Skip to main content

How to Spot a Board in Trouble: Tim Harington

This is not a comprehensive list. In fact, we’d like to hear from others the things that they’ve seen or what they look for. We’re sure our smart readership has some things to add. This is also not a checklist. We’re not suggesting that once you’ve identified all eight of these you’ve found your troubled board. (Notice that some of these are countervailing.) But these are things that show up regularly and have been present when dealing with troubles.
How to Spot a Board in Trouble, Red Flags
How to Spot a Board in Trouble
  1. No turnover on the board – Why? Lack of desire for change? Lack of recruiting? Difficulty in recruiting? Contentment with the status quo?
  2. Heavy turnover on the board – Again, why?
  3. No diversity on the board – this means you really don’t represent the demographics of your membership. (We doubt your field of membership is made up exclusively of 67-year-old white dudes.)
  4. The CEO attends all committee meetings – Is this the board’s overreliance on the CEO? Or is this the CEO's inability to let go of control?
  5. No executive sessions – This suggests that there is a lack of trust somewhere (or a lack of understanding of executive sessions). See our blog post about this topic.
  6. Same chair for the last 20+ years – This is a red flag about resistance to change. (This could be a chair that has been begging for years for someone else to take the helm, which is also a red flag.)
  7. Four CEOs in the last five years – Not long ago we talked about the “rebound” CEO, which means it’s very possible to have had three CEOs in the last five years and that’s only a bump in the road and not a red flag. But the minute you reach the number “four” this is a giant red flag.
  8. All of the board members are from the single SEG sponsor (even though the CU has had a community charter for years). Do we have to explain this one? See #6.
How to Spot a Board in Crisis
How to Spot a Board in Crisis
Some of you are going to disagree. We’re fine with that. 

Some of you are going to point out a piece of anecdotal evidence that contradicts what we’ve said above. We’re also fine with that, and we still strongly make our claim despite your story.

Let’s duke it out and talk about it.

Yes. Context is everything. These are red flags that cause us to explore and ask more questions.

 Team Resources

7049 E. Tanque Verde Rd., PMB 136
Tucson, AZ 85715

Phone: 520.290.5721
Fax: 520.290.8378
Cell: 520.906.7501





Comments

Post a Comment

Please no profanity or political comments.

Popular posts from this blog

NCOFCU Newsletter

The Bucket Coach is a financial advice book designed by Fire Services Credit Union, Tronto, Canada. and written exclusively for Fire Fighters It's a practical guide for household financial management, including investments, credit and mortgages, and retirement. Developed with contributions from Fire Fighters," NCOFCU Newsletter : " Kevin Connolly Chief Executive Officer    Fire Services Credit Union Phone: 416-440-1294 ext 301  Toll Free: 1-866-833-3285 E-mail:  kevin@firecreditunion.ca 1997 Avenue Rd Toronto, ON M5M 4A3 
Post a Comment
Read Complete Article HERE>»

Vought: ‘We’re Closing Down The CFPB’ — White House Budget Chief Says Agency Will Shut Down Within Months

  10/16/2025 09:03 am         WASHINGTON—White House Budget Director Russell Vought said Wednesday he plans to shut down the CFPB, PYMNTS reported. Russell Vought Speaking on  The Charlie Kirk Show , Vought said only a handful of employees remain at the CFPB’s Washington headquarters “while we close down the agency,” adding that he expects the process to be completed “within the next two or three months.” Vought’s remarks come amid a series of legal challenges targeting the Administration’s attempts to scale back or dismantle the CFPB. The Administration is currently facing lawsuits from a CFPB labor union and consumer advocacy groups, which argue that Trump lacks the authority to dismiss most of the Bureau’s staff or eliminate the agency altogether. On Wednesday, Vought repeated long-standing Republican criticisms that the CFPB has exceeded its authority and imposed unfair burdens on smaller financial institutions, PYMNTS noted. “All they want to do is wea...
Post a Comment
Read Complete Article HERE>»

AI Meets Retail: Walmart Lets Shoppers Buy Directly Through ChatGPT Using Sparky Instant Checkout

  10/15/2025 07:10 pm         BENTONVILLE, Ark.— Walmart is teaming up with OpenAI to introduce Sparky AI-driven shopping experiences that let customers and Sam’s Club members complete purchases directly through ChatGPT using its new Instant Checkout feature, PYMNTS reported. The collaboration broadens Walmart’s use of artificial intelligence across its retail ecosystem and underscores a wider industry move toward conversational, predictive commerce. Through the integration, shoppers can plan meals, restock household essentials, or discover new products simply by chatting with ChatGPT—while Walmart manages the entire transaction process seamlessly in the background, PYMNTS explained. “For many years now, eCommerce shopping experiences have consisted of a search bar and a long list of item responses,” Doug McMillon, president and CEO of Walmart Inc., stated in the PYMNTS report. “That is about to change. There is a native AI experience coming that is multi-media...
Post a Comment
Read Complete Article HERE>»

Understanding the Fed’s Balance Sheet

Chair Jerome H. Powell Monetary policy is more effective when the public understands what the Federal Reserve does and why. With that in mind, I hope to enhance understanding of one of the more arcane and technical aspects of monetary policy: the Federal Reserve's balance sheet. A colleague recently compared this topic to a trip to the dentist, but that comparison may be unfair—to dentists. 1 Today, I will discuss the essential role our balance sheet played during the pandemic, along with some lessons learned. I will then review our ample reserves implementation framework and the progress we have made toward normalizing the size of our balance sheet. I will conclude with some brief remarks on the economic outlook. Background on the Fed's Balance Sheet One of the primary purposes of a central bank is to provide the monetary foundation for the financial system and the broader economy. This foundation is made of central bank liabilities. On the Fed's balance sheet, the liabili...
Post a Comment
Read Complete Article HERE>»

For Banks and Credit Unions, AI Can Be Risky. But What’s Riskier? Falling Behind.

By Nicole Volpe,  Contributor at The Financial Brand For many bank and credit union leaders, Generative AI is mostly generating… anxiety. On one side is the fear of getting it wrong: exposing sensitive data, triggering a compliance breakdown, or wasting money on experiments that never scale. On the other looms something even more stress-inducing: watching competitors that have mastered AI serve their customers faster, cheaper, and with more personalization, while gaining market share in the process. Small and mid-sized financial institutions have long worked to offset competitive disadvantages versus larger and more-digital competitors, but AI threatens to widen the gap. Global and national players have the budgets and talent to embed AI deeply within their operations. Fintechs can pivot quickly and launch new digital experiences with fewer legacy constraints. Meanwhile, a majority of banks and credit unions sit in between — too small to match the giants’ scale, yet too complex and...
Post a Comment
Read Complete Article HERE>»