Who is really running your board meetings?

This week I want to focus on the role of the board chair and the importance of this position, particularly in relation to productive and successful board meetings. Obviously, the board chair plays a major role in leading the strategic direction and governance of a nonprofit agency. However, I am going to limit my discussion to the role that the board chair plays as the designated facilitator or leader of board meetings.

The board chair has a great burden to carry because the rest of the board expects the chair to be articulate, decisive, and in total control of board meetings at all times. The role of the board chair is to make sure that the agenda fits the meeting and that the meeting runs smoothly. This includes making sure, ahead of time, that board members come to meetings prepared and that they take their role, as board member, very seriously. The chair is also expected to have completed the necessary preparations for addressing the big issues of the meeting and has the skill to engage every member in the discussion. This may include taming the “wild ones” or encouraging the "quiet ones." The chair facilitates the proceedings, discussions, and is very careful to guard each person’s dignity should a debate arise. This skill demands a basic understanding of parliamentary procedure, even if the board does not always adhere to this structure strictly.

The chair’s primary function is to ensure that the objectives of the agenda are achieved. The chair is a master of flexibility and a great judge of whether discussion should continue or if it is best to keep to the schedule and send complex issues to committee for further study. In the event that all of the information has been presented and discussed the chair must be able to decide when it is time to vote. Or, if it is impossible to reach a consensus, the chair must decide to table an issue until additional data becomes available. In this case, the chair’s decisiveness and good judgment allows the meeting to proceed.

In conclusion, board meetings can be more productive if the board chair followed some basic principles:

• Own the agenda
• Get to know the personal attributes of individual board members
• Explain the personal philosophy of how meetings will be run
• Engage every board member during board meetings
• Control the domineering characters and bring the best out of difficult colleagues
• Remain objective and fair
• Become familiar with parliamentary procedures
• Earn the respect of peers
• Lighten up and use humor in the board room

The board meeting is a continuous cycle that keeps the board chair quite busy. The job of the board chair does not end with the adjournment of the meeting. It involves regular follow-up and planning with the CEO and a special commitment to the other members of the board and the job itself. Please share with me extraordinary stories about your dynamic board chair?

Are you hosting board meetings alone? Where are your board members?

This week we will continue to explore the dynamics of productive and successful board meetings.

A situation that plagues nonprofit boards from time to time is absenteeism. This is a troublesome problem that needs the CEO’s attention because if not addressed it could disrupt the business of governing the agency. The business of the agency requires a majority vote. If board members are constantly and consistently absent, you can see how this would cause quite a problem.

In order to be a contributing board member, it is important that you come to meetings prepared, but it is equally important that you also attend as many board meetings as humanly possible. The ideal situation is to not miss a single meeting. However; in a perfect world, business and life obligations make this nearly impossible, and that is definitely understandable! That is why most agency by-laws address absenteeism and allow for a certain number of excused absences. But; what do you do when a board member consistently exceeds the allowable number of excused absences?

Well, the first thing to do is determine whether you are dealing with a personal dilemma or whether a change in the meeting structure or logistics can help. The latter is difficult because a change in structure or meeting logistics may cause others to develop a problem with absenteeism too. Remember that every board member has value and it would be counterproductive to lump all excessively absent board members into the same proverbial basket. So; by addressing the origin of each individual situation, you can try to bring change. This is often best done by the Chair of the board.

Here are some ideas for eliminating absenteeism at your board meetings:

1. Address absenteeism during the new board member orientation and explain that attendance is obligatory
2. Spend board meeting time on issues that matter!
3. Give board members roles that are important
4. Listen to board members when obstacles for attendance appear
5. Have a formal policy outlining removal if absenteeism becomes a problem

Each board member has value and as the CEO of the agency it is your responsibility to see that you are maximizing each board member’s talents. If a board member is absent from more than three meetings it is important to listen to your board member’s reasons for missing those meetings and to help that board member remove obstacles that keep them from attending. Please share with me the unique ways that you have dealt with excessive board absenteeism?

