Board Meeting Details

Contrary to what many believe, boards of directors don’t make most of the decisions for your company. Although they are able to make decisions in certain high-impact aspects (in a venture-backed firm the majority of these decisions are outlined in the investment and governance documents) most important issues are made by committees or the management team, with the input of the board.

Board meetings are usually focused on planning, policy and oversight and not business operations. Nevertheless, a board’s decisions can have a significant impact on the business. This is the reason it’s essential to plan and conduct board meetings to encourage constructive discussions and results.

To ensure that the board is well-informed it is essential to ensure all board members are aware. To foster productive conversations, distribute board materials in advance to allow attendees to familiarize themselves with them before the meeting. These documents should be short and clear enough to not take longer than an hour to review.

Then, schedule time for board discussion. Consider allowing attendees to share brief remarks https://boardroomideas.info or questions in an open forums, and arranging time for guest speakers from outside parties. Set aside time for the consent agenda – one section where routine or noncontroversial issues can be approved by a simple vote and motion.

Lastly, communicate the process of making decisions during board meetings. Determine if the goal is to come to a consensus, or use a formal voting process, and establish specific criteria for evaluating new ideas. This will help everyone recognize their role in the process, as well as the potential consequences of a decision-making process that went wrong.