Board members can be just as difficult to deal with as any other stak
eholder. They can cause havoc in the boardroom and derail the board’s agenda. They can destroy efforts to build an effective governance team and destroy the relationship between the board and the CEO. As a result, it is essential for boards to deal with their difficult members in order to save money, meet goals, reduce stress and remain in charge of the board.
Save money
When board members are difficult they do influence the costs of running the board. This happens when
- Board meetings are longer
- Processes take longer, or
- The board needs to meet more often.
They can ignore time limits to deal with specific agenda items and influence the board’s ability to meet its goals.
Meet goals
Difficult board members influence the ability of the board to stay on course, be efficient and maintain high morale. As a result, goals and objectives are sidelined in favour of their agenda. They hinder the smooth implementation processes and make governing more difficult. When this happens, the reputation of the board can be negatively impacted and other dedicated board members feel dissatisfied.
Reduce Stress
Ignoring difficult people will cost the board in the long run. Do not disconnect or ignore the problem because the long-term consequences may be irreparable. The only way to reduce stress is to assess the board’s reaction to this person and develop a plan to deal effectively with this person’s behaviour.
If you need to respond personally, here is a method which might work. Say
- If you do …
- The impact on me/other board members is …
- I would ask you to…
- Then refocus on the issue/process at hand
- Add a consequence if this behaviour remains (for example, if you continue on this track I will have to make a motion to close this discussion)
Remain in Control of the Board
There will always be individuals with difficult behaviour. Therefore, the best way to deal with them is to face reality, notice the signs, and learn strategies which will assist you to remain in control of the situation while including this person and honoring his needs.
The Key to Remember: When a board does not remain in command, the difficult person gets to continue to manipulate, intimidate and use coercive tactics.
