When to say no to a board invitation.

• Author: Balkcom, John

From Before You join a Board by John Balkcom. Copyright [c]2012 by the author. Published by Dog Ear Publishing (www.dogearpublishing.net).

A BOARD CANDIDATE recently asked me, "Okay, when do you say 'no'? Give me a one-liner." In response, I came up with several one-liners, any of which would be sufficient to evoke a "no" from me:

* The seniormost leadership demonstrates little or no transparency to independent members of the board.

* The organization has an excessive level of indebtedness from which it will take years to recover, if recovery is even a prospect.

* Either voting or operating control rests in the hands of one or two members of the board, and everyone else on the board is engaged in a sort of Kabuki theater of governance.

* There is no outside auditor, and no independent eyes (or experts) provide support in the preparation of financial statements.

* The senior leadership has no concrete, verifiable definition of success.

* The board and senior leadership pay little attention to risk in its manifold forms.

* The board membership exhibit unconsciousness or naivete to the organization's competition.

These obstacles are fundamental to your invitation to any board of directors or trustees or governors.

These points propose when to say no, but how? Here, I urge selfishness. Even if a good friend initiates the opportunity for you to join a board, you (and I) have...