Many radiologists receive invitations to serve on boards. Such boards can take many forms: for-profit corporations; local, state, and national radiologic and medical organizations; hospitals and health care organizations; community nonprofits such as local school boards, religious institutions, fraternal organizations; and civic and arts organizations. For many, such service is a new experience for which they are not well prepared.
I have served on a number of such boards, and it is remarkable how often radiologists (including the author) shoot themselves in the foot, fail to understand what they need to accomplish, or miss out on important opportunities to contribute. Perhaps some radiologists regard their appointment as honorific, a kind of sinecure, and fail to take the work seriously. Others seem to have no appetite for it. And still others forget why they were invited to server in the first place.
Although education offers no panacea, I am convinced that one obstacle to board performance is a simple lack of understanding, which is at least in principle remediable through learning. As in performing and interpreting radiologic studies, before we can perform well, we must know what we are doing. The basics of board service are covered in a number of handy resources. One example is BoardSource’s The Source: 12 Principles of Governance that Power Exceptional Boards .
The first principle this work identifies is constructive partnership with the staff of the organization, especially its senior executive team. Ultimate authority for the organization’s mission, culture, and action plan resides with the board, whereas the executive staff is charged with implementation and day-to-day management. Often board members turn over much more quickly than staff, making it especially important that new board members be quick studies and move promptly to build good working relationships .
The second principle of effective boards is a focus on mission. This means having an engaging mission and ensuring that decisions reflect it . Certain questions are important: How do different people interpret the mission’s key terms, and what resources are available to better understand them? In what ways has the organization been effective in promoting its mission, and where has it fallen short? What expertise does each new board member bring to this conversation?
The third principle concerns strategic thinking. Too often, boards get bogged down in specific action plans, failing to appreciate that their primary mission is to focus on strategy and oversight of the staff’s efforts to implement it. It is also important to avoid the pitfall of supposing that strategic thinking is an occasional phenomenon, something that the board does only at its annual retreat . Nearly every conversation of the board should be strategically oriented.
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References
1. BoardSource: The source: 12 principles of governance that power exceptional boards.2005.BoardSourceWashington, DC
2. Batts M.E.: Board member orientation.2011.CreateSpaceSeattle, Washington
3. Brinckerhoff P.C.: Mission-based management.2001.WileyNew York
4. Williams H.H.: The board member’s guide to strategic planning.1997.Jossey BassSan Francisco
5. Axelrod N.R.: Culture of inquiry: debate in the boardroom.2007.BoardSourceWashington, DC
6. Paul S.E., Kurtz D.L.: Managing conflicts of interest: the board’s guide to unbiased decision making.2013.BoardSourceWashington, DC
7. Pagano E.: The transparency edge.2005.McGraw HillNew York
8. Smith D.H.: Entrusted: the moral responsibilities of trusteeship.1995.Indiana University PressBloomington, Indiana
9. Howard M., Bauer A.R.: Let’s have lunch together.2005.Kings Road Press
10. Collins J.: Good to great.2001.Harper BusinessNew York
11. Warren R.: The purpose-driven life.2012.ZondervanGrand Rapids, Michigan
12. Senge P.: The fifth discipline.2005.DoubledayNew York
13. Hardy J.H.: Revitalizing your board of directors.1996.Emerson and ChurchMedfield, Massachusetts