A well-planned agenda for your board sets the tone for your meetings. It ensures that your board members are involved in productive discussions and decision-making. It also facilitates the sharing of new perspectives and insights. However, the secret to a successful board agenda is more than just making a list of topics for your meeting. It requires a certain amount of skills, talent, and discipline.
When planning your agenda, make sure to include time limits for each item. This can prevent meetings from going over time and ensure that crucial issues get proper attention. Prioritizing and balancing the amount of strategic long-term projects with reports and older business is also important. It’s usually best to keep the discussion on strategic issues at the top of the agenda, leaving reports for the end so that your board can concentrate on the important aspects of the business.
Consider bringing in a neutral facilitator or board member to help in the strategic planning process. This person can bring fresh perspectives to the discussion and assist your board adopt a strategic approach to decision-making.
Distribute the agenda, as well as 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.