If you've been to enough board meetings, there's probably a few that stick out in your mind for various reasons. Memorable meetings may either be due to a poorly run meeting or one that the board chair ran exceptionally well. Corporate board members usually sit on more than one board. Nearly all of them have jam-packed schedules, so they expect board meetings to be timely, informational and productive.
Qualities and Attributes of an Effective Board Chair
Board chairpersons need to have essential knowledge and understanding of good corporate governance principles. Board chairs typically maintain a special relationship with the CEO, giving them advice, counsel and support. To be effective, they need to have experience and knowledge of the organization's industry. Besides the required governance and industry knowledge, board chairs must have the social skills and organizational skills to run a board meeting efficiently and effectively. People who chair board meetings must deal with many different personality types. Openness and humility are a couple of important attributes that board chairpersons need. These attributes will help them hear all sides of arguments, allowing opinions to come forth naturally and respectfully, and creating a collaborative environment. The board chair needs to be decisive and authoritative in tone and body language, keeping the meeting in control, without being overarching or overly demanding. A skilled board chair sums up the ideas of board directors as they voice their ideas and concerns to support the director and clarify their perspectives.Running the Board Meeting
Without exception, board meetings of all kinds operate according to parliamentary procedure, which is commonly known as Robert's Rules. The board chair should have good familiarity with the basic rules of parliamentary procedure and know how to look up rules for unusual situations. Calling the Meeting to Order The first rule of order is to establish a quorum, which is defined in the bylaws. Otherwise, a quorum is a majority vote. The board chair usually starts counting members as they arrive for the meeting. The board secretary notes a quorum or the absence of a quorum in the minutes. The chair has a few options in the absence of a quorum:- Fix the time to meet again, such as a later day when more members can attend.
- Adjourn the meeting.
- Call a recess - halt the meeting temporarily until enough members return to the room.
- Round up enough members - call them and see if you can get enough for a quorum.
Final Tips for Running Effective Meetings
Board chairs should always be mindful of board directors' busy schedules and make certain to start and end meetings on time. It's also prudent to ask the board secretary to test the audiovisual equipment before the meeting starts and make sure that it's working properly. Otherwise, a director could miss out on important information or a vote. The board chair should be proficient at keeping order while allowing all directors to voice their opinions and keeping the boardroom respectful in spite of any dissenting opinions. Board meetings should be an environment in which collaborations and information sharing ensues in ways that lead directors to informative voting.Media Highlights
Environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues have become more complex and multifaceted than ever before. At the same time, ESG continues to ascend on board and leadership agendas.
In this buyer’s guide, we explore what a market-leading ESG solution should look like and highlight the key areas organisations should be prioritising as they embark on their search.