The Nay Sayer

There’s always someone with doubts. Pure human nature.


“We tried that [10 years ago] and it didn’t work for us.”


“Our donors won’t give those kind of gifts.”


“We’re not that kind of a board.”

When you’re dealing with a chronic complainer on your board, the best idea is often to pair them with someone who’s relentlessly cheerful – and unflappable.

Or…to take them aside and explain that you’re trying to give the younger generation a chance to flex its wings, and that maybe they could keep a lid on their cynicism just long enough to allow the younger folks to give it a shot.

But when the nattering nabob of negativity is in a position of authority on a board of directors, paralysis can occur.

And that’s in a best-case scenario – worst cases can include acrimony, back-biting, duplicity, or just plain rudeness and contempt.

Believe me, as a board specialist in hard knock cases, we’ve seen it all. Dysfunction can actually be benign – compared with malfunction.

So how do you manage with a nay-sayer on the board who won’t zip their lips? The short answer is: surround them with a cocoon of silence. Practice selective hearing. Focus on the light. Move on around them, despite them, and ahead of them.

But above all, do not place them in positions of leadership, in which they are entrusted with maintaining forward momentum. Because, at heart, they are interested in stopping progress, not stepping into the unknown.

And these days, we are seeing many boards stepping into unfamiliar vistas of fundraising and governance.

And we say - Go!