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Board Interview Guidelines
Reprinted with kind permission of Sport New Zealand
”A key and easy determinant of interest is the amount and quality of preparation.”
The governance of a club is the responsibility of its board/committee, so it is critical for the success of the club to ensure it is steered by an appropriately skilled group. Frequently new board members are elected because they are the only one’s brave enough to put up their hands.
But what if, in an ideal world, your club was faced with an array of suitable applicants? How would your board identify which candidates should be endorsed at the next annual general meeting?
Sports New Zealand developed the following Board Interview Guidelines which assumes the board’s expectations are aligned around approach, processes and time frames. Before any interviews are conducted, the chair should review relevant sections of the constitution, board charter or similar documentation that may stipulate requirements for board recruitment.
In general, during interviews you are trying to determine why the candidate is interested in this particular role, their likely commitment and their potential contribution to and fit within the board. Where there is an obvious passion for a particular sport this is a good start as long as this is balanced with the necessary objectivity. A key and easy determinant of interest is the amount and quality of preparation.
Good candidates will have undertaken some form of due diligence ahead of time, absorbed publicly available material and held conversations with people who have some understanding of the organisation. They will also have a range of questions for you during the discussion. Recruiting against a skills matrix will make the task easier. Part of your matrix will focus on diversity around the table including gender and a balance between sport knowledge and an independent perspective.
Beyond this you will want to probe their understanding of the governance role and ask for specific instances and experiences that allow you to assess their governance potential. Remember, above all, you are looking for thinkers who can contribute to a strategic discussion and are likely to work well as part of a team.
Board Interview Guidelines
