‘Return to normal’ is NOT ‘Return to Same’: where will your board be post-pandemic?

While Australia is divided by states each navigating their own unique COVID path, one thing is clear: online meetings are here to stay.

How Boards manage the communication evolution now will greatly affect long term organizational performance and culture - because ‘return to normal’ is not, and won’t ever be, ‘return to same’.

Our conversations with Boards during this time have highlighted your mixed feelings around Board meetings and management being conducted online, and this is completely understandable. The commercial foundation of strategy, measurability and accountability remains, but so does the human need for connectivity and collegiality. How is your board supporting this in the online dynamic?

Some things to consider include:

1.     Time management - travel time is down, but has meeting preparation time gone up? 

2.     Visibility – employees and the executive team need to continue seeing your presence 

3.     Individuality – some Board members will need additional support around technology, or perhaps more 1:1 time

4.     Committees – encourage Committees to leverage online meetings to stay on top of their functions, rather than defer responsibility to the Board. 

It might sound onerous, or even deferrable, but be warned: online meetings are not going to go away. Now is the time to do the work, to ensure your ‘return to normal’ supports your organizational goals. It’s also time to get creative – consider how you can bring a little more normalcy to online meetings, like arranging a meal delivery so board members can still have their board dinner together, albeit via Zoom. 

Your Board members, and your bottom line, will thank you.

?? ?Learn more about this topic in a short interview I conducted with Victoria Taylor from Amplify: