Board of directors meetings are where the key decision-makers of the company meet to discuss and make decisions. They also set the vision of how an organization will move forward. These decisions can have a massive impact on the company. They can impact everything from the composition of a team’s management to establishing company policies and the approval of grant of stock options. This is a critical time for the business and requires the collective wisdom of its most influential leaders to guide the company through the maze of decision-making.

The first step is deciding on the date of the meeting that will allow the members to be in sufficient numbers to constitute an sufficient quorum. It’s also essential to avoid conflicts with members with unique perspectives regarding the issues to be discussed. The next step is creating a board document basic board evaluations that includes all the relevant information, including projections, statistics and financial information for the meeting. Boards can design their own package using online tools like Google Docs, which can include a voting system as well as be collaborative.

The board scrutinizes the minutes of the last meeting at the actual meeting and discuss any new issues that has come up. Directors who have potential conflicts of interest are required to disclose those and recuse themselves from the discussion. After the main issues are discussed, the board may be adjourned if any procedural issues are settled.

It’s easy for you to forget that your fellow board members, while powerful, are also human beings. They will have their own opinions and strengths. They might not be as intelligent or thoughtful as you think and may be confused and frustrated, and just like everyone else, they’ll be inclined to whine (even the very best ones! ).