As always, how you proceed will depend on the root cause of the tension(s) that exist(s). What follows are some alternatives based on those root causes.

1. If you are the board chair
2. If you are the chair of the nominating or board development committee
3. If you are a current board member
4. If you are the executive director

1. If you are the board chair.

• If you are part of the conflict with the executive director, assign another board member to take the lead on the situation and be willing to follow his/her leadership.

• If you think that the conflict is rooted in a poor understanding by board members of their role(s), propose a board self-assessment process.

• If you think that the conflict is due to personalities, meet individually with the people involved to mirror your observations, and help to broker a relationship between the executive director and the board member(s) involved.

• Get more information about executive director evaluation from outside sources [ Link here ], and propose a process back to the executive director and the board.

• Initiate a strategic planning process to clarify where the organization is headed and what kind of leadership is needed to move it there.

• Get help from a knowledgeable nonprofit professional or board member of another organization that has gone through something similar.

2. If you are on the executive or personnel committee.

• Talk to the board chair and work with him or her to develop a solution.

• Report your observations in executive session and work with other committee members to plan a way of addressing the issue.

• Get help from a knowledgeable nonprofit professional or board member of another organization that has gone through something similar.

• Get more information about executive director evaluation and propose a process back to the executive director and the board.

3. If you are a board member.

• Talk to the board chair and work with him or her to develop a solution.

• If you are not part of the conflict, talk to the executive director to see how s/he is experiencing the situation and develop a game plan for addressing what is going on.

• Name what you are seeing at a board meeting to get people to acknowledge the tensions and start to find a way to work on them.

• Get help from a knowledgeable nonprofit professional or board member of another organization that has gone through something similar.

4. If you are the executive director.

• Talk to the board chair, particularly if s/he is not involved in the conflict, and ask him or her to speak with the board member(s) involved.

• Give the board chair and other board leaders information about board roles, board self-evaluation, the difference between management and governance, conflict resolution and other materials that might help diffuse the tension.

• Be sure to acknowledge positive board member activities and contributions publicly. Sometimes all people want is to be stroked a little.

• Talk to a peer to see how they have handled a similar situation.

• Talk to the board members involved from an objective, task-oriented perspective rather than a personalized, confrontational perspective, to see if a workable solution can be reached between you.

• Make sure that you are giving people what they legitimately need to fulfill their governance responsibilities, including financial information, program performance information, and policies for internal controls and personnel.

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