When a nonprofit (or any board for that matter) loses trust in its executive, that executive must be replaced and the Board does well to air the laundry so that that non-profit's constituents don't lose trust in it. 

Yup, that's the lesson borne out in this week's firing of the Red Cross exec of six months.  The nonprofit ED had an affair or some type of relationship with a staffer.  

And you know, a relationship in the office can maybe be OK between peers but an in-office relationship with the CEO establishes way too many unequal power dynamics that just cannot work for an office.  The Red Cross ED failed to recognize or act like he understood this reality.  This failure begins to introduce the question of how well and much the board should trust the ED's ability to make important decisions.  That trust is, in the end, what must be weighed by the whole board in understanding next steps.

The Red Cross board must fully and deeply trust its Exec to ensure that mission is accomplished.  When that ED exhibits that he/she is not 100% trustworthy, that board must act in its and the organization's best interest.  The Red Cross board has acted responsibly and the public should be grateful and appreciative and most importantly, can begin to put their trust back in an institution which certainly has not proven its own trustworthiness over the last few years.

Good going Red Cross Board of Directors!