Want to organize more productive board meetings? Read to find out how!

How long are your board meetings? Are they under an hour or over an hour? Do you get right down to business? Or, do you allow time for personal interaction?

The goal and objective of every board meeting should be to maximize the use of every one's valuable time. So, how do you find a balance between getting business done; personal interaction, and getting the meeting done in under an hour?

Let's explore some of the things that impact the length of a board meeting:

First, there is the agenda. The agenda is the key tool that will determine the length of the meeting. If you limit the agenda items, you will limit the length of your meeting.

Next, what is the meeting's purpose? The purpose of the meeting will also have an impact on time. For example, regularly scheduled board meetings may follow a regular pattern and may be over in an hour, where special meetings, depending on the issues discussed, could be quite long. Retreats and annual meetings can last a whole day or even an entire weekend.

Another factor that impacts the length of a board meeting is the skill and experience of the board chair. The chair must be skilled at keeping the discussion focused and at following the agenda, but is also responsible for getting everyone engaged. There must be a balance of shared ideas and productive conclusions. If there is too little participation the meeting may seem like a presentation from the board chair and if it becomes a lengthy session of endless comments it will appear like the chair has lost control.

Is staff getting the board materials to board members well before the meeting? Do board members come to the meetings well prepared? These are also factors that impact the length of your board meeting. When board members familiarize themselves with the agenda and supporting material ahead of time, meetings are faster and more productive.

Lastly, put your committees to work! Most of the legwork of the board should be done by committees and task forces. This allows the board to focus on what it does best: analyzing recommendations and determining the directives for critical issues.

Thank you to all of the volunteers of the Oil Region Alliance of Business, Industry & Tourism! Volunteers are the backbone of every non profit agency. Help your board members help you by making their job easy. Place a very high value on their time and get them back to their office as quickly as possible!

Help me to organize better meetings. What techniques are you using to make your meetings more productive? Please share them with me?

Why do you have weak relationships? It could be that you talk too much and listen too little!

Relationships are important in business and in life. The sale of a product or service, support from stakeholders, the launching of a new program, productivity from employees, pricing from vendors, understanding from a spouse, good behavior from a child - all of these situations, and more, require strong working relationships. And, it seems like the harder you work at building those relationships the better the intended outcome will be.

So, how do you develop stronger relationships with those people that are important to you? Well, the first way, and probably the most important way, is through communication. You see, what you communicate and how you communicate can affect your ability to deal with life's situations. Poor communication may lead to misunderstandings, distrust, and poor outcomes.

Many experts believe that there is a direct correlation between the quality of communication and the quality of the relationship. Communication is quite complex. You communicate with every movement and action, often without even knowing it. Remember, even silence can be a form of communication. You also should be mindful of tone, remembering that a hostile tone could damage a relationship.

To avoid poor communication always discuss matters with those involved even if you think it is not important. Husbands are always making decisions that affect the entire family without discussing the matter with their wives' - Big mistake! The boss is always making decisions that affect the whole company without discussing the matter with their employees' - Big Mistake! Companies are always making changes to products without discussing it with their customers' - Big Mistake! So, discuss the small stuff.

Also avoid, at all costs, communicating in only one direction. In other words avoid communication where you are just telling people something. Sometimes you talk so much that you discourage the other side from listening - Big mistake! For communication to be effective it must be two-way. Listening is essential to communication.

And, avoid sending mixed messages. Quality communication should be consistent. Sometimes what you tell one person might be different from what you tell the next person - Big mistake! Sometimes what you tell one customer about price or delivery time may be different from what you tell another customer about price and delivery time for the same product. Big mistake! Be consistent.

In conclusion, if you desire a stronger relationship, begin with communication. This is done best when you accept the other person as part of your team or family; have quality talk with them often and frequently; talk WITH them and not ABOUT them; listen intently and consult them often on decisions that you are going to make. And, if you remember this advice, your relationships will strengthen and your probability for success will increase significantly. Please share with me your ideas for building stronger relationships?

And tell me... What do values have to do with business?

