Follow @cmcuesta
I was sitting in a board meeting this evening asking myself this question and at the same time my brain went click. Off it went. I just nodded my head for the rest of the meeting wondering if I had drool coming out of the side of my mouth.
I know there is no such thing as the “perfect” time that gets good participation, a time when everyone can meet. I do wonder if we should put less emphasis on when everyone can get there and more on when everyone’s brains are fresh and able to engage in deep discussion about the organization. I’m more partial to the early morning meeting… 7:30 am anyone?
What do you think is the optimal time of day a board should meet? Please share.
December 14, 2011 at 3:59 am, Dana Gillespie said:
The most successful board meetings I have attended have been in the middle of the day, during lunch. I know it’s difficult to break up the day but in each case that I recall, board members were more engaged, more alert, and more on top of staying on task and on schedule because they had to get back to their office when the meeting was over.
December 14, 2011 at 4:57 am, Debra Beck, EdD said:
Oh, I’m definitely with you on the early a.m. (and the need for fresh brains), Carlo. But I’m afraid we’re a lonely group. This is an *excellent* question, and I can’t wait to see what kind of feedback you get.
I share Dana’s experiences with the lunchtime meetings, in terms of relative alertness and capacity to think more expansively than in the evening hours. The challenge I’ve encountered in that setting: that time pressure. You know my bias toward open conversations that lead members to focus on governance. It takes a special kind of (report-free) agenda to make the most of that brief time frame. I’ve experienced varying levels of success with accomplishing that over a midday meeting. It’s an efficiency vs. effectiveness thing.
You’re right about there not being a perfect response to this question. It definitely will be fun to read the range of reactions you get from readers.
December 14, 2011 at 5:09 am, Debra Beck, EdD said:
Oh, great. You’ve got my brain a’churning this morning. 😉 I should say that the board that provided the case for my dissertation accomplished incredible things in essentially a “lunch hour” schedule. The *massive* difference between that group and the others I’ve experienced: they minimized the oral reports and engaged members with questions and discussions of significance. “How does this impact the mission?” was a question engrained in their culture – and more than once uttered directly during the time I observed them.
I suspect they would be the exception to the rule, though. And that would be true no matter when the meeting is scheduled. We still pelt too many boards with too many reports and other activity that encourages passive participation.
December 14, 2011 at 10:07 am, Harry J Tucci Jr (@Katahdin85) said:
I personally function best when the Board Meeting starts between 7 and 7:30PM. But it must be done by 9PM.
December 15, 2011 at 4:35 am, Carlo Cuesta said:
This was posted by Deb Kemper on the Boards for Good Linked IN Group: “We found morning mornings very efficient — people tended to stay on agenda since they had other places to be immediately following the Board meeting. To make it work – the meetings need to be scheduled well in advance, since people most likely would be getting to their offices late. However – you need to factor in some “social” time to allow Board members to get to know each other – especially new members.”
December 16, 2011 at 12:44 pm, Carlo Cuesta said:
The is comment is from Brenda Kelleher-Flight on the Boards For Good Linked IN Group: “I’m not sure there is any one best time. There are factors which influence participation though. These include: a full stomach; agenda items which are relevant, engaging and require decisions; and a leader who guarantees everyone is heard.”
December 17, 2011 at 2:29 am, Carlo Cuesta said:
From the Boards for Good Linked IN Group — Steven L Mason • “In my experience, each board has a distinct “personality”. For this reason, I believe the subject of meeting time, and place, should be determined at least once a year, by consensus. The best time is when you have 100% participation.”