The Board Micromanaging Quiz Suggested Answers

Find Out: Is Your Nonprofit Board Micromanaging? Or not?

The Board Micromanaging Quiz

Suggested Answers

Board Meetings

1. A board member asks a question about a staff member’s responsibilities.	No
2. When the CEO is not present, the Board assigns an individual staff member at the meeting to complete a task.	Yes[1]
3. The Board asks the CEO if staff can take on a committee task.	No
4. The Board tells the CEO how to fix an operation’s snafu.	Yes
5. The Board creates a policy to correct an operation’s snafu.	No

Committee Meetings

6. A member voices an opinion about the CEO’s decision on an operations issue and asks for a report at the next board meeting.	Yes[2]
7. A member assigns a staff member to complete a committee task.	Yes
8. A member discovers an accounting process error and informs the CFO how to correct it.	Yes
9. A member discovers an accounting process error, informs the CFO how to correct it, and emails the board chair and CEO afterward to explain what happened.	Yes[3]
10. Three board members decide they would like to discuss an HR policy at the next board meeting and ask the CEO to put it on the agenda.	No

Individual Encounters

11. Without asking if input would be helpful, the Board Chair shares a list of ideas on an internal challenge.	Yes
12. After confirming that the input is welcome, the Board Chair provides a list of ideas on an internal challenge.	No
13. At a networking event, a board member asks a staff member (not the CEO) to send a link to the program background.	No[4]
14. At a networking event, a board member grills the staff member on why the staff runs a program the way it does, frowning at the answers the staff member shares.	Yes
15. The Board Chair passes on three suggestions on how to supervise employees to the CEO developed during the CEO’s evaluation.	No

Read How Can You Stop Your Board from Micromanaging? for more information about board micromanaging. Need more help with your board? Karen is available for a mini-consult or more. Click here to email or here to set a time to chat.

[1] The board asks the CEO to assigns the task.

[2] If the Committee agrees than they bring this request to the board who in turn asks the CEO to create the report.

[3] Sometimes micromanaging makes sense especially if the issue is time sensitive. Solving the challenge and keeping communications open, invites everyone to discuss how to handle similar issues going forward.

[4] Assuming this is information that staff would share with board members.

Find Out: Is Your Nonprofit Board Micromanaging? Or not?