Creating a Strategic Board Agenda

The preparation for a the board meeting can be an arduous task. It requires coordinating dates with all the participants, distributing important information, and preparing a dynamic agenda for the board in advance. A well-planned agenda can lead to productive discussions, which will help you make effective decisions and help your company achieve its objectives. A wrong agenda could result in a dog’s feast of multiple items crammed in together, leaving no space for lively discussions and making progress on key issues.

Boards should plan their agendas to start with long-term planning, and then conclude with more operational issues like procedures and policies. This can prevent the tyranny of urgent matters from overburdening and distracting board members and keeps them focused on what’s feasible within the space of a single meeting.

Ideally, you should allocate a certain amount of time for each item on the agenda. This will stop your meeting from exceeding time and ensure that each subject receives the right amount of time to reach the desired outcome.

It is also helpful to include a section titled ‘Nil’ on your agenda for board meetings for any items that are not strategically relevant or require further clarification. This will encourage other my response directors to bring up new questions regarding strategic planning. It is also a way to remind board members of the reason’ (i.e. its mission) they are serving the company. This will enable them to focus on the larger goals.