What are some common problems involving the relationship between a governing board and its chief executive officer?

John Carver (Boards That Make a Difference) claims that many boards “unwittingly invite their chief executives to be either milquetoast or manipulator.” An agency is not well served by a CEO who exercises too much authority or has not been given sufficient authority, freedom, and independence to accomplish the agency’s purposes, goals, and objectives.
According to Carver, public and nonprofit agencies need strong boards and strong executives. Carver states: “A powerfully designed CEO position is the key to board excellence. It enables a board to avoid the intricacies and short-term focus of staff management and to work exclusively on the holistic, long-term focus of governance.” A board must empower its CEO without abdicating the board’s responsibility for establishing the overall direction and purpose of the agency, monitoring the agency’s performance in achieving its purpose, and remaining accountable to the agency’s “moral owners.”