Dictator or Facilitator?

​The following is an extract from the original article Dictator of Facilitator? by Doug Macnamara.
​He has also a number of interesting monthly LinkedIn posts under the title The Governance Doctor.

Doug Macnamara, CMC
© 2017 ICMCI

The Board Chair has several specific and unique responsibilities, no matter what “model” of governance you follow:

• Official Spokesperson of the Board/organisation
• Board Meeting Agenda setting and time management
• Ensuring Board has clear, timely, accurate information
• Ensuring constructive relationships amongst Board members
• Discipline of Board members (in absence of a defined mechanism)
• Chair of member/shareholder AGM & special meetings

However, just like any regular Board member; the Board Chair has no authority as an individual unless conveyed upon him/her by the other Board members. This makes the role of Board Chair a ‘balancing act’, and one that can make or break the Board as an effective governing body. So, how do you see yourself as a Board Chair? Are you there to advance your own agenda, priorities  and insights; or are you there to facilitate engagement, dialogue and consensus amongst Board & senior staff… or some point in between? 

You can find more on the following topics in the original article:

• Annual Board Calendar
• Sample Annual Calendar of a Health Board
• Decision-Taking
• Role of Management
• Chair as Host, Facilitator, Director
• Advance Materials
• In-Person vs. Telephone Meetings
• Board Committees
• Committee Reports and Recommendations to Board
• Discipline of Board Members
• Annual General & Special Meetings