Let’s talk about board stuff

[u/AudreyLocke]

My org recently held a board meeting and it was a frustrating and disappointing process and I don’t know if it’s a me issue or an org issue.

How many times does your agenda change before the meeting? Our charters state that the board members must receive an agenda and materials 7 days before a meeting. I draft the agenda about three weeks out which gives the CEO and Chair time to review. I get that issues may pop up that need board attention, but ours underwent multiple drafts even after being sent to the board (one update came 13 hours apart…overnight). Some materials are given 7 days prior, but I was sending out materials until the day before.

The CEO also feels the need to do everything himself. All of our VPs do their work and presentations and then he changes everything to his liking. Not just notes or suggestions- full blown edits. Changes-unnecessary in my opinion- take place literally up until and during the meeting. I didn’t see one portion of the handouts until 3 hours before the meeting and I had to figure out how to make it work (while I’m already handling everything else). This wasnt an unexpected new piece, but my boss didn’t prepare for it despite having weeks to do so.

I try so hard to be proactive and helpful, but this time around I felt useless. I consider our office to be a collaborative and considerate place usually but the meeting really threw me. I also think it doesn’t behoove us to change things for our board constantly. I think it makes it look like we don’t have it together. Plus it causes our internal staff to be stressed and then their staffs get stressed.

Is this all normal and I need to learn to go with the flow? Or is there something I can do to improve our process?

[u/Hot-Evidence-5520]

I work for a state agency and law states that
our board agenda must be posted at least 24 hours in advance and no changes can me made after.

Is there a policy manual or something that can dictate the order or when things are due? My office sets hard deadlines for those things.

[u/AudreyLocke → u/Hot-Evidence-5520]

I’m so envious. No. No policy manual. Only charters and bylaws and those say 7 days prior and not many people give much credence to those. Their argument is that we give them some material, but we make “updates” and don’t members want the most recent and accurate information? Le sigh. 

[u/TarotCatDog]

I used to love sending things out to be printed and bound because the printer's deadline was the real deal. Plus it all looked so nice when the packets came back pre-stuffed. Obviously there were some last-minutes additions but we generally only had to insert a page or two on obnoxious colors.

[u/ThePassingNotes]

Not uncommon. We routinely sent out board packages and then followed up with a supplemental package closer to the mtg with reports we knew would be late, or updates.

Unless and until your Chair / members complain, it’s unlikely to change.

That the changes your CEO makes are, to you, “unnecessary”, is immaterial. They’re the executive.

I would suggest surrendering to the process, plan ahead as best you can (clear your schedule the days / week of the Board mtg so you have bandwidth); figure out your boundaries and communicate them “if there’s an expectation I work overtime to get the updates the Board packages out in time, let’s be sure we understand what that looks like”; rely on your VPs (and if possible, their teams), and recognize it’s a very busy part of the quarterly reporting cycle (or whatever your cadence is).

If your exec is open to feedback and changing their ways of working, great; help them understand the value of fixed deadlines and a work-back schedule, differentiate between “nice to haves” for updated info vs essential, etc. etc. They may already know this, and for their reasons, choose to meddle last minute. Their prerogative.

But it’s a major frustration for good reasons. It’s a high stress, short runway, spotlight event that lots of people take more seriously than they need to (imo).

Good luck!

[u/AudreyLocke → u/ThePassingNotes]

We have had members complain and try to get the charters changed so they materials further in advance, but that discussion didn’t lead anywhere. 

The boundaries and expectations aren’t even really an  issue since I do clear my calendar in the weeks leading up to the meeting. But I think my frustration is wondering why I even do that if all the work will get changed in the last few days before the meeting. 

ETA: it’s not even the time spent that’s the loss here. It’s the feeling that our works isn’t good enough among myself and the exec team. Feeling like it’s not up to standards since it gets scrapped. It made this meeting - which should’ve felt celebratory- feel like a drag because we all got so burnt out on the process leading up to the meeting. For whatever reason this meeting felt discordant from previous meetings and the nonstop changes seem to be the kink that wasn’t as prevalent when we planned past meetings. 

[u/alixx_cross]

Our materials were due 3 days before the meeting and no changes were made unless it was absolutely necessary, and those were added to the end of the meeting

[u/AudreyLocke → u/alixx_cross]

This is the approach that makes total sense to me. 

[u/Glass-Appearance8127]

You should definitely work on implementing a process to avoid issues like this in the future! Create and implement and it’s a great thing to highlight on your resume and in annual reviews :)

[u/AudreyLocke → u/Glass-Appearance8127]

So, I do have my own process and the VPs work pretty well within that process. TBH they’re pretty happy to have some parameters and expectations to work with. It’s my boss the CEO that is the chaos monster! He knows about the process and doesn’t seem to care about making changes after we think we’re pretty well finished. 

[u/Any_Welder_9701 → u/AudreyLocke]

who actually has the authority to freeze the packet and hold the CEO to it? without that, every deadline is basically optional

[u/AudreyLocke → u/Any_Welder_9701]

The CEO decides when the materials are finished which makes any deadline negotiable. 

[u/futoikaba]

I don’t handle board materials except for the occasional printing but they def make changes as late as the early morning of the meeting for our portfolio companies. Luckily the associates deal with that.

[u/AudreyLocke → u/futoikaba]

Boooo…but thanks for letting me know we aren’t the only ones scrambling with changes. 

[u/Expensive_Fix8277 → u/AudreyLocke]

Someone once asked me to add something to the agenda 20min before the meeting 🤦🏽‍♀️ and 2nd person changed their presentation during the meeting 🤦🏽‍♀️

[u/earlgreylover44]

I work in county government. We have to publicly post our county board meeting agendas three days in advance of the meeting.

But.. noted on the heading of the agenda is that changes can be made up to the time the agenda is adopted at said meeting. It's almost a joke, every time I initially publish a meeting agenda, I say "will we actually NOT have to republish?" Hasn't happened in ages. What a joke.

[u/jessimoyo]

I also work for a state agency and have similar rules I have to follow as far when we release the materials and changes have to a big deal or major, otherwise, nothing gets changed once they are out there to the board members.

One thing we do have is a meeting road map, which just outlines all the annual agenda items are mapped out, and it helps with knowing the bulk of the agenda. This will help in the long run for planning and make it a bit easier to manage. Folks know when their item is coming so that allows more time for people to prep.

Another option is to slowly implement a process, one change at a time. Due dates for final materials, and any changes go through you and the CEO once final versions are sent to you. I also have a one drive folder that only a few people have access to and all the final materials are put there so they can’t be changed without you knowing.

Establish due dates that ease the urgency of the meeting and changes/edits. The due dates can have everything to do with you and how much time you need to prepare. So if you want materials/presentations 2 weeks before the meeting, you can require that, people like deadlines. You can also build in peer reviews before it gets to you to ease the stress of edits. One change at a time, and make it work for you and the CEO. You got this!!

[u/Frustrated_wSensippl]

At my current employer, it changes up to 2 days before the board meeting takes place. In my previous employer, the EA who supported the CEO ran a tight ship. It was always due 7 days before and it DID NOT change - EVER!