Chapter 3
Multiple Roles of the Governing Board-Tools for Improving Performance
Chapter 3 addresses both the internal-facing and the external-facing leadership roles of elected officials and a senior management team. The internal dimension focuses on making a single local government (e.g., a city, county, or special district) work effectively as it makes decisions, creates policy, and manages its delivery of services. Deciding what services to provide, and how, and then providing, maintaining, and improving those services needs to be done in accordance with mandated and agreed-upon principles and standards. The external dimension focuses on building community partnerships with citizens, businesses, and civic organizations to bring community-serving assets to their highest and best use. This external-leaning role calls for different leadership skills that emphasize “conciliatory practices” and “community-convening tools.”
The board, in partnership with the staff, perform the following five governing roles. Clicking on any of these roles will take you to a collection of tools and resources organized by these five governing roles.