Courtney,

These templates sound great!   The Museum Trustee Association always does
such good work.   The question is how to get more of our trustees to join and
be involved.

The other question that I have for you and for the list concerns this idea of
Board Assessment.    It is the current, new thing and museum professionals
are excited about it.  I guess we see it as a way of getting board members to
take responsibility for their work on the board and treat their service as
something professional.

Yet, in practical terms, the boards with whom I have worked are often
composed of people who are not at all analytical thinkers.  I might even say
that that way of thinking is alien to them.   The boards are mired in
tradition and the attitude that
"we have always done things this way."  They don't like change.

Many boards often have interesting psychological profiles and power struggles
between the members of their executive committees and the museum founder.

So, how do you introduce this idea of Board Assesssment to these
traditionalists?
What is the best way to get them excited about doing an assessment?  How do
you get them to take ownership of the process?  How do you prevent some
wildcard from hijacking the board and using the assessment against the
museum's CEO, or as an excuse to get rid of the CEO and seize power?

I'm not taking about large, established museums, here.  I'm thinking about
small and medium-sized museums that are in the category that AAM calls
"emerging museums."   These types of museums are just beginning to
professionalize their operaitons.  Usually there is only one, trained museum
professional working there and only a few board members who function.

Thoughts, anyone?

Cordially,
pamela sezgin

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