Family foundation boards are working groups brought together for the purpose of doing philanthropy. To be effective as a working group, a family board needs to cultivate two key ingredients: rules of engagement and connective tissue.
“Rules of engagement,” no surprise, have to do with norms for group life. They typically include guidelines for who participates; commitments such as legalities, ethics, legacy, values, and mission; methods for making decisions; communications; group etiquette; and accountability. Many are spelled out in a foundation’s bylaws or guiding documents such as a Trustee Role Description or Code of Conduct; others get worked out in real time in response to a recurring hiccup in a board’s process.
It doesn’t matter what’s been written, adopted, or said, however, because rules of engagement that matter are the ones that show up in a board’s behavior. When faced with a grant proposal or strategic opportunity that strays from the group’s values or mission, what happens? When it comes time for a contentious decision, what’s the procedure? When a trustee handles himself in a manner contrary to the group’s code of conduct, what’s the next step? It’s a fact of governance life that rules of engagement must be enacted, renewed, clarified, and affirmed on a regular basis as part and parcel of board life.
“Connective tissue” is important for any working group but it’s essential for a family foundation board. We’re talking about a board’s cohesion, trust, and rapport; it has to do with a sense of personal connection among family members as trustees, mutual understanding and empathy in the context of their shared philanthropic work. Family boards will naturally vary when it comes to the sense of connection they experience. We’re talking about real human, family, and group relationships; they’re dynamic and changing by nature, each born of a unique history and context. But the fact remains that a base level of connective tissue is essential, and in fact, makes a critical difference in the character of a family’s philanthropy.
Family trustees build and strengthen group bonds through the experience of working together productively in the board room. A deft approach to implementing rules of engagement, arriving at a fresh understanding of shared values, or approving a new strategic direction will all serve to strengthen a board’s cohesion. (An important soft skill of board leadership worth exploring has to do with facilitating board work with a relational touch.)
Traditional board development practices present wonderful opportunities to strengthen group bonds. Conducting an off-site board retreat or attending a conference as a group are two classic examples in which the official agenda – the work, the learning – and relationship building are intertwined. There are also practices many would not associate with traditional board work but if rooted in a family’s context, can have significant benefit for a group’s experience. For example, some boards will open a meeting with prayer. Others might begin with a guided meditation. Still others might start meetings with a period of personal reflections among trustees that are related to a family’s philanthropic legacy, the foundation’s mission, or a challenge that’s front and center for a board’s life (e.g., transition). Practices of this type facilitate connection on a more personal level but, as suggested, must be aligned with a family’s context and board’s culture.
As a board works and spends time together, trust and rapport develop naturally. Connective tissue deepens as trustees expand their capacity for personal disclosure and the group grows in its ability to hold that which is shared in a caring and respectful manner. It’s a dynamic process that’s never completed. In fact, every group evolves with time, moving through stages that are reflected in group dynamics and the character of work being done at the time. As is the case with rules of engagement, a family board’s connective tissue must be tended as a matter of routine and especially during periods of change, challenge, or stress. Leadership provided by board chairs and executives is critical but responsibility for group life is shared be every trustee.
Has your family foundation board used specific practices to cultivate and maintain its rules of engagement and connective tissue? Have some fallen flat while others shined? As board chairs and executives, how do you lead with these group functions in mind. As trustees, how do you engage? Please share your experience by contacting me at [email protected] and consider participating in the study, Giving Related.
