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iQuestions Faculty, Jack Herschend 
 
 
Question: 
 
How should a board member be measured? 
 
Answer:  
 
All of us, whether we’re in a for-profit business, or if we’re in a 
ministry, our performance needs to be measured. So, just like 
leadership and all the folks in the organization—board members also 
need to have accountability to the organization they serve. 
 
There are two different kinds of measurements or accountability for 
board members. The first is the one that I think is most important—
and as I’ve watched boards come together, and measure their 
performance as a board, all together, how are we doing in serving this 
company or this ministry?  
 
Board members tend to be very tough on themselves. But good things 
flow out of it when they ask the tough questions about how have we 
done in terms of our attendance at board meetings and how have we 
done in terms of our preparation for board meetings? How have we 
done in asking tough questions? How have we done in staying out of 
areas of the business that are not for board members? 
 
Those kind of tough questions are asked by the board of themselves. 
And I’ve never seen a board that doesn’t come to two or three 
different conclusions as to how they can collectively better serve the 
company or the not-for-profit. 
 
The second, of course, is individual measurement of performance. As 
chairman for about thirty years of several companies and not-for-
 
 
profits—it was my responsibility to sit down with each individual board 
member once a year, and discuss with that board member their 
performance. I would ask tough questions. I would bring them back to 
major contributions that they’ve made. I would bring them back to 
times where they were silent on issues, where we really would have 
benefited, had they contributed.  
 
And as long as the performance is done in a way that the person being 
measured understands that the purpose is to help that board member 
be all that he or she can be, help that person be able to serve the 
ministry or the company in the most effective way, I’ve yet to see a 
board member take offense at being held accountable. 
 
 
 
  
 
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