Whether Board Meetings Soar or Deflate Rides on Meeting Packet

By Dan Clark

For several decades, credit union executives have prepared agenda packets for their directors. This helps them prepare for board actions — a good thing. In probably 80 percent of credit unions, prepared information passes one time a month from the office to the directors.

In recent years, credit union boards have been shifting away from acting on operational issues at their meetings to discussing the long-range future, strategic issues, the mission, etc. This, too, is a good thing.

Unfortunately, having all the data that expresses operations delivered in the package known as the board’s meeting materials minimizes—even derails—this important shift from operational focus to strategic discussion. All the information arrives in the same package (whether printed or available in electronic form) because it started out that all the information pertained to the board’s action agenda. Now, it all does not.

It is a given that directors need to have information to monitor the credit union’s performance. And it’s also true that directors need to have advance information and ideas to stimulate their discussions about the future. But it would be better to deliver the two types of information separately—not as one massive board packet.

Much of my work has to do with focus and mind-set. That is especially true when I facilitate strategic planning retreats. I have determined through experience and experimentation that on a given day, it’s best to start with the longest-term, most general planning ideas and gradually work down to details.

It’s a little like flying a hot air balloon. Since people are mired in daily business and personal issues, it takes a good deal of time to get the minds warmed up to thinking lofty, long-term and in the clouds. Getting people to make the mental shift from managing