Joining a Board? Be a ”contributor” not a ”placeholder”! with Cathy Layton

This week we are joined by Chair Emeritus of The Bay Park Conservancy, Cathy Layton. Cathy has a tremendous amount of experience on nonprofit boards and have been the chair of several organizations, most recently, The Bay Park Conservancy. 

Cathy shares her life lessons from being on nonprofit boards, how she operates as a board chair, and thoughts those being asked to join a board should keep in mind.

We are extremely appreciative of Cathy for sharing her insights from 20+ years of nonprofit service.

 

Key Takeaways:

1. When thinking about joining a board, take inventory of your strengths and make sure that is what the organization needs.
2. Boards need to tell board members what is expected of them.
3. Be a contributor to a board, not a placeholder.
4. If you say "yes" to too many favors and would like a graceful way to say "no", Cathy offers this phrase: "I love what you are offering, but I am fully focused on this effort for the foreseeable future."

 

Timestamps:

00:40 - Interview Starts

01:00 - Cathy introduces herself

02:10 - What are your life lessons when reflecting on your board service?

04:20 - “I love what you're offering, but I am fully focused on this effort for the foreseeable future.”

06:20 - How did you evolve to become a board chair?

08:20 - Placeholder vs contributors on a board

11:20 - As a board chair, how do you deal with placeholders?

12:25 - Board need to tell board members what is expected of them

13:20 - Being on a board is “service”

14:55 - Criteria for finding the right board

17:57 - Should you meet with the CEO before joining a board?

20:05 - The dynamics between board, board chair, and CEO

23:50 - Annual meetings are a great time to review board expectations

25:05 - Frequency of communication between board chair and CEO

26:30 - What is Cathy’s style of leading the board?

29:40 - When you are doing work you care about, it is personally enriching

31:20 - Recapping with Read

 

Join us every week as we release a new podcast with information about how you can be the best board member and provide great service to your organization.

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