Board Meeting Information:

Contrary, your board of directors do not make the majority of the decisions for your company. While they may have some authority in certain areas that have a significant impact (in an investment company that is venture-backed such decisions are typically described in the governing documents and investment documents), the majority of the important issues are decided by committees or by the CEO/management with the assistance of the Board.

The majority of board meetings are focused on policy, planning and oversight, rather than business activities. The decisions made by the board may have a significant impact on the business. It’s therefore important to organize and conduct meetings for board members in a way that encourages discussion and results.

The first step is to make sure all board members are aware. To foster productive conversations, distribute board materials in advance, so that attendees are able to learn about them prior to the meeting. The documents should be brief and simple enough to not take more than a half hour to review.

Then, schedule time for discussion on the board. It is possible to allow boardroomideas.info attendees to ask questions and make brief remarks in an open forum. Also, set aside time for presentations by external stakeholders. Additionally, you should set aside time for a consent agendawhich is a portion of the meeting in which routine or non-controversial topics can be approved through an easy motion and vote.

Finally, make clear the process of making decisions during board meetings. Determine if the objective is to reach consensus or if a formal voting procedure is used and establish clear guidelines for evaluating ideas. This will allow everyone to be aware of their roles in the process, and the possible negative consequences of a decision-making process that goes wrong.