The symptoms of my health scare were low energy and being constantly tired. The cause was an artery with 99 percent blockage. The correction was insertion of a stent. The results: amazing.
My cardiologist informed me that the situation had taken most of a lifetime to develop. So for years, perhaps decades, my body has been struggling because it was deprived of the critical blood flow the heart provides.
I am now recognizing the profound difference of having a heart actually functioning at 100 percent. Increased energy, productivity, and even mental focus are welcomed benefits.
This experience has helped me see the parallels between a heart’s relationship with the body and a board’s relationship with the nonprofit it supports.
Similar to the heart’s responsibility, the board should provide vital sustenance that helps the nonprofit to function at maximum potential.
There are likely many factors to a board’s not functioning at 100 percent. In order to diagnose issues obstructing your board’s performance, differentiate between symptom and cause. Only then can you identify the cure.
For example, a board’s lack of fundraising may be a symptom, and the problem could be a failure to recruit the right board members.
The cure: critical conversations with your board members that help identify problems–perhaps long in the making–that are keeping them from performing at 100 percent.
Before my heart attack, I was performing, but not at my full potential. Likewise, if your board isn’t functioning effectively, your nonprofit isn’t performing at its full potential.
Be candid. What complications (symptoms) are blocking your board from functioning as it should? What are the actual causes? What are realistic cures that will create amazing results?