A well-planned agenda for your board sets the tone for your meetings. It will ensure that your board members are involved in productive discussions and decision-making. It also allows for sharing of new insights and perspectives. The key to a well-organized board agenda is more than a list. It requires a certain amount of art, skill and a certain amount of discipline.
When planning your agenda, be sure to include time limits for each item. This will help prevent meetings from being delayed and help ensure that the most important issues receive proper attention. It is also crucial to prioritize and balance the amount of long-term strategic items with reports and other business items. It’s generally better to keep the discussion on strategic issues at the top of the agenda and leave reports for the last, so that your board can focus on the important aspects of the business.
You might consider bringing in a neutral facilitator or board member to assist in the process of planning your strategic strategy. This person can provide a fresh perspective on the discussion and help your board adopt a strategic approach to making decisions.
Distribute the agenda, along with any other relevant documents to your board members ahead of time. This allows them to review the documents ahead of time and formulate ideas for the meeting.
