The success of a board meeting requires a lively agenda that is comprised of a mixture of discussions and updates. How can you ensure that the board members are engaged in discussions that are designed to develop strategies that propel the business forward instead of simply analyzing information that has already been distributed?
It is crucial to place the most important discussion topics at the top of the agenda. This will motivate the leadership to bring the meeting to life by focusing on the important discussions earlier, and it will set the tone that the meeting will not be a mere recital of reports. This will help reduce the tendency to be distracted by new topics and waste time on activities that can be moved to later sessions or incorporated into appendices to the board book.
Once the board has discussed and decided on the organization’s strategy The next step is to design an action plan. This will include identifying concrete metrics that align with those goals, such a net promoter score customer retention and satisfaction levels and regional sales or the turnover of employees.
In the course of discussion, it is important that the board considers the pros and cons of each strategy. This will ensure that everyone knows what they are agreeing to and that the decisions made will have a positive impact on the business. It is also essential to establish an environment of respect so that the board members feel comfortable in expressing their opinions and challenging prevailing beliefs in a respectful manner.