In my final message as Barr’s president, I want to share what has been one of the most powerful lessons for me in leading two foundations: the primacy of a strong board chair and president partnership. Few things have more impact on organizational success than a productive and trusting relationship between its leader and board chair.

It sounds so simple, and yet, it does not happen on its own, without care, intentionality, and purpose by both parties in the partnership. And when it does happen, the ripple effects across the organization can be profound, driving organizational excellence and impact.

Over a span of over twenty years leading two charitable foundations, I have been privileged to work with five board chairs—four at the Irvine Foundation and one at Barr. In each instance, I was fortunate to have a partner as chair who brought passion for the organization’s mission, who was invested in my success as a leader, and who devoted the time and offered the guidance to ensure a constructive working relationship.

As I consider what made these partnerships most effective, three priorities stand out, both as an organizational leader and as one who has chaired several boards myself:

Strive for alignment

Alignment between leaders and their board chairs can lay the groundwork for alignment across an entire board. And such alignment is essential to the organization’s success. I have long resisted the concept that a president’s job is to “manage the board”, an expression I often hear. Instead, I view the job as engaging the board, to ensure we can benefit from their perspectives and work collaboratively toward shared aims.

This alignment has felt absolutely necessary in these tumultuous times. Our ability as a board at Barr to have open exchange about the best ways to stand in our values and remain steadfast while remaining attentive to risk is just one example. During my tenure, working intentionally to create such alignment ultimately helped me to lead with clarity and authority. Building alignment, however, takes effort. It requires creating a culture in the board room that values open exchange, that does not shy from disagreement, and that is collectively oriented toward emerging with shared understanding. Investing the effort to build that culture is time exceedingly well spent.

Trust and empower

When the board and president create that kind of open, candid culture in the board room, it builds trust and is empowering in ways that ripple throughout an organization.

Empowerment is contagious, in the very best way. The greater confidence that a board has in its leader and senior team, the more confidence that team can infuse in others across the organization (and the inverse is certainly true: a lack of confidence in leadership can undermine organizational progress).

One of Barr’s core values is to “invest in leaders.” We aim to build strong, enduring relationships of mutual trust, candor, and respect with our grantee partners, knowing that those who are closest to communities know best what solutions will work for those communities. When Barr’s program staff know they have the trust of the organization’s leadership, it empowers them to show up as authentic partners, with a measure of autonomy and a key voice in decision-making. That makes all the difference. I contend that the measure of trust I am able to extend to my team ultimately traces to the strength of my partnership with my board chair.

Find joy in the relationship

What I have experienced as a leader is that when there is close cohesion, productive collaboration, and a spirit of support in my relationship with a board chair, my job is not just easier, but frankly more enjoyable. And this comes from investing the time and effort to build a trusting, open, and mutually supportive relationship.

Meetings with my board chairs have always been opportunities to exchange ideas, to have my thinking challenged and improved, and to align on shared priorities. I also came to develop deeper respect and admiration for my board chairs as I got to know them as people.

The joy of this partnership has been especially evident in these past 11 ½ years of working with Barbara Hostetter, Barr’s co-founder and chair since the Foundation’s inception. I am profoundly grateful that everything I describe above was present in our work together, and I firmly believe that Barr’s successes, and our ability to adapt and respond in turbulent times, was empowered by the trust, support and insight that Barbara offered me as Barr’s president.

As Barbara steps back from leading the board early next year, and as I assume the chair role, I intend to bring these same commitments to my partnership with our new president, Ali Noorani, who joins us as Barr’s president on December 1.

I am excited for what Ali’s leadership will bring to Barr, to our region, and to the broader philanthropic landscape. He is a talented and proven leader, whose values are deeply aligned with Barr’s. As I step back from my day-to-day engagement as president, it will be a privilege to be able to dedicate myself to empowering Ali’s vision and leadership in the years ahead, and I embrace that new responsibility with enthusiasm. To say that our times are challenging is an understatement, but I have every confidence that Ali’s leadership will propel Barr to the next level of its potential and impact.

So, this is not exactly farewell, as I will remain engaged with Barr. Yet, it is the end of a chapter.  I close by extending my heartfelt gratitude to our dedicated trustees, our talented team, and our many partners across the region. It is our partners who have inspired my work at Barr, and it is they who fuel my optimism for the future.