Here is a major difference with the for-profit, with paid staff. In the nonprofit much of the work, especially Board work, gets done by people voluntarily. This supplements the work of the staff.

For many volunteer leaders, this is a special challenge.

This is where facilitative leadership is so important. A facilitator is someone who uses knowledge of the group process to get the work done. Through this process volunteers want to complete tasks because they feel they have been involved in the decision-making process, own the results, and are enthusiastic and committed to completing the tasks.

The underlying assumption is that people come to a meeting so that they can have an opportunity for input and can use their intellectual capital to make the best possible decisions for the agency.  This cannot be done by either authoritarian or laissez-faire leadership. This is where facilitative leadership comes to bear.

The goal of most meetings are complex, but may include making decisions, sharing information, planning work, learning from one another, and solving problems.

Getting the right people in the room is only the first step. Learning to work together does not come naturally, nor is it easy. The role of the facilitator is to help the participants learn how to work together by providing the structure (process) while remaining focused on the content. In any meeting the facilitator is always balancing the content with the process.  This includes making sure that everyone is heard, that no one dominates, that wisdom does always come in the loudest voice, and that everyone clearly understands the decision being made, and if it leads to action, is prepared to do it.

In planning a meeting, the chairman should ask the following:
Why are we having this meeting?

Setting the Ground rules: Setting ground rules help meeting participants establish appropriate ways to interact with each other.  If participants have never met, time should be spent engaging in activities that will encourage interaction, perhaps laughter and certainly some bonding.

Making the Meeting Productive: Sending material to the participants in advance allows them to be better prepared for the discussion.  Assume they have read it and don’t go over it again, for that encourages them not to read it.

A good facilitative leader:
· Asks for people opinions.
· Periodically summarizes or clarifies.
· Cuts gently into long-winded oratory,
· If they are drifting, reminds members of the purpose of the meeting and the mission of the agency.
· Does not use his chair as a ‘bully pulpit’.
· Moves the decision-making along through consensus, not always unanimity.

Closing the meeting: The Chair should summarize the decisions and assure that everyone understands their assignments and timeframe. He should reiterate the time for the next meeting and what will be discussed.

I recommend you always leave 5-10 minutes at the end to go around the room and ask people for their reactions to the meeting and what can be done to improve it.

Tags: Facilitation, facilitative leadership, Leadership, Meetings, noprofit Board, Volunteers

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