"Our board needs training!" says the voice at the other end of the phone.

"What are you hoping that training will accomplish?" I ask.

And a litany of board issues is spilled over the phone lines. We discuss each one, the root causes as well as the symptoms. Clearly there is much to be done.

"Now there's one more thing," the voice tells me. "The board has instructed me to tell you that we only have 2 hours on a Saturday morning. The board president is out of town that day, but he has said to go ahead without him, because that is the only date we could all agree on. The board will be having a short business meeting first, then you will be up."

Sound like a recipe for disaster? Sadly, I will bet every consultant reading this article is laughing out loud. They may have just this moment gotten off the phone and heard those words verbatim!

When boards seek education, they know they are in need. They are balancing that need with many other priorities - their time, their budget, their perception of the effectiveness of "Board Training."

To help your board along, here are 7 Tips for laying a smooth path to a great educational experience for your board.

Tip #1: State This Aloud: "We do not know what we do not know, and that is, in part, why we need education."

Much of your potential results will be determined by this first tip. And that is because, in our experience, this is one of the two largest reasons board education efforts fail.

Board members are recruited because they are successful, perhaps even powerful. When they come to the board of a Community Benefit Organization, though, they are working in an arena where their business experience does not directly translate. Board members are repeatedly frustrated at the number of major areas where that translation is sorely lacking.

And yet, board members often demand that their education be done on their terms, in the way they see fit, often on the topics they think they need to learn, regardless of the diagnosis of the expert they have called to assist them - the consultant / instructor.

Consider a different scenario - a visit to the doctor. It is unlikely we would self-diagnose, and then demand the doctor cure what we ourselves have determined is the problem. It is far more likely we would share our symptoms, and carefully weigh the doctor’s own diagnosis and prescription.

It is no different when the diagnosis is for your board’s health than it is for your own.

Simply because this is the biggest reason board education programs are not effective, Tip #1 is a deal-breaker. If you cannot work with the instructor, acknowledging that you do not know what you do not know, then whatever education you receive, you are likely to be disappointed with the results.

Tip #2: Determine Outcomes Up Front

Now we are talking about something your board (and key staff) absolutely DO know a lot about. What do you want to be extraordinary when the education program is done? What do you want to work better? What do you want the board AND the organization to be able to accomplish that you cannot accomplish now?

No one will know this like you. If Tip #1 is the primary reason education efforts fail, this one is absolutely #2. If you do not know what success will look like when you are done, you have no target at which thing to aim your education efforts.

It is not enough to know what you DO NOT want (We are sick of not having a quorum; we are tired of not knowing our job; we are frustrated that we can't seem to get anything done...).

Aim at positive outcomes: What positive difference do you want this education effort to make? For whom? What do you want to be extraordinary when you are done?

(Bonus Tip: Aim those outcomes at Community-Driven end results, rather than organizational means. Are there outcomes that can help aim your governance at accountability for the organization's results in the community - the reason your organization exists in the first place, and the primary function for which your board is accountable?)

Tip #3: Let the Expert Diagnose

The best doctor-patient relationship is one where both work together as a team, adding their own experience and wisdom to the mix. A smart doctor will acknowledge that the patient knows his/her own body in a way the doctor cannot. And the patient must acknowledge that the doctor has expertise in areas the patient does not. The team of doctor and patient, working together towards the same goal - the patient's health - is a force to be reckoned with.

The same holds true for the relationship you build with the professional you are about to hire to help with your board's (and hence your organization's) health. Spend time with prospective trainers / educators, to provide both your "symptoms" and your desired outcomes - your desired state of "health."

And then, just as you would do with a doctor, let those professionals be the ones to provide you with their insights into both their diagnosis, and their approach to bringing you closer to your goal of organizational health.

Tip #4: You're Not Using an RFP, Are You?

There are so many reasons Requests for Proposals are a bad idea for this type of work (and are just as bad for planning / facilitation, or any consulting work for that matter). Here are just three of those reasons, as they relate directly to this topic - education:

1. An RFP assumes you know enough to ask for what you need. And as we have already addressed, often that is simply not the case.
2. RFPs rarely focus on outcomes. Instead, RFPs tend to list tasks to be done, and deliverables, such as a plan, a workbook, a training. RFPs rarely mention what difference the work is expected to make, and for whom.
3. And finally, low bid is no way to find a great teacher.

Tip #5: It's Not in the Budget

"It doesn't matter what it costs, because there is no money in the budget to cover this work."

This is an argument that typically arises before a consultant / trainer is even sought. It is the argument that typically precludes any action being taken at all to ensure the board receives the education it needs.

This is typically not a matter of whether or not the organization can afford it. This is a larger issue - the issue of whether or not your board feels it is appropriate to budget for educating your board.

The board is accountable for every single thing - both ends and means - that the organization accomplishes OR fails to accomplish / does wrong. Yet few organizational budgets have a line item for Board Education.

So what is it worth to know the seat of accountability for your whole organization is educated about the work it has to do? Is it worth 1% of your organization's budget? Perhaps more? Well, if your organization has a $1million budget, 1% is $10,000. If that number made you gasp, then it is time to discuss with your board the value of keeping your board educated.

The impact of boards is profound. Boards are the seat of the organization's highest potential. However, they are also the place where a failure to perform can land the organization in court, or completely fail to provide any meaningful results to the community.

With the potential rewards so overwhelming, and the potential risks so overwhelming as well, how much of your organization's budget is your board willing to invest in its ability to effectively govern the organization?

Tip #6: If You Think You Cannot Afford the Work

You determined the outcomes you want to achieve. You have found a professional you feel comfortable with, and you have a scope of work you are confident will accomplish your outcomes.

You look at the price and know you will never be able to afford it.

And you are wrong.

There are many ways to find funding when the training is aimed at outcomes that matter for the future of the organization and the community you serve. The links at the bottom of this article can provide some creative options to help with that.

Once you have determined how to pay for your board's education this year, however, be prepared for next year. Determine what percent of the budget you will spend to ensure your board knows its job, and then raise the money to make sure that education happens.

Tip #7: Turn Your Board's Culture into A Culture of Ongoing Learning

That brings us to the crux of Board Education; it should be ongoing.

Imagine this:

Your board is a learning machine. At every turn, board members face issues with a spirit of curiosity. They expect to learn at every meeting. They do not expect to "know the answer" to every issue raised, but to "learn the answer alongside everyone else at the board table, who is also learning."

This can happen when your board determines its mode of operating will always be learning. That board members will be open to discovering, exploring, experimenting. That they will shy away from recruiting new board members who "know it all" and will aim towards recruiting people with an oversized spirit of intellectual curiosity - people who want to know, want to find out, want to figure out how things can work better.

The more your board can create the environment of an ongoing Learning Community, the more you will be able to accomplish, for the organization and for the community at large.

And the more all the rest of your board's education program (including all these tips) will fall right into place.

* In addition to her other credentials, Hildy Gottlieb is adjunct faculty in the Masters Degree program in Community Leadership at Duquesne University.