Are you hiring a staff member or maybe your chamber is hiring a new ED? If so, just how involved should your board be in chamber hiring? Should they be screening resumes and interviewing candidates? How is it done at other chambers?
Should Your Board Be Involved in Chamber Hiring?
Who’s Being Hired
For most chambers, it depends on what position you’re filling as to whether the chamber board is involved in the hiring process or not. The board is always involved in the executive director choice but most of the time, the involvement ends there. They choose the leader and the leader chooses the staff/team.
For most chambers hiring an executive director, at least part of the board is involved. Some chamber professionals said that their larger chamber board reviewed resumes and narrowed down prospects but the executive board was the entity that made the decision. While other chamber execs were interviewed by their entire board, not just the executive entity.
Wayne Griffin explained it well in the Chamber of Commerce Professionals group on Facebook when he said, “The board has ONE employee – the Exec. The Exec hires the rest of the team.” He has in the past used a small committee comprised of a few board members to vet candidates for high-ranking staff positions, but the decision was ultimately his.
Based on his experience he suggests keeping those involved in interviews and decisions down to a group no larger than five. He advises that anything larger than that poses problems with arranging interviews and keeping confidentiality.
What expectations do you have of your chamber board? Are they enumerated in your by-laws, or more importantly do your board members understand the expectations of their roles? If you’re wondering ways in which you can help your chamber board be the best it can be, download our free Board Development List.
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