June 1, 2006 | Read Time: 1 minute
The 10 Symptoms of Dysfunctional Boards: Your Guide to Great Governance
by Michael J. Steinberg
Because there is no training required to join a board of directors, many governing bodies need guidance on how to lead effectively, writes Michael J. Steinberg, president of M.J. Steinberg Associates, a nonprofit consulting firm. This book helps board members identify 10 common mistakes that boards make and come up with solutions.
Each of the problems outlined in the book relates to time mismanagement, whether boards focus too much on fund raising or ignore opportunities to set and enforce policies.
For example, some boards try to increase participation by swelling their ranks, but bigger boards are often less effective than a small group of devoted trustees, Mr. Steinberg says.
“The board of directors needs to be comprised of a relatively small, consistent, committed group of people who are dedicated to the efficient functioning and long-term success of the organization,” he writes. He recommends that boards cap membership at 15.
Boards should elect new members who can commit to attending every meeting, he continues, but too often trustees are handpicked only because they are wealthy, famous, or friends of other board members.
Some boards balk at requiring attendance, but since all board members are legally bound to the decisions the board enacts, it is important that every trustee have an active role in the governance of an organization, he writes.
Publisher: M.J. Steinberg Associates, P.O. Box 234, Champlin, Minn. 55316; (763) 422-1693; http://www.dynamicboards.com; 204 pages; $29.95; ISBN 0-9770817-0-2.
