Board Mentoring

by Peter Brinckerhoff

One of the worst things that can happen with a new board member is to have that person come on the board and leave within a few months. Sometimes this occurs because the person didn't understand their role, or the mission of the organization, or the work level that was expected. But it has been my observation that often it is just because the new board member didn't feel welcome, didn't stay long enough to be part of the "gang". There is a solution for that, and it works. It's called a board mentor.

When a new member joins your board, have another board member assigned as their mentor. The mentor's job is to meet the new member before the first meeting, introduce them at that initial session, sit next to them for the next six meetings (to answer all the questions that the new member has) and to check in with the new member after the first two or three meetings to make sure that they understood their written material, to answer questions, etc.

The idea of mentoring is to have the new member have a "safe" place to ask those questions which they may consider "dumb", and to get on the inside track sooner. Try mentoring. It works!

 

©2007, Corporate Alternatives, Inc. www.missionbased.com. Reprinted with permission

 

Did you know that Peter Brinckerhoff is coming to Tampa Bay? Register for his presentation of Generation Change on December 6, 2007. To Register:  http://guest.cvent.com/i.aspx?1Q,M3,4ca6a50b-bc3c-4eee-b2cf-7aee9444a912