ETHICAL
MATTERS
The Dreaded
E.D. Evaluation!
A year after her
hiring, the Executive Director of a professional
association was still waiting for agreement on performance
objectives, let alone formal feedback. She had received
some praise, but no commitment to a meeting about an
evaluation process. During the hiring process, she was
told the officers would do this. But the officers of this
small board never actually meet as a group.
She cannot rely on
the strategic plan for her objectives, as it is more than
five years old. With her help, the board formed a planning
committee. It moves slowly, and is currently reviewing
proposals from consultants.
The ED provided the
officers with a couple of good models for evaluating a
nonprofit executive director, including one from
BoardSource. She also drafted performance objectives
during her first month on the job, then revised them after
eight months. The officers gave no feedback on any of this
until this week, when they finally set a date, only a
couple of days in advance, to meet with the ED. She
thought the meeting was about process and objectives.
To her astonishment,
they had completed a performance appraisal. They applied a
format that one of the officers, a manager in a
manufacturing plant, used with his subordinates. It was
focused on her skills and attributes, including attendance
and punctuality. There was no reference to organizational
performance or results achieved through others. Nothing
she had provided in draft had been incorporated.
The appraisal
included harsh criticism of her dealings with members,
based on two anonymous complaints that had never been
mentioned before. The board had directed her to be more
rigorous about collecting late renewal fees, including
suspending member benefits for those most in arrears. One
of those had been a board member. She had warned them to
expect complaints.
The officers were
very pleased with themselves for getting the appraisal
written, and clearly expected to be thanked. They also
stated their expectation of an immediate sign-off.
Jane’s Response
The dreaded performance
appraisal! Dreaded by the directors, that is, as most
salaried nonprofit leaders know it is much better to get
the feedback than operate with none.
For most nonprofit
board members, an ED appraisal is the first time they have
evaluated a leader of an organization. Some have never
supervised staff at any level. Professionals who run
their own practices may never have been evaluated
themselves (in an HR sense, rather than by whether clients
keep coming!). I have heard very creative and implausible
excuses from directors for failing to show up at ED
performance reviews.
It is never ethical to
appraise someone against objectives new to them, or
surprise them with negative written feedback when all oral
feedback has been positive.
The process described
in the dilemma is particularly inexcusable at a leadership
level. Trust and respect between the board and senior
staff are essential. A focus on minor personal traits to
the exclusion of organizational results is harmful to the
organization. Like all other decisions in a nonprofit, the
emphasis should be on what helps or hinders achievement of
the mission.
However, if the ED
reacts quickly she will likely appear defensive about the
criticism rather than genuinely concerned with the
unacceptable process.
She can ask for time to
review carefully and add her own comments. Before doing
so, she should likely consult with one or two peers.
Perhaps a peer could come with his or her chair to a next
meeting of the officers, and explain how their evaluation
process works. Clearly, these directors are not listening
to their own ED.
If they do not start
showing more respect for her, they may find themselves
recruiting soon. Or perhaps that was their intention, and
they choose a cowardly way to act on it.
 Jane
is Principal Consultant of Mills Garthson &
Associates, dedicated to strengthening Canada's
nonprofit sector through enhanced leadership and ethics.
She is a founding member and former Chair of the Ethics
Practitioners’ Association of Canada, and was
Executive Director of a provincial federation. She has
provided ethics training to organizations such as the
United Way of Greater Toronto, International Institute
of Public Ethics and CSAE. Jane can be reached at www.millsgarthson.ca or 1-877-645-5417.
|