Visionary leaders and effective CEO's understand how important it is to establish and model good core values. These core values will ultimately help staff when they are faced with the challenge of making difficult decisions. For example, I have adopted the following 3 core values at the Oil Region Alliance of Business Industry & Tourism:

1. Integrity - "Say what you do." And, "do what you say!"

2. Honesty - Always tell the truth - Always!

3. Accountability - Be accountable for your actions - Admit when you're wrong!

So, for example, if you: "say what do" and then: "do what you say" you will maintain your integrity. If you always tell the truth, no matter how hard that may be, you will be known for your honesty. And, if you are accountable for your actions, and are willing to admit when you are wrong, then you will truly be accountable to the people you serve.

Therefore, organizations and their staff that adopt these core values can communicate without hesitation; can do what is right regardless of the circumstances, with no hidden agendas, no political games, and no regrets; never have to rationalize a situation as being an "isolated one-time event," because they know where their integrity boundaries exit; they never let results become more important than the means of obtaining those results and they know that how they win is just as important as the act of winning itself.

Adopting values is one of the most important choices that a CEO and an organization can make because these values, not only guide your actions, but they keep you on the path to long-term success. There is never, I repeat never, a good reason to sacrifice your values. In business, as well as life, people might forgive an error in judgment, but they will never trust an unscrupulous act. So, no matter what, choose to do the right thing, and guard your values as if they were precious gems. Please share with me your organizational or personal core values?

Want to gain true knowledge and achieve great success? Try failing for a change!

In our society the words fail, failing, or failure have become dirty nasty words that are only spoken in times of great ridicule and admonishment of ourselves or others. They are words that we try extremely hard to never use and rarely even to think about. As children we learn early on that failing is an unacceptable action or behavior. In business, the CEO may set new goals and objectives for the year and may state that "Failure is not an option!" In fact, we have become so conditioned to the fear of failure that we try to avoid new challenges at all costs just to avoid the possibility of failing.

So, why is it then, that success usually follows failure? Well, most successful people are the result of persisting beyond the limits of failure, and usually not one failure, but several. Thomas Edison failed at inventing the light bulb over 10,000 times before finally making it work. It is often through failures that we discover the route to success. So, the next time you fail, embrace that failure and rejoice about what you can learn and where it can take you! Hug your children and show them that through failure comes true knowledge. Tell me about your failures and where they have lead you?

Do you want to succeed in business and in life? Learn to execute!

Question: Three kids are sitting up in a tree. One decides to jump down. How many kids remain in the tree?

Answer: If you said two, then you’re WRONG! The answer is three.

You see, the decision to jump down, and the actual act of jumping down, are two completely different things.

A decision without execution equals failure. And, just like the kids in the tree, we often make decisions but fail to execute or follow through. Great decisions are made every day but unless the decision is followed by an action the decision is useless.

There are many excuses for not taking action, but the main cause is often linked to procrastination. We have seen this so many times in our own lives. You decide that you are going to do something, and then for whatever reason, you never do it. Often it is because you feel that you don’t have the time or the skill to accomplish the task, but most times it is just plain fear, fear of failure that causes you to procrastinate (PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT THE DECISION NOT TO ACT ON A DECISION, IS IN AND OF ITSELF, FAILURE!).

How many times, just this past week alone, have YOU decided to do something and then didn’t follow through with it? Losing weight…, creating a blog…, joining a gym…, these are all common activities that if not executed can cause great regret in your life.

But, what about when others rely on you as part of a team? People that procrastinate can also negatively impact an entire organization. I have seen many nonprofit organizations suffer from the failure to execute. The board of directors, community leaders, business leaders, stakeholders and staff spend hours and sometimes days conducting SWOT analysis and brainstorming sessions where tremendous ideas are generated. Sometimes consultants are hired to prepare expensive feasibility studies and business plans. During this process, decisions are made, but without execution the plans often end up on a shelf gathering dust.

Do you procrastinate or execute? Please share with me your ideas and experience with this issue? How do you keep people motivated and executing?