Common Pitfalls

A number of traditional practices create inefficient and unproductive meetings. These include:

Confirmation of the minutes

This should not be an opportunity to revisit earlier decisions. Keep this aspect of the meeting as brief and as formal as possible.

Correspondence

Generally, only correspondence that has direct policy implications should come before the board. There is no justification for correspondence being an agenda item in its own right.

Staff reports about operational matters

Reports not targeted to governance responsibilities detract from effective board performance.

‘For information’ material

Distributing background information material (as part of the board meeting papers) that requires no board action or deliberation invites the board to be distracted at the expense of time spent on substantive issues.

Non-policy-related matters

Matters that don’t relate to policy shouldn’t be on the agenda. If discussion on these matters is necessary, another forum can be organised.

Unnecessary financial reports and approvals

Approving prior payments or reviewing the cheque schedule is not the board’s business. Financial reports detailing forecast versus actual results should be provided. Other financial data can be made available to individual directors outside the board meeting if required.

Presentations irrelevant to governance

As interesting as some directors may find it to listen to staff or external presentations, these shouldn’t take up meeting time if they have no direct policy or broader governance relevance.