By John Pearson

Note: This is No. 29 in a series of blogs featuring wisdom from the 91-page gem by Max De Pree, Called to Serve: Creating and Nurturing the Effective Volunteer Board.

Max De Pree: “The fourth thing the board owes the president is care.”

In his almost-final pages of this board governance masterpiece, De Pree lists six ways that the board demonstrates care of the CEO. His priorities include:
1. Care: devotional bonding
2. Care: recognizing the needs of the CEO’s family for “friendship, support, and love”
3. Care: mandatory vacations and regular health checkups
4. Care: “the kind of care that goes the extra mile in compensation arrangements to include such things as budgeted spouse travel allowance and financial planning service”
5. Care: continuing education and professional development (“especially the opportunity to be mentored”)
6. Care: “the kind of care that keeps the president alive, that doesn’t permit him to ‘work himself to death.’”

My opinion: Start with Number Six. The untimely death of an over-worked CEO will only create more work for the board! You may want to add more to this list.

This week, a fellow board member facilitated an excellent exercise for our board—and his methodology would work for your board. Read pages 87-88 about “Care” in Called to Serve—and then, in groups of two or three, ask board members to assess two things:
• First, identify the priority for each “care” item: High, Medium, or Low.
• Second, assess how well the board is doing in caring for your CEO. Use a five-point rating with 5 being Very Effective, and 1 being Very Ineffective.
• Third, ask each group for a brief report on their assessments.
• Finally, refer next steps to the appropriate committee for any action items required.

For more resources to help your CEO grow and flourish, check out these books:

• Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives, by Richard A. Swenson, M.D.
• Crafting a Rule of Life: An Invitation to the Well-Ordered Way, by Stephen A. Macchia
• Serve Strong: Biblical Encouragement to Sustain God’s Servants, by Terry Powell
• Leadership Prayers, by Richard Kriegbaum

BOARD EXERCISE: What is your CEO’s “love language?” What the board might consider a helpful resource or benefit may not speak to your CEO’s unique needs. Talk about it!