Limberlost Consulting

09/11/2025

Point 3 is especially relevant--look for opportunities to use events and occasions to recognize your volunteers. Fraternal organizations are front-end loaded with those opportunities--Founders Day, the day the chapter was installed, 250th/500th/1000th initiate and so forth.

Looking for ways to better engage volunteers? Discover top strategies to connect on a meaningful level and retain support.

07/30/2025

Several excellent questions to ask of your constituents--for example, asking your undergraduate members to rewrite the creed or credo of your fraternal organization without using the traditional phrases. If nothing else, this creates thoughtful and useful dialogue.

These five mindset shifts can help today’s association executive lead effectively in a rapidly changing, disruption-driven world.

04/21/2025

While there are differences between profit and nonprofit boards, the key questions remain: Has your fraternal board of directors engaged in these discussions and asked your CSO/CEO what they need to carry out your mission more effectively? An anonymous survey of board members and staff members may kickstart the process.

How to Close the CEO-Board Trust Gap
A new survey finds that CEOs have less trust in boards’ effectiveness than the boards do. Good communication is essential—but CEOs need to help.
By Mark Athitakis Apr 18, 2025
Share
Share
Share
Are we back to the early days of Covid when it comes to governance?

The rapid disruptions to the U.S. economy and industry regulations in 2025 have opened the question of whether associations need to be in “crisis mode” in response, and what role boards need to play. There’s some evidence that, even late last year, CEOs and boards weren’t on the same page about that. Earlier this week, Reuters reported on a survey from the consultancy Spencer Stuart that found that just 22 percent of corporate executives felt “their boards were providing the help they needed in an increasingly uncertain business environment.”

Directors are in a better mood about things: 43 percent of board members say they’re providing their CEOs with adequate support. But that’s not an especially high number itself, and plainly there’s a gap in perceptions about how well boards are fulfilling their roles. CEOs, for their part, seem to think board members need to step up their game, much as they did in the early days of the pandemic. One anonymous executive quoted in the report said, “In normal times, the quarterly advisory nature of boards is just fine, but in volatile times … it would be great to feel like your board is operating with an ‘all-hands-on-deck’ attitude.”

Board members shouldn’t be defined by their knowledge of the crisis du jour—they’re in a governance role, preferably, because they have the skill to develop a long-term strategy for the organization. But long-term strategic thinking also requires an understanding of more immediate risks and threats to the organization, and they can be meaningful partners to the CEO as they determine how to respond to disruption.

The good news is that both CEOs and directors welcome that kind of participation: According to the Spencer Stuart survey, 60 percent of CEOs want their boards to serve as “thought partners” when it comes to “solving complex problems in a changing business environment,” and 80 percent of directors say they should play that role as well.

60 percent of CEOs want their boards to serve as “thought partners” when it comes to “solving complex problems in a changing business environment.”

How to do that? The report stresses the importance of clear communication: If the CEO is disappointed in how well the board is responding to challenges, the CEO has a responsibility to explain what role it ought to be playing. “The most natural time to define how the board and CEO will work together is at the outset of the relationship,” the report says. “However, most boards and CEOs don’t have this luxury, so it’s critical to set the expectation that this will happen regularly and not casually.”

But a CEO can’t just set an expectation and hope that the board steps up. A report earlier this year from the National Association of Corporate Directors found that boards are under more pressure to demonstrate subject-matter expertise to respond to challenges in a more narrow window than the three-to-five-year strategic plan. Leaders, then, need to ensure that they’re providing the assistance that those board members need to make effective and thoughtful decisions. CEOs might think that their boards are falling down on the job. But it’s the CEO’s job to help them do it better.

Mark Athitakis
By Mark Athitakis
Mail
Mark Athitakis, a contributing editor for Associations Now, has written on nonprofits, the arts, and leadership for a variety of publications. He is a coauthor of The Dumbest Moments in Business History and hopes you never qualify for the sequel. MORE

04/15/2025

A point well taken regarding the tendency of some boards to move from crisis or issue to the next crisis or issue, while other boards take the time to consider the larger, broader picture, their role in the process and "What does better look like?" Repetition does not readily transfer to improvement. And another point from the military--the "After Action Report", which is by design a candid, blunt and frank discussion of what occurred, what did we learn and how can we improve?

The news these days is noisy, and the mood uncertain. Good governance can keep associations from hitting the panic button.

12/12/2024

Excellent points for your post-event evaluations. My issues with most evals or surveys: Too many questions, too many directed outcomes. Reduce the number as noted and give participants the opportunity to provide a narrative as opposed to limiting their options. If you really want candid and specific feedback, give participants the opportunity to provide same. And I'd add: allow for anonymous feedback.

Design clear and focused event surveys to collect valuable insights and make improvements that provide more value to members.

09/19/2024

We're all going to stumble from time to time. The author's point about an epic fail award taking up space on a shelf, like an unused strategic plan, is well taken, but I will add that acknowledgement of a negative outcome by leaders is important for association growth and development. We're not going to get it right every time, and having our leaders state that "We can do better" serves several purposes, including refocusing our efforts on improvement instead of blaming outside influences.

08/29/2024

Very very proud of all of these individuals and especially of friends Sean Wagner, Mindy Sopher, David Stollman and Gina Keucher. And Hank Nuwer, we're all following in your footsteps. Well done, Hazing Prevention Network!

The Hazing Prevention Network (HPN) believes it is important to acknowledge and celebrate those who take a stand against hazing and actively work toward preventing it. To recognize such individuals, HPN established the Hank Nuwer Anti-Hazing Hero Award. The award is named in honor of Hank Nuwer, a l...

08/26/2024

Excellent and thought-provoking article on failures. Fraternal organization CEOs--whats been your epic failure thus far? And would you characterize your staff interaction as a shark tank, a petting zoo, or a group that focuses upon mediocrity? Those aren't the only options, but worth the read. I'll add a fourth--the fear of changing a decision--the "Good money follows bad" in terms of a commitment and investment that begins to sour but no one wants to say, "We need to rethink and reassess our position" Or, use the time-honored, "When you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging"

08/16/2024

Seven Measures, and then some.

In June, association thought leaders gathered in Chicago to discuss modern implications and applications of 7 Measures of Success research.

08/15/2024

Good example of accomplishing the initial work--developing a strategy for your fraternal organization--but failing to look behind you to see who on the staff is following you. Each staff member is a marketing & sales expert--they are the folks interacting with undergraduates and alums on a regular basis. Invest the time to involve your staff.

A website and announcement aren’t enough. Communicating goals to staff means making its principles concrete and soliciting their input.

08/09/2024

Good primer for those of us who are non-financial people. Remember that the board has a fiduciary duty to oversee the financial operations of the association. You don't have to be a CPA to ask good questions.

Analyzing your association’s financial statements provides the insights necessary to improve its financial health. Get started with the tips in this guide.

06/13/2024

If you're continuing to use the traditional "All hands on deck" staff meeting approach...perhaps a review through the lens of this article will assist. Outline your goals and outcomes and then assess if those are being met at the minimum with the traditional approach. Be sure to include productivity in the context of time used for meetings.