On the board improvement highway, the onramp and the offramp are equally important
Onboarding and offboarding of directors is crucial for boards with an Infinite mindset and goal for improvement. Often onboarding gets lip service and a little attention while offboarding is virtually unheard of. These steps help create a positive governance culture and a higher performing board. Presenting comprehensive information with support, and asking the right questions are the ways to unlock the power of these.
It’s a simple metaphor. Really. Credit union board service is a highway journey for which we must have an onramp and an offramp. But here’s the deal – too many credit unions, boards and directors only pay attention to the “highway” part of that. Some pay cursory attention to the onramp and MOST ignore the offramp completely. To extend this metaphor (reductio ad absurdum) to the ridiculous, it’s as if the board-mobile slows down a little bit, barely long enough for you to get in, but only opens the door for you to drop and roll on the way out. Sheesh! All to the detriment of the board. (In the next episode – is your board-mobile a 1972 Cadillac, a 1986 Chevy Chevette or a 2020 Tesla?!)
Back to Our Highway Metaphor
When I’m out talking to directors, whether it be with an individual board at a governance session, or speaking in a conference setting, I often ask board members about their first days as directors. I ask how long it was from the time they signed their first board oath, to the time when they felt comfortable, knew enough to ask hard questions, and really understood not just the financials of the credit union, bit the full scope of its operations. The answers to this are inevitably measured in YEARS … not weeks, or even months.
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