There is a tendency to think of leadership in terms of hierarchy, with the board chair playing the strongest leadership role. It is certainly true that an effective board chair contributes enormously to the board's effectiveness, and a poor board chair can be a significant obstacle to performance.

Every board member, however, has a leadership role to play. Any board member can and should raise the kinds of questions described previously. Every board member should have a role to play to move the board's agenda forward and fulfill the board's oversight role.

Fundamentally, leadership entails speaking up when you have a concern and contributing what you can to make the organization successful.

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