Stop Boring your Board

Here's how to hit the nail on the head

If you’d rather go to the dentist than host a board meeting, you’re not alone. As CEO, you’re in the not-so-coveted position of managing the people who manage you. Add to that the fact that board members often don’t live and breathe your business the way you do—they’re thinking about a hundred other things, may come from entirely different industries, and have wildly varied backgrounds.

So, let’s crack the code on how to have an effective board meeting. I’ve used this approach for hundreds of board meetings, and only had to throw a chair out of the window once.

Step 1: Lay the Groundwork

A good board meeting doesn’t start in the boardroom. To borrow a phrase espoused from every athletics coach that’s ever walked the Earth, it starts with preparation. Send a board package to everyone in time to digest the information. Here’s one I use; I’ll break it down in a sec:

Notice the org chart at the front of the board package. I like to include photos in the chart so everyone remembers who’s who. …