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A great board member is an active volunteer who understands their responsibilities as an advocate for the organization, the association, and its mission. They are not afraid to speak up and ask tough questions at board meetings, and share their knowledge with the board members and take on the role of a leader in committees. They also look for opportunities to develop their governance skills, and also learn new ones through leadership workshops and classes.
A well-informed board member appreciates the time commitment required for board work. They ensure that they attend all meetings of the board and committees. They are actively involved in their committees, and provide feedback and assistance when needed. They also look for ways to make the board more efficient, for example, making use of tools like scheduling software and platforms that permit easy document sharing.
The most important quality of a successful board member is their ability to exercise good judgment. They don’t let petty issues hinder a board meeting or distract from the company’s mission. They can look at the bigger picture and provide an insightful perspective from the outside, which is crucial for decision making. They have a good understanding of the business in general which can impact strategies, M&A, hiring and firing decisions and fundraising, as well as legal issues and organizational design. A sound judgment requires a lot of experience, cultivated through experience in tough situations, gaining knowledge from failures, and intuition. Without it, board members could be a liability to your company.