Leading Roles: 50 Questions Every Arts Board Should Ask

Board and Staff

board and staff 33 what should we think about when we hire an artistic director or an executive director? One of the five cardinal roles of the board is to hire the senior staff members who report directly to them, typically the executive director and the artistic director. But boards are often so unaware of what it really takes to be successful in these positions that they do not necessarily do a very good job of engaging the best people. The executive director is an arts entrepreneur who can create great marketing programs, entice new donors, build large audiences, and produce exciting and surprising projects that fulfill the wishes of the artistic leadership. The executive director is also charged with understanding the financial statements and developing and implementing responses to cash-flow problems. These are all highly creative tasks. Yet too many boards are looking for “a safe pair of hands,” someone who understands discipline and financial control. Many boards misunderstand the expertise needed by an executive director and hope that hiring a financial executive will improve the financial situation. However, financial executives tend to be experts at measuring financial problems, not solving them. Solving the financial problems of an arts organization requires someone who knows how to create revenue. Successful executive directors should know enough about each of the operationalareas—marketing,programming,fundraising,financialmanagement , and facilities—in order to manage their senior staff, but they may not necessarily be as knowledgeable in every area as staff. Executive directors should feel as if they are on the staff of their department heads. Theyneedtobeabletoparticipateinthestrategymeetingsofeachdepartment and offer creative ideas, but leave the final decisions to department heads, who are usually far more knowledgeable about their specific areas. Executive directors also have to be able to coordinate departments. 80 board and staff Many arts organizations function like a series of silos: those in the marketing silo, for example, do not speak with those in the fundraising silo. Yet the true power of an arts organization is developed when the various departments interact in formal and informal ways. It is the job of the executive director to create a culture in which this sharing is rewarded, and a master organizational strategy that changes over time. A successful executive director must be a strategic thinker. Executive directors also need to be able to work with the board. They cannot be arrogant or submissive; they must win over board members by creating such a compelling vision and plan that the board wants to support them. A rich mix of skills is required to be a strong executive director, and unfortunately, there are too few good executive directors to go around for all not-for-profit organizations. So almost all boards have to compromise and determine which skills are most important for their organizations at that given time. For smaller organizations, the job of finding the right executiveleaderisharderstill ,sincetheexecutivedirectorwillprobablyalso have to be the head of marketing or fundraising or other departments, depending on the number of staff and their competence and training. As hard as it is to find a good executive director, it can be even more challenging to engage an artistic director. Most board members are not fully aware of what the artistic director does or how to evaluate the candidates ’ skills. (Board members typically have more familiarity with the executive director’s duties, since their work in corporations is not entirely dissimilar.)Theartisticdirectorissocentraltothesuccessoftheorganization that if board members feel unprepared to hire a new artistic director, they must bring in outside expertise—either an executive search firm or artistic leaders of other institutions who can advise them. And the search committeecreatedtohiretheartisticdirectormustincludememberswith diverse backgrounds, at least some of whom have real artistic expertise. Artistic directors do not simply select plays or ballets or musical programs . They also make sure each season reflects the mission of the organization . They create new and adventuresome programming, select designers and technical staff, find joint-venture partners, develop young talent, and often create art themselves. When experts are not involved in thesearchprocess,artisticdirectorsareoftenhiredonthebasisofpersonality , rather than on substantive ability to create interesting programming and an artistic outlook that meshes with the mission of the organization. board and staff 81 While it is helpful to have artistic directors who are popular representatives in the community, it is far more important that they produce work exciting to audiences and donors alike. One vital test for all serious candidates is to ask them...