that I just cannot get off my mind. It was a plea from an executive director whose board chair would not even speak to her. The board is fractured at this point; in fact, some board members (including the chair) did not even attend a facilitated planning retreat.

This is the type of situation the non-profit sector can ill afford.

Although I attempted to follow up, I have heard nothing more following the initial email. Sure, there are two sides to every story and the truth usually lies somewhere in between. In other words, I do not have the luxury of further details upon which to formulate a suggestion. Whose fault is it? Who did what to whom? Is the executive director performing her duties adequately? Why is there such division on the board?

I will take a short detour here and speak to a secondary issue: what should be done about the board chair? From the standpoint of the philosophy we espouse at The Center for Ethics, Governance, and Accountability (CEGA), there is nothing – absolutely nothing – that could justify a board chair not attending a board planning session and not talking to an executive director. No matter what other issues are (or are not) present in this case, this board chair is behaving in an unacceptable manner. Typically, I would suggest looking at the organization’s bylaws to find the remedy; but, again, I do not know the particulars. What I do know is that board chairs have an extremely important leadership role to play in a non-profit organization. I have written a number of articles on the issue of leadership in the non-profit sector and I am very passionate about the role of the board, particularly its chair, in the proper governance of the organization.

That having been said, let me turn to the point of this article.

Were I in a position to make a suggestion to this non-profit organization, I would probably recommend a coach for the executive director.

One of the top executive perquisites these days is a coach for the CEO of for-profit (private sector) companies. Leaving aside the issues of CEO compensation in the private sector among publicly traded companies, let’s face it: it’s lonely at the top and a CEO, quite frankly, is desperately in need of somebody in which to confide on a routine basis. The CEO shies away from talking to subordinates (albeit fellow senior executives within the same company) or to members of the board of directors (many of which are often peers) for fear of being perceived as weak. While this is not logical, it occurs every day. Hence, boards are increasingly understanding the need for CEO coaches in a proactive way (a perk) and not a punitive way (remedial training).

Let’s be clear about this: if a CEO (or an executive director) is not performing, I do not advocate hiring a coach. If the CEO is not up to the job, then the board must replace the CEO with someone who can get things done. In my opinion, we should not be in the business of rehabilitating CEOs or training CEOs; they need to bring to the position certain requisite skills that are worthy of the position (and the pay).

Why should we expect any less of non-profit CEOs (executive directors)? Why should we not provide executive directors with the same perks (like a coach, for example) as the private sector CEOs?

Obviously, in the example I have shared here, there is plenty of information missing for us to make credible suggestions. However, the idea for extending the coach perk into the non-profit sector really hit me as an important issue to discuss. Having served on numerous non-profit boards and consulted with many more, I have no recollection of a coach being offered to an executive director.

Serving as an executive director is a tough job; always has been. Now, with the added financial burden from the economic recession across the entire non-profit sector, top executive directors are hard to attract and even harder to retain. (How long do you think the executive director in this example will stay?) Providing an ear to bounce ideas around, review options, or even just to yell and shout is something every good executive director should be afforded. That is the role of a coach.

Please write and let me know your thoughts on this issue. At CEGA, we believe the non-profit sector is uniquely positioned to address a number of the issues that are challenging our communities. It strikes me that we should consider doing more to assist our executive directors. What do you think?