Q:

"As an ED, I’ve worked with many Board Chairs throughout my career. But two people, who I worked with in different organizations, really stand out to me.

In my first Executive Director role, the Board Chair was a very visionary person. He really wanted the organization to grow. Even though I was a new ED, he was openly supportive and deeply affirming. He wanted me to succeed, so he supported my leadership and made sure the rest of the Board did too. That trust gave me the confidence and space to think big and act boldly, and together we launched a signature fundraising initiative that strengthened the organization’s sustainability for more than a decade.

Years later, in another organization, I worked with a Board Chair whose style was quieter and more behind the scenes — but she was deeply committed. She focused on clearing obstacles that were in my way, reinforcing trust between the Board and management, and staying grounded in the mission. With her support, the organization made a significant strategic shift, moving beyond crisis response to invest in long-term prevention and systems change. I had been advocating for that change for years, but it couldn’t happen until this Chair stepped up to make sure the Board didn’t stand in the way."

A:

I love everything about these stories. What we have here are two Board Chairs with very different leadership styles, but both are highly effective at building a trusting, enabling relationship with the Executive Director. And in both cases, those collaborative relationships opened the door for the organization to make big, meaningful moves.

When the Board Chair Is the ED’s #1 Fan

In the first example, we see a Chair who had big plans for the organization and did everything he could to empower the ED to be a bold, confident leader. He pumped her up, lined the Board up behind her, and worked in partnership to make the organization more sustainable. This is such a powerful way for a Chair to support the ED, and to demonstrate leadership to the Board.

Too often, people step into board roles assuming that their primary job is to challenge and scrutinize the ED. They want to “hold the ED’s feet to the fire,” because they think that’s what accountability looks like. This is a dead-end approach, rooted in a deeply paternalistic paradigm; when EDs have to fight tooth and nail just to do their job, it’s kinda hard to get anything done. This dynamic also frequently leads to toxic organizational culture, ED burnout, and a whole lot of downstream harm.

This Chair shows us a very different model: being the ED’s number one supporter. And that’s exactly what we want to see in a board/staff relationship.

When the Board Chair Is the ED’s #1 Ally

The second Chair in this story looks very different from the first. Her leadership style is quieter and more behind the scenes, but her impact is just as significant.

The first thing I want to say is this: quiet leaders are awesome. We use language like “strong Chair” all the time, and it subtly shapes which leadership styles we consider chair-worthy. I say this as an introvert: the loudest voice at the table is not necessarily the best leader. Quiet leaders have so much to offer (and as a bonus, they’re often less ego-driven in the role)!

What stands out to me in this story is that this Chair knew her job was to get things unstuck. She understood that the only way to do that was to forge a strong, supportive relationship with the ED. And instead of directing the ED, she directed the Board (and this is the Chair’s actual role, by the way!).

She addressed the tensions and constraints that had been standing in the way of organizational change. I don’t have all the details here, but I can use my imagination: long-serving volunteers resistant to change; ego-driven directors more interested in punching down than helping out; legacy governance systems slowing everything down; big decisions that kept getting avoided.

These are exactly the kinds of dynamics that frustrate EDs and board members alike. Addressing these constraints is real leadership. It’s not easy work. It’s often uncomfortable and under-recognized. But this Chair recognized that the Board itself was the bottleneck, so she did what needed to be done. 

I’m willing to bet that not everyone was pleased. But in the end, the organization was able to make a major shift to a new impact model. This required quiet, steady, active leadership, and the courage to do the hard governance work that makes big change possible.This Chair shows us how strengthening an organization’s impact isn’t about exercising your will over the ED, it’s about using your positional power in a responsible way. 

Reimagining What Strong Board Leadership Looks Like

It’s not hard to find examples of Board/ED relationships that are dysfunctional, toxic, or worse. And while it is important to talk about those realities — especially because so many EDs are navigating them quietly and in isolation — it’s equally important to shine a light on what constructive governance relationships actually look like in practice.

Stories like this remind us that strong board/ED relationships are possible. They don’t require perfect people or a single “right” leadership style. What they require is clarity about roles, a commitment to trust, and a shared orientation toward impact. The role of the Chair (or the full board, for that matter), isn’t to control the ED — it’s to build trusting, supportive relationships that enable strong leadership and remove the constraints that were holding the organization back.

Big Takeaways 

• There isn’t one “right” leadership style for Board Chairs, but there is a right orientation. Visionary and quiet leaders can both be highly effective when they focus on enabling leadership, building trust, and aligning the Board around impact.
  
  
• Accountability isn’t about pressure or control, it’s about partnership. When Boards see their role as supporting the ED to succeed (rather than constantly challenging or scrutinizing them), organizations gain the confidence and capacity to make bold, meaningful moves.
  
  
• Some of the most important governance work happens behind the scenes. Clearing constraints, addressing board-level dynamics, and doing the uncomfortable work of change may not be glamorous, but it’s exactly what allows organizations to evolve and deepen their impact.