As a senior leader, you need a strong working relationship with your board. Unfortunately, there’s no manual for how to do that. As a result, most leaders end up learning through experience (read: observation, hard work, and some painful mistakes).

In our latest VP Summer Series podcast, we sit down with Joel Bauman, SVP of Enrollment at Duquesne University, and Karen Foust, former EVP of Enrollment at Hendrix College, to talk about the finer points of building collaborative, productive relationships with board members.

We discuss:

• Important ways board members can differ in their approach to the role
• Tips for effectively communicating the complexities of your work
• Why trying to be the smartest person in the room can backfire with board members
• The right way to go about delivering bad news
• How to respectfully nudge a board member back into their lane when they start to overreach.