1. You are perfect.
You’ve already chaired numerous similar organizations and absolutely everyone has said you are the best chair ever.
I guess that’s why the top athletes in the world, after winning multiple gold medals at the Olympics, fire their coaches and go to future Olympics without one. And without trying to beat their records or personal bests. Wait – they DON’T do that, do they?
Also, is it even remotely possible that you are so intimidating no one ever dared give you the slightest criticisms?
2. You don’t want to look weak.
See above. It’s the strongest, most successful people who value coaching.
3. You already know everything.
You’ve taken numerous courses and workshops on how to be a great board chair and read several highly recommended books on the topic. You closely follow a number of international experts in board effectiveness and have been avidly learning about the sector your organization operates in. You are also, I guess, a unicorn, because surveys show most new board chairs have done little or no preparation for their role. Or maybe you are a phoenix who will burn to ashes when the stress of the new role hits you.
4. The role is honourary; nothing much is required.
Perhaps you’ll remind themselves of that as you chair meetings on challenging topics with widely different views around the table, with the future of the organization at stake. Or when the CEO quits on two days notice in a nonprofit too small to have a management team. Or a change in government means 95% of your funding is gone. Or your Treasurer’s fraud charge is front page news.
5. You don’t have time.
As a very busy person, you certainly make time for what’s important to you. You don’t clutter up your calendar with meetings that don’t matter or tasks that could have been delegated. So, if you don’t make time for executive coaching—not even one free trial session— you don’t care about being a better chair. It’s not important to you. You are satisfied with good enough.
6. There’s no money.
You lead the team that’s making top level, strategic decisions for their organization but approve budgets which allocate more money (in staff time) to summer student orientation and training than to board development. Let alone coaching for the chair. I mean, it’s not as if studies have shown the critical importance of good chairs to the impact of your not-for-profit’s work. [Hint: They have.]
FYI, many nonprofit leaders pay for their executive coaching themselves, rather than ask their organization. I think organizations should invest in professional development for their leaders, but I get that the scarcity mindset too often gets in the way. Often there is no professional development line for the Executive Director either. But months of offering a free executive coaching session for nonprofit board chairs, promoted by colleagues, produced not one nibble. So money isn’t a significant part of the reluctance.
