Board

Board

Grant your special grace to the board, oh, Lord. We are entirely at the mercy of what it decides.

God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. Romans 12:6, 8

The board of the organization is not just the ultimate legal entity; it is also the ultimate means of God’s grace and blessing on the organization.

PUT the right people on the board, God, and give them the knowledge, skill, and insight to guide the organization with wise policies. If they are not the right people to begin with or are not well-informed or set foolish policies, we will all look foolish—including them. If they understand our situation and set wise policies, we will shine with success.

Do not let them be weak and overly cautious or we will miss opportunities. Do not let them mandate impossible or conflicting priorities or I will not know how to lead with integrity and we will fail and waste precious resources. Give them your Spirit of wisdom and courage so that we may achieve our mission with distinction.

Do not let them act as separate individuals, each with a personal agenda of issues or a particular constituency to represent, or the organization will end up a fractured reflection of their political compromises. Grant the board your Spirit of unity, with a strong and sincere consensus regarding the long-term good of the whole organization so that together we will reflect unity and cohesiveness.

Let them evaluate me based on specific desired outcomes and available resources that they have identified so I will know what direction to lead and we can all give our very best effort together. Spare us from micromanagement. Instill in the board a commitment to trust us for the outcomes they specify and to empower us to make our own way to excellence.

Let the board believe in us so we will be able to believe in ourselves. Let the board celebrate often in your Spirit of confidence.

If the board moves me into some leadership role, then I trust you for the grace to lead well. I also trust everyone in the organization to participate actively in the leadership process as we move forward together. If the board calls me to do more following, I will accept that as your wise and loving guidance for me and the organization. Show the board the person who should lead us.

Grant your special grace to the board, oh, Lord. We are entirely at the mercy of what it decides.

Reflections

She was a jewel: well educated, experienced, recommended to us by her church and ethnic community because of their great respect for her. I was trying to convince her to join the board of trustees. She supported the mission and vision of the university, but she saw no reason to join the board. She had spent her life supporting her husband, a well-known physician, raising successful children, and serving her church and community. Her one stint on the local school board had involved a highly public leadership crisis in which her integrity had prevented her reelection. We needed her, but she did not need us.

She was about to leave when I summarized my presentation with the simple explanation that the board was the spiritual mind and heart of the university and that what we really needed was her unique mind and heart that God had been shaping all these years through all the challenges she had met and mastered. We just needed who she was. For the first time, I saw the fire glimmer in her eyes.

“Mary,” I said, “the board is so important that I pray for the trustees every single day. I will pray for you.”

She left to ponder and in time became a wise and effective trustee. The organization can be no better than its board, and the board must be the focus of a leader’s prayers.