Board meetings are a great way to generate energy and get members from different backgrounds to share creative ideas. To keep the momentum going, it takes more than just bringing everyone into the same room.
Board members must feel they can trust one another enough to be honest and open to asking difficult questions. This is only possible when there is an atmosphere of openness and transparency. It is crucial to create an environment that is conducive to board meetings and can be as productive as possible.
The agenda of the board must clearly define what directors must to do to achieve their objectives. The agenda should be flexible enough to accommodate unexpected issues or the necessity to change the order of items. The board should also be given the opportunity to discuss any new business issues.
When it comes to addressing new business ideas, a great board chair should avoid presenting reports, instead focusing on encouraging discussion among the entire group. This will not only save time, but also help create a positive environment in which the board can pose difficult questions of the management.
Another way to stimulate discussion is to include a parking area on the agenda, which will allow small, random topics to be discussed look at this website but won’t distract from the most important issues to be discussed. Unproductive discussions can consume the time of meetings and hinder the board from taking action.