By Lancelot
I believe assessing the performance of the Executive Director is one of the most important roles of the Board, one that should be carefully considered. In spite of its best intentions, many Boards struggle with this subject.
I believe that assessment of any Executive Director must take into consideration the following points:
- The Board cannot simply follow the lead of the CEO, it must proactively assist in identifying specific goals and objectives they wish the Director to pursue. This can be drawn from the Strategic Plan if the plan is flexible enough to address emerging needs and challenges. The Director’s goals should be clearly identified, with outcomes and benchmarks established. These should be evaluated and modified annually.
- The true measure of leadership must be how well it responds to adversity and challenges which threaten the role and mission of the organization. The Board should observe how these are addressed by the Director and management team, as well as participate in reviewing and selecting alternatives.
- Another essential criteria is judging how well the leadership is able to make hard decisions – ones where there are no clear answers. This involves taking risks and responsibility.
- The ultimate mark of leadership, unfortunately, is almost never assessed until after the fact. All directors have one thing in common; someday we will not be there. This may be our decision, the Board’s, or God’s, but it cannot be avoided. The ultimate, and final, evaluation is "What difference did we make? What did we leave behind as a mark of our leadership?"
The key to effective evaluation of the Director by the Board is to consider the Director as one of your greatest areas of investment.
Has this investment paid off for the agency?
Have there been significant improvements?
Has the future of the agency been enhanced?
Has the agency become conditioned to deal with emerging challenges?
Is it a better place to work?
Does the Director inspire confidence and hope?
In my humble opinion, the Board should ask these questions. You will note that I have not used the word "morale". That is because it is hard to define and even harder to measure. However, some will feel this intangible is the key.
Therefore, let me offer my definition of the term in a manner in which you may choose to apply it to the evaluation process. I believe "morale" can be defined as "confidence in the direction and leadership of the agency, as well as hope for continued improvement".
I hope these comments will assist your Board in establishing a written and consistent policy toward evaluation of the Executive Director.