The Board and the CEO

   

PIC No. 108: Pails in Comparison (Sept. 3, 2025)

• Title: The Board and the CEO: Seven Practices to Protect Your Organization's Most Important Relationship 
• Authors: Peter Greer and David Weekley
• Publisher: CreateSpace (July 12, 2017, 144 pages)
• Management Bucket #14 of 20: The Board Bucket

Welcome to Pails in Comparison, the sidekick of John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. This blog features my “PICs”—short reviews of helpful books—with comparisons to other books in my 20 management buckets (core competencies) filing system. 

Breaking News! In addition to this review, read my recent review of the new book from Peter Greer and Jill Heisey, How Leaders Lose Their Way: And How to Make Sure It Doesn't Happen to You. 

Stop the Presses!

This week, I mentioned a funny story to a colleague who was wondering if he should accept the invitation to serve on the board of directors of a nonprofit organization. Two challenges: the ministry is founder-led and the founder is a close friend.

My suggestion: ask the founder if the board can fire him! (Read my funny story.) Ironically, that story launches my review of another excellent book by Peter Greer, Succession: Seven Practices to Navigate Mission-Critical Leadership Transitions, by Peter Greer and Doug Fagerstrom. But today…I’m reviewing another book by Greer.

Stop the Presses! Add Book #19! Several years ago, I wrote a series of blogs, “18 Best Board Books.” Guess what? I just added Book #19, The Board and the CEO. You’ll love this book—and I’ll explain why.

But lest you think that if you’ve read one board governance book—you’ve read them all—maybe read Proverbs 18:9. I encourage all board members to be lifelong learners, just like we want our airline pilots and surgeons to be lifelong learners! To put boots on the ground, I encourage boards to spotlight the wide array of helpful books with a “10 Minutes for Governance” segment at every board meeting.

Rotate the leadership and ask each presenter to share five minutes of content from a board book and then facilitate a five-minute conversation with one or two well-chosen questions. (Break into groups of two or three—to further engage people.) Read more in Lessons From the Nonprofit Boardroom, by Dan Busby and yours truly:

   • Chapter 38: “Great Boards Delegate Their Reading” (Read the chapter.)

   • Chapter 39: “Invest 10 Minutes for Governance in Every Board Meeting.” (See another discussion option here with a 3, 4, and 3-minute plan.)

BOOK #19! So why am I now adding The Board and the CEO to my “Best Board Books” list? While this book is brief and to-the-point, it’s packed with wisdom and practical next steps for any board. Seven practices:

   #1. Mission, Not Ego
   #2. Clarity, Not Confusion
   #3. Consistent Communication, Not Mystery
   #4. Accountability, Not Platitudes
   #5. Healthy Conflict, Not Kumbaya
   #6. Prepared, Not Panicked
   #7. Involved, Not Detached

There’s plenty of meat in those short chapters—but you’ll also find gold in seven resources from pages 106 to 136, including:

   • Annual CEO/Executive Director Evaluation
   • Annual CEO/Executive Director Self-Evaluation
   • Annual Board Self-Evaluation
   • Board of Directors Survey
   • Board Nomination Form
   • Annual Board Member Affirmation Statement
   • Nonprofit Board Member Profiles

The final resource will surprise you. The first nine "profiles" of potential board members, suggested by Chris Crane, co-founder and board member of Edify, are listed as red flag warnings! (Oh, my.) Here are just five for your DO NOT INVITE onto the board list:

   • “Those who wish to be on the board primarily to have a feel good experience and to build their resume.”
   • “Those who want to run the organization.”
   • “Those who are single-issue focused.”
   • “Those who are sincere but inexperienced.”
   • “Those who understand good governance but do not wish to make waves.”
   • “Those who understand good governance but don't have the time.”

Note: Each chapter has application questions—and, if you’re gutsy enough, you will leverage them in your boardroom. For example from the chapter, “Healthy Conflict, Not Kumbaya,” read this: “When is the last time you as a board member acknowledged that another board member was right and you were wrong?”

PAILS IN COMPARISON: Reading this book reminded me of several other must-read books in the Board Bucket, plus other buckets/core competencies.

Note: This is the NEW location for John Pearson's Pails in Comparison Blog. Slowly (!), the previous 100+ blogs posted (between 2022 and 2025) will gradually populate this blogsite, along with new book reviews each month. Visit John Pearson's Buckets Blog for more book reviews.

[   ] Succession: Seven Practices to Navigate Mission-Critical Leadership Transitions, by Peter Greer and Doug Fagerstrom (Read my review.)

[   ] Note: Peter Greer is a writing machine—and I’ve reviewed several of his books, including The Gift of Disillusionment: Enduring Hope for Leaders After Idealism Fades, by Peter Greer and Chris Horst, with Brianna Lapp and Jill Heisey. (Read my review.)

[   ] Lessons From the Nonprofit Boardroom: 40 Insights for Better Board Meetings (2nd Edition), by Dan Busby and John Pearson (2018) - Order from Amazon. (Read 40 blogs by 40 guest bloggers.)

[   ] More Lessons From the Nonprofit Boardroom: Effectiveness, Excellence, Elephants! by Dan Busby and John Pearson (2019) - Order from Amazon. (Read 40 blogs by 40 guest bloggers.)

[   ] Lessons From the Church Boardroom: 40 Insights for Exceptional Governance (2nd Edition), by Dan Busby and John Pearson (2019) - Order from Amazon. (Read 40 blogs by 40 guest bloggers.)

[   ] ECFA Tools and Templates for Effective Board Governance: Time-Saving Solutions for Your Board, by Dan Busby and John Pearson (2019) - Order from Amazon. (Read the 22 blogs on the 22 tools and templates). (Download the tools at ECFA.)

TO ORDER FROM AMAZON, click on the title for The Board and the CEO: Seven Practices to Protect Your Organization's Most Important Relationship, by Peter Greer and David Weekley. For more book reviews, visit John Pearson’s Buckets Blog and subscribe to Your Weekly Staff Meeting.

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