--- title: "Take Preventive Measures to Address Bad Board Member Behavior" id: "61492" type: "post" slug: "take-preventive-measures-to-address-bad-board-member-behavior" published_at: "2022-01-11T21:00:24+00:00" modified_at: "2026-07-11T18:09:07+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2022/01/11/take-preventive-measures-to-address-bad-board-member-behavior/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2022/01/11/take-preventive-measures-to-address-bad-board-member-behavior.md" excerpt: "Prevention might be the best cure for a board beset by a difficult board member. A reliable process, clear expectations, and putting your organization first are all steps to maintaining equilibrium and managing conflict." taxonomy_category: - "Governance" taxonomy_post_tag: - "Associations Now" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "Executive Team" taxonomy_persona: - "Executive Leadership" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Take Preventive Measures to Address Bad Board Member Behavior Part of the Deep Dive[Forward](https://associationsnow.com/deep-dives/all-aboard-the-ceos-board-management-toolkit/) No one goes out of their way to recruit a difficult board member, but sometimes you end up with one. At one point in her career, Mona Buckley, CAE, now president and CEO at the Government Employees’ Benefit Association, had a board member who wanted to become president-elect. The problem: He wanted to circumvent the process. The organization had a slated nomination process where the nominating committee solicited recommendations from the entire board and then determined the best candidate. It turned out that the candidate who wanted the president-elect position wasn’t slated. He started calling other board members to complain that the process wasn’t fair, and he wanted them to contest it. He also asked if he could count on them for their vote. “It was completely upending the process and making people very uncomfortable,” Buckley said. In a situation like this or others where you’re dealing with bad board behavior, having clear policies and processes in place—including board member job descriptions—and keeping behavioral analysis objective will prove most successful. [Lisa Boylan](https://associationsnow.com/author/lisa-boylan/) Lisa Boylan is a former senior editor of Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/lisa-boylan/) Tags: [#Associations Now](https://associationsnow.com/tag/associations-now/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## More in this Deep Dive - [Build a Board DEI Strategy to Strengthen Leadership](https://associationsnow.com/2022/01/11/build-a-board-dei-strategy-to-strengthen-leadership/) - [What It Takes to Run a Great Hybrid Board Meeting](https://associationsnow.com/2022/01/11/what-it-takes-to-run-a-great-hybrid-board-meeting/) - [The Advantages—and Realities—of a Board Election Overhaul](https://associationsnow.com/2022/01/11/the-advantages-and-realities-of-a-board-election-overhaul/) - [Should You Change Your Strategic Plan?](https://associationsnow.com/2022/01/11/should-you-change-your-strategic-plan/) - [The 5 Ps of Onboarding New Board Members](https://associationsnow.com/2022/01/11/onboarding-new-board-members/) - [Maintain a Healthy Board Culture in Divisive Times](https://associationsnow.com/2022/01/11/maintain-a-healthy-board-culture-in-divisive-times/) [View the full Deep Dive →](https://associationsnow.com/deep-dives/all-aboard-the-ceos-board-management-toolkit/) ## You Might Like - [VideoSmarter Board Management for Associations: An OnBoard ShowcaseJuly 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/07/24/smarter-board-management-for-associations-an-onboard-showcase/) - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents: Leading Together-Strengthening the Board-CSO PartnershipDecember 18, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/12/18/associations-now-presents-leading-together-strengthening-the-board-cso-partnership/) - [Video2026 Summit Awards DinnerOctober 2, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/10/02/2026-summit-awards-dinner/) - [VideoAmerican Geophysical Union: Standing Up for Science: AGU’s Year of Action for Scientists and SocietySeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/american-geophysical-union-standing-up-for-science-agus-year-of-action-for-scientists-and-society/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2022%2F01%2F11%2Ftake-preventive-measures-to-address-bad-board-member-behavior%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !