Broaden your board

Intentional development plans keep board members training on track with director demands.

Mina Worthington, president/CEO at Solarity Credit Union.

When determining board members’ development needs, Mina Worthington goes straight to the source, asking each director at Solarity Credit Union, Yakima, Wash., to identify their strengths and weaknesses.

“We were wrestling with how individualized to make our development because we all come from different experience levels,” says Worthington, president/CEO at the $832 million asset credit union. “We now have a baseline of where each board member evaluates themselves in the different development areas we came up with in strategic planning.”

The next step is to match required training with specific directors. In some cases, Solarity’s internal training team may develop courses to address specific topics. Worthington sets aside time at each board meeting to “expand our thought or give feedback on an area,” she says.

 

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