Being selected to serve on a board of trustees means being a good steward and fulfilling that which has been entrusted to you, said Jim Guenther, legal counsel for the Southern Baptist Convention.
Speaking during the Jan. 11–12 Alabama Baptist Trustee Leadership Summit at Shocco Springs Baptist Conference Center in Talladega, Guenther outlined the role and responsibility of a trustee.
“You hold a legal office as a trustee,” he said. “The board is the governing body of [a] corporation. … The majority decision by the board of trustees is what causes the corporation to act.”
But the board is not there to manage the corporation or run the day-to-day activities, Guenther said. “A mistake trustees can make is to try to manage the institution when they don’t know how,” he said. “That’s what the CEO and president are for. … Don’t enter into areas where you have no confidence.
“If you don’t have a CEO who is managing the institution the way it needs to be managed, then you need to get another one, not start managing as a board.”
As a trustee, there are two legal duties, Guenther noted.
One, exercise care. “Be careful … . Respect process. Do things decently and in order. … Listen respectfully, especially to those with whom you disagree. They may be right. Listen critically — make sure you know enough before you decide. … Don’t just go with the flow.”
And work hard at selecting the CEO, Guenther noted. “Be clear about policies … having ongoing evaluation … and make sure everyone understands expectations.”
Two, act exclusively in the interest of the institution.
“Be loyal and be sensitive to a number of people,” he said. “Have a sense that you as a trustee have a link between your institution, the Alabama Baptist State Convention and the public at large.”
And talk about the institution, he added. “Become so enmeshed in the institution that it is second nature to … talk about the good things the institution is doing.”
Not only is the trustee position one of stewardship but it is also a position of leadership, he said. To proceed as a leader, Guenther suggests:
1. “Be sensitive about leading in the right direction.
2. “Be sensitive about leading with the right spirit. Try to be considerate of others.
3. “Play your position. Don’t try to be the whole team, and don’t try to play someone else’s position.”
The trustee position is one to be taken seriously, he said, noting some homework needs to be done. “You must get a running start to jump on a train that is already moving.” (TAB)
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