A well-planned agenda for your strategic board meetings sets the tone. It ensures that your members are actively engaged in productive discussions and decision-making. It also facilitates sharing of new insights and perspectives. The secret to a well-organized board agenda is more than just an agenda. It requires a certain amount of art, skill and a certain amount of discipline.
When you are drafting your strategic agenda for the board be sure to set time limits for each item. This will prevent meetings from being over-scheduled and ensure that crucial issues are given proper attention. Prioritizing and balancing the amount of strategic long-term issues along with reports and old business is also crucial. It’s usually better to keep the discussion on strategic issues at the top of the agenda and defer reports for the end so that your board can focus on what matters most to the company.
Consider inviting an impartial facilitator or board member to help in the process of strategic planning. This person can help bring fresh perspectives to the discussion, and help your board take a more strategic approach to making decisions.
Distribute the agenda, along with any other pertinent documents, to the board members ahead of time. This gives them a chance to review materials ahead of time and come prepared with ideas for the meeting.
