Asking a board member to leave. Where does your organization draw the line on behavior that would precipitate a request for resignation? Most nonprofits have attendance rules in their bylaws. I’ve written elsewhere on this blog about the impact of the chronically empty board seat and the insidious damage it can do to group dynamics and the ability to effectively govern (September 3, 2008). Beyond that, what else? Criminal behavior, certainly. What about the large, often gray area in between lack of participation and malfeasance? And how are such dicey situations best addressed? A recent real-life example involved a board member independently taking staff to task regarding the intellectual content of an exhibition. In doing so, this individual not only overstepped the universally accepted board role, prevailing scholarship was also called into question. While the staff held their ground, it became clear that the actions of the board member were a significant e...