“We don’t have enough independent thinkers. On boards, we tend to get into group thinking in terms of where it goes.” –John Reynolds
If you’re new to the podcast, today’s episode is a continuation of the conversation we started last week with Dr. John Reynolds on the topic of boardsmanship. John is a foremost authority on nonprofit boards and we’re honored to have him as a guest.
If you’re a member of a nonprofit board, you will want to pay particular attention to John’s comments on recruiting and retaining board members who are in their twenties and thirties.
There’s definitely a difference between the way men and women in this age group view how they spend their time and thus what they are willing to commit to compared to how people in their late fifties, sixties, and seventies view this.
As the boardsmanship baton is passed from one generation to the next, the composition of boards and what boardsmanship looks like is going to change. We have to be willing participants in that change.
As a reminder, please be sure to share this podcast with the nonprofit board members you know, particularly if they are new members to board service. They will find these conversations with Dr. John Reynolds very helpful in their journey to becoming an effective nonprofit board member.
Join me now as I pick up where we left off with Dr. John Reynolds last week.
“I believe board composition will change quite dramatically in the next decade.” – John Reynolds
Time Stamps
[2:20] – Dr. John Reynolds comments on the importance of the board chair.
[5:11] – The role of the board chair, as described by John.
[7:10] – John explains how a good board chair can lead the board in self-evaluation.
[7:58] – How better boards work peer evaluations into self-assessments.
[9:00] – The value of evaluating the chair.
[10:28] – John’s observations on why boards turnover.
[11:54] – Why some of John’s best board members only served for a couple of years.
[14:13] – John shares a story about interviewing a potential board member who didn’t have time to be on a board but still wanted to help.
[16:23] – John reacts to Dr. Alan Cureton’s “oblique” recruiting tool.
[17:55] – How does John counsel his board members on succession planning?
[20:31] – The two pieces of term outs, according to John.
[22:35] – John’s experience with presidents grooming their successors as part of their succession plans.
[24:43] – Is anybody doing a good job with getting Millennials and Gen X people on boards?
[26:06] – John convinces his (mostly traditional) board members to take the company remote.
[27:10] – John talks about how Millennials and Gen Z people are mislabelled.
“I think we will see with the next generation of board members saying there has to be a cause, there has to be significance to what the organization is doing. Otherwise, they’re going to have no interest in [being a part of it].” – John Reynolds
Links and Resources
Los Angeles Pacific University
Listen to Next Gen Nonprofit Leadership with Tommy Thomas on: