1. Consent Agenda:
The consent agenda was dealt with on-line 10 days before the physical meeting. (LMWE: I like it)
2. Meeting Agenda:
The most important business and strategic issues were first on the formal agenda, and the rest was in descending order (i.e., no more "old business" "new business" stuff). (LMWE: Yessss!)
3. Dashboard Financials:
The financial report
was first on the agenda, presented as a one-page, color-coded (green, yellow, red) dashboard of key financial indicators that the board had developed.
The finance committee did the deep dive and reported exceptions or recommendations to the board. (LMWE: More Yessss!)
4. Board Succession:
A "Governance Leadership Succession" agenda item followed with a discussion of the cadre of potential future board members the board had identified and engaged. Conversation focused on the three top candidates for two positions that would open in nine months and how they fit the desired profile. This item is tracked quarterly. (LMWE: Wow)
5. Reduced Jibber-Jabber:
Board members had read the board packet, and their contributions were cogent and to the issue. No repeating what other board members had said. No drifting off into "administrivia" - they kept a hard focus on the matters at hand and a soft focus on dealing with one another. (LMWE: Only in my dreams so far)
6. Executive Summaries:
Staff and committee presentations/recommendations were in "executive summary" one-page formats. Background information had been provided on the board section of the website for those who wished more detailed information. This jump-started the board discussion on action vs. the history of how we got there. (LMWE: When I've seen it used, it's brilliant)
7. Strategic Dialogue:
Thirty minutes into the agenda, the board had completed its "business oversight" (fiduciary accountability) and moved on to a significant strategic issue. This allowed 45 minutes of dialogue about the continued relevance of the strategy, updates on progress, new data points / information relative to the strategy, confirmation of continued importance, and re-commitment to tactics, timing, and resources. This conversation was "generative" in that it focused on the creation of ideas and the development of new perspectives on strategy. Time saved elsewhere was reinvested in rigorous strategic dialogue. (LMWE: Picture me standing up and cheering)
8. Board Development:
The meeting ended with a 15-minute
board development segment focused on the discussion of a governance article on the board's role in enterprise risk management that the members had read in advance. This segment related to board development goals established during strategic planning and based on the annual board appraisal results. (LMWE: 15 minutes and they read it first? Huzzah!)
9. Immediate Assessment:
Each board member
answered these questions: 1. Are you leaving the meeting confident in the overall performance of our organization? 2. Did you feel you had ample opportunity for input? 3. Would you change anything for future meetings? (LMWE: That's a great way to finish)
What are some features of the best meetings you've ever been involved in? I'd love to share them.
