Coaching is one of several approaches to strengthen the governance of an organisation. It is a journey towards continuous learning, wisdom and development. In some cases it may be used alongside other approaches such as mentoring or shadowing. New board members can be paired up with a coach during the induction process or for the first year of board membership. There is no right or wrong combination. A board member may coach another board member.The Chair may coach a board member, or the vice chair may coach a chair. The important criteria that need to be in place are:
- Confidentiality.
- Monitoring and evaluating systems.
- Clear goals or targets for the coaching approach.
- Safety and accessibility. All involved need to know they are working with the values and beliefs that are important to the organisation. If they need further support, they are clear about how they can get it.
Tesse Akpeki is a contributor to Chapter 8 of ‘You and Your Nonprofit Board’ publication which focuses on What a Board requires to be effective.