Building A Rock-Solid Partnership With Your Board

Published by Governance Edge® 

Drawing on his work with hundreds of nonprofit and public organizations of every size and purpose, governance expert Doug Eadie describes how board-savvy CEOs effectively manage the human dimension of the board-CEO relationship. Using real-world case examples, he describes these five keys to building a rock-solid partnership between the organization’s CEO and the board of directors: 1.) Bring the right mindset to the governing arena; 2.) Make the board chair a close ally; 3.) Turn board members into strong owners; 4.) Make the board’s work more interesting and enjoyable; and 5.) Put a well-designed CEO-evaluation process in place. 

The perfect companion volume to Doug’s Meeting the Governing Challenge, this new book provides tested, practical guidance that you can put to work today in helping to manage the emotional/psychological dimension of the CEO-board relationship. The author goes right to the heart of the issue: CEOs can do a stellar job of managing the technical requirements of their jobs but ultimately fail because the partnership with their boards unravels over human, interpersonal issues. Doug’s new book places board partnership building at the top of the CEOs list of high-stakes responsibilities. 

Nonprofit leaders who want their nonprofit organizations to thrive in challenging times will learn how to keep their relationship with their boards close, productive and enduring. They’ll learn how to employ empowering strategies and programs—outlined in Doug’s book—that will lead to closer collaboration with their boards in such key areas as strategic and operational planning; performance monitoring; and external relations. CEOs will learn to harness the extensive knowledge, experience, and connections that governing boards can bring to their organizations’ Strategic Governing Team, helping to assure their organizations’ long-term success and their own longevity on the job.  

“This is the kind of down-to-earth, practical resource I could have used a quarter-century ago! It’s chock full of practical partnership-building techniques that you can put to immediate use in your organization.”
Jeffrey A. Finkle, President & CEO, International Economic Development Council