People who willingly take on significant board challenges inspire me. Tanya Gulliver is one of those people. After serving as president of the Professional Writers Association of Canada (PWAC) for one year, Gulliver volunteered to do it again and serve a second term. Not many people have that level of commitment, particularly after having already served a number of years on the board — she worked her way up to the position of president.
But volunteerism is in Gulliver’s blood. Both her parents have been dedicated, life-long volunteers. And as a young girl, Gulliver was already active in student councils. She subsequently served on faculty council in university, became a school trustee, and has taken on other assorted positions — all while pursuing her university studies and, currently, her doctorate. So it’s not that she had a lot of free time and is volunteering to fill a void.
Why does she do it? Why does Gulliver spend so much of her time volunteering and sitting on boards? “Each one has served a different purpose,” says Gulliver. “I’m enjoying the PWAC board because I value the work the organization is doing. At the same time, I see my work on this board as sort of an internship — a way to learn more about the writing community.” She also works on several other community boards that coincide with her personal beliefs and ideologies.
Has she ever found herself on a board that was not a good fit? “Yes, I’ve been on a dysfunctional board,” she says. “The leadership and I could not agree on much, so I left the board.” That is a well-stated course of action that I, too, recommend. Sometimes it is just better to walk away. You may believe strongly in the organization and be willing to give your time and help it achieve its goals, but sometimes the time just isn’t right — because of the current leadership, or because of the climate concerning a specific issue. If you find yourself on a board that is clearly not a good fit, resign, or at the very least, do not renew your term. It’s better than banging your head against the wall. And if you really believe in the organization, wait a couple of years until the leader in question has served his/her term on the board and then get back on. The time may have ripened for you to be able to accomplish the goals YOU have for the organization.
What if you are the leader and are faced with friction on the board? How do you keep things moving and prevent the board from being stalled due to internal conflict? Gulliver has some insight on this as well. “People need to feel they are being heard,” she says. “They are on a board to represent a constituency or to bring forward their beliefs and opinions. Too often, boards don’t allow people to express their views. I try to make sure that they can do that, but don’t allow too much repetition either. I use my summarizing skills to summarize the discussion and have people focus only on what hasn’t been covered.”
I have heard that Gulliver has immense skills in ensuring that all directors are heard and respected. But that she also keeps the atmosphere light by instilling humour, like with the introduction of her monkey hat. “We were heading into a board meeting and I knew it had the potential to be challenging as a couple board members rarely saw eye to eye,” says Gulliver. “As I was going through security at the airport, I saw the monkey hat and bought it, knowing that when I wore it, no one would be able to be angry because it was incredibly funny looking. It worked, because as tension at the meeting grew, I would stroke the monkey on my head and remind him to do his thing. Everyone laughed and got a bit more relaxed. I had some private discussions with both people as the day progressed and eventually things got better and both parties were in agreement on the important issues before us.”
“Infusing an artistic board with some business vision can be a good thing, as it can create new ways of looking at things,” says Nathalie Kleinschmit, who has served on a board with Gulliver. “Business plans are a necessary tool that can be fun and creative. They don’t have to be a tragedy for artistic groups and other nonprofits.” But it can be difficult to quickly change the attitudes and philosophy of an organization, and Kleinschmit’s frustrations kept her from renewing her term as a director on the board after completing her first year. Her departure from the board did not alter her commitment to the organization or her willingness to provide input. “Sometimes it’s best to provide input from the sidelines or as an independent consultant as opposed to actually sitting on the board,” she says. That is good and logical advice. You may find that your own way of approaching a goal is different from the majority of directors on the board. And you may feel like you’re constantly swimming upstream when trying to further your principles or suggestions. If that is the case, it may be best to step aside and let the rest of the team do their thing. But that does not preclude you from providing input and drumming up support for your approach to an issue or strategy, and perhaps coming back to the board with a proposal once you have established that support — or perhaps even rejoining the board after the mindset of the institution has evolved and your original idea has made its way to the forefront.
Be patient, earnest, and be sincere. And if that approach doesn’t work in establishing support, be gone from the board table — at least for the time being.
Excerpted from Before You Say Yes by Doreen Pendgracs. Copyright © Doreen Pendgracs, 2010. All rights reserved.
http://www.dundurn.com/books/you_say_yes
Doreen Pendgracs is a freelance writer and author based in Matlock, MB. She is the author of Before You Say Yes… a guide to help nonprofit board directors be more effective in their volunteer roles. The book is published by Dundurn Press and available online and in bookstores across the country.
