I sit on a number of advisory boards. I’m unhappy to report that for a few of them things have been less than stellar this year leading to my growing disinterest. Here are the factors contributing to my discontent:
- Sending the agenda late or not at all. This leaves me with no idea of what the key issues are that the CEO is grappling with.
- Sending reading materials late or not at all. And being expected to be able to cogently address issues at the meeting.
- No updates between meetings.
- Not addressing disruptive and missing advisors.
- Finding out from a news source good or bad information about the organization.
- Failure to establish a meeting schedule that is then followed.
- Failure to make any connections for the advisors making it worth their while to participate.
Yes advisory boards and regular boards take effort. CEOs and executive directors complain all the time about how their boards don’t do enough. Periodically they need to examine their own behavior to see how it might be contributing to their advisors’ or directors’ lack of interest?
Susan C. Hammond, a CFO/COO and expert on advisory boards, consults with CEOs of small to mid-size businesses and nonprofit organizations on the formation and facilitation of advisory boards, ways to enhance board governance, and how to improve financial intelligence. Susan is the author of the Advisory Board Kit: A Comprehensive Guide to Establishing an Advisory Board and the new free e-books Developing a Personal Advisory Board and 30 Tips for Improving Your Financial Literacy.
