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 Are committed to assisting the economic development
organization or to getting involved in its various programs
 Are willing to support change, if change is necessary
 Have a positive attitude and are enthusiastic about participating

 Are able to work well with others

Board Members

Board members certainly fall into the category of volunteers. One of the

most important roles that leaders in a community can play is membership
on the Board of Directors of the local Chamber or economic development
organization. However, the Board should be an integral part of the
organization rather than only a group to whom the executive director
reports periodically. The skills and contacts of these leaders usually can

offer a great deal toward implementing the economic development
program.

Although many board members are leaders in their own right, some of
them may lack the leadership skills necessary to function effectively as the
member of an economic development organization board. They may be
used to being the “boss” leader in their company or organization rather

than the enabling leader needed in order for the development organization
to achieve excellence. Or they may have moved into their outside position
through seniority and the “Peter Principle” is applicable. As has been
pointed out a number of times in this book, being in management doesn’t
necessarily translate to being an effective leader.

It is important for the effectiveness of the organization that the Board

understands that its primary responsibilities are to set policy and evaluate
results. They should not take an active role in the day-to-day
implementation of that policy (“micro-management”), which is strictly a
staff function. A more detailed discussion on the role of the Board, how it
is selected, and how it functions is found in the book Managing for
Excellence previously written by this author.

David Kolzow 279