It’s About Time

While speaking with many general managers and chief operating officers recently, there’s been a theme among many of them, TIME.

There is enough to do on a normal day, but when you add in the time it takes to prepare for a board meeting, and it takes as long to prepare as it does for the meeting, well, that’s a lot of time!

Time’s something we cannot get back, so we need to use it properly. Is four to six hours a bit lengthy for a “regular” board meeting? Well, it seems excessive to me.

I will give credit to a meeting with long-range planning issues or other time-sensitive matters, but for a normal board meeting, one to two hours is plenty of time.

But it also depends on the type of leadership the president extends. For example: As a young GM, I experienced a president who was fully in control of the meeting. In fact, most meetings were decided before we walked into the room. Committee chairs had discussed their reports with each other before the meeting and there was “an understanding.”?These meetings lasted around an hour.

The next year we had a president who wasn’t in control. He wanted to discuss the issues at the meeting…he wanted everyone to be heard. These meetings, while they accomplished a great deal, took at least three to four hours. For me, it was very frustrating. How could the same board be so different? It’s the leadership style and intent of the board. By the way, the past president stopped coming to meetings!

I also believe under the first president the board was “intentional.” Board members had the president’s vision and direction for the year, and they knew what they needed to do. They knew the game plan.

The second year the president didn’t share his game plan and the board didn’t have direction, so the outcomes were accidental. With no game plan or guidance from the president, the board floundered, and we were discussing every little thing.

Board members take note: The boardroom is not the place to decide what is on the menu; what tee markers you’re going to purchase, or what kind of flowers should be where! That’s micromanagement!

You have hired a professional staff to make those decisions and if you have functioning committees, they should make recommendations through the committee. The board’s responsibility is fiduciary – not daily operational issues.

Quicker meetings

So, here are some ideas on how to speed up your board meetings? Some ideas, while not always popular, work!

• Move evening board meetings to breakfast – most board members need to leave for work.
• Do not serve alcohol at meetings
• Do not serve dinner at meetings – serve it after the meeting for those that want to stay.
• Do send out all reports and financials a week before the meeting
• Do use a consent agenda
• Use a timed agenda
• Ask your board members to be prepared for the meeting when they arrive.
• Do not allow mobile phones in your board meetings.

So, how long should a board meeting be?

The average normal board meeting should last one to two hours or less. This allows plenty of time to listen to recommendations from committees and act on them. Again, longer board meetings are signs of micromanagement and that’s when a club is in trouble. When trust is lost, the board will begin to question and micromanage.

So, to review:

1. The board president and GM/COO should put the agenda together
2. Use a consent agenda to get through the minutia
3. GM/COO should have a dashboard report that gives the board a quick overview of the operation
4. The board members should remember their job is fiduciary and not operational
5. Be prepared for all the board meetings – take it seriously!
6. Arrive on time!
7. Communicate with each other and with the GM/COO so everyone is on the same page walking in.
8. Have all committee reports to the GM/COO at least a week before the board meeting
9. Board presidents – Share your vision for the year and have some sense of control in the meetings!

There you have it: Nine simple steps to a quick and more efficient board meeting.

Gordon Welch is president of the Association of Private Club Directors (APCD).

If you or your club are having issues with your board meetings or are interested in a board orientation, please call me at (918) 914-9050. I would love to help!

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