From Will Miller, former executive director of Charlotte's host committee for the Democratic National Convention:

We frequently hear that our community lacks strong leaders like the ones who made this community great. I believe we have the leaders; they are just stifled by the systems we have put in place and continue to perpetuate. Instead of encouraging creative thought and bold ideas, we generally tend to employ the same processes and procedures that continually produce little to no meaningful results.

In the non-profit world, leadership begins with strong boards, comprised of bold leaders, committed to hiring the best staff available. Our boards are appointed to ensure that we use our community's resources in the most effective and efficient ways possible to achieve positive, social outcomes. To the extent they do not live up to this responsibility, the community suffers.

CEOs and their staffs typically spoon-feed their boards only the information they want them to know, and avoid or gloss over the less flattering information. "Activity" is invariably substituted for "impact." Most board business is non-controversial and conducted through consent agendas. Busy board members go along and all is well. Except that it isn't...

Early on, organizations begin to focus more on themselves, and less on the community that they serve. Board members get close to the staff members, and are extremely hesitant to replace them due to these cozy relationships. Far too much time is spent on fundraising and marketing, and too little on understanding the best way to meet their missions. Organizations tend to measure the things that are positive, and ignore the things they are charged with improving - otherwise known as "mission creep."

The primary responsibility of a board is to ensure that the organization has the best CEO or executive director possible. Invariably, this is where the problems usually begin and end. Boards must have the courage to replace the staff leadership if the organization could be more effective with more experienced and stronger leaders. They owe this to their customers and the community.

The best board members have a laser focus on the organization's mission, spend time learning about the best practices in their space, elect strong chairs, interact with board members of similar organizations, ask questions and challenge the organization to be better. If board members are not improving systems, changing public policy and making people's lives better, they are wasting their time and the community's resources.

Board service is a serious matter. Companies and elected officials need to be more thoughtful about who they appoint to these boards. Too often, board members are chosen because of personal relationships or for political reasons. This process invariably results in passive boards and, in some cases, conflicts of interest.

If we are to take this community to the next level, it will begin with the committed engagement of our boards and commissions. Inertia is stifling progress in this community. The best leaders know that change is inevitable, and it should be embraced and managed. We spend hundreds of millions dollars in this community to make lives better - we deserve better results!