The other week I was preparing for a Board Orientation session for one of the associations I work with. Thinking about the association, I trotted out all of the usual suspects, i.e. strategic plan, board structure, marketing plan, budgets and financials, conflict of interest policy, antitrust info, strategic versus operational Boards, Board meeting calendar, etc. All of the things that make an association exec’s heart sing. Bob Harris, CAE has a great list of all the important topics to cover on his website.
What I forgot from my stint as a volunteer Board member was that as much as I needed to know all of that info, what also mattered to me was the nitty-gritty of how to navigate the meeting. It took the Board’s president-elect to remind me. He filled in the pieces he found difficult at his first meetings. Which airport should people fly into to get to our office in Rockville? What’s the best way to get from the airport to our office? What social events/dinners are usually planned? Are they dressy or casual? What if they want to bring a guest? Who pays for dinners? Who pays for drinks? How do people dress for the meeting? Will breakfast be served? How much time should they allow to make a flight on the way home, etc.
When he added those items to the agenda, it reminded me that for new Board members it’s as much about navigating the system as knowing all of the background that will make them an informed Board member. Once there’s a comfort level with how to get it ‘right’, a new Board member can then focus on the strategic issues before the Board and feel safe in participating at a fully-engaged level.
Tags: board orientation
December 24, 2009 at 9:34 am |
Hi Beth – great post, something all of us should remember when orientating our new board members – it certainly helps them hit the ground running when they know the incidentals that could make them feel uncomfortable if not communicated. Love this new blog! You have a great team.