Do you think that a board meeting is a “bored meeting?” Personally, I find Heralds of Hope board meetings to be exciting, invigorating, and a tad stressful. It is exciting because there are nine additional men who are personally investing in the work of Heralds of Hope. Invigorating, because they bring ideas, caution, and encouragement. And yes, it is stressful because quite a bit of the communication relies on me.
Peter Greer, in his book “The Board and the CEO,” explains that the most important job of a board is to hire and fire the CEO. He also explains that the CEO’s focus is to communicate with the board. Hence, the board meeting.
This process begins with a discussion between the board chairman and me. Next, I pursue reports of our program activity and financial status. I have found it to be difficult to report at a level that keeps everyone awake and does not leave out key details. The board needs to know enough about the operation of the organization so they can direct and govern it according to its vision and purpose. Finally, we need to bring items to the board for decisions on policy and direction.
A good board meeting requires significant work and diligence to bring together useful info and good questions on the parts of the CEO/Director, the board chairman, and the individual members. Each board member brings their unique perspective. It also takes a bit of time and energy to read the reports and process the data with a critical eye.
One of the important items for discussion at the next meeting is the strategic plan and budget for next year. Where do we want to expand, maintain, or reduce? What size budget are we comfortable with adopting? Another item we spend quite a bit of time on each meeting is reviewing and honing our driving vision. This helps us stay focused on what we believe God has called us to do.
Please keep the board of directors in your prayers. While much of their work is in the background, they are important to the integrity and vision of the organization.
– Anthony High