Difficult members of a board can pose a serious threat to the efficiency and cohesion of a board. While it’s tempting to let the problem go unnoticed in the hope that the person will change their ways or leave when their term is up, that’s generally not an effective strategy. It is more likely that the behavior will persist and become more severe, negatively affecting the rest of the team and making it difficult for them to carry out their duties effectively.

Direct intervention is one method to directly confront difficult board members. Begin by inviting the person to a one-on-one discussion with the chair, or someone that they hold in high regard and will take note of, in order to explain the issues with their behavior. Find out what drives the behavior, for instance a feeling of not being appreciated or heard by other board members. It is important to have an end-goal in mind. For example the way they conduct themselves needs to change. This will stop the conversation from turning into an argument or confrontation.

If https://theboardmeeting.blog/how-do-you-keep-up-with-trends-in-your-industry/ the person isn’t confronted in an individual discussion it can be helpful to bring the issue to the attention of other board members in a collective intervention. This is an excellent opportunity for the chairperson to demonstrate that they appreciate everyone’s input and are not afraid to confront challenging behaviour. It is also essential to record what was said so that you can inform anyone on any changes when you return to them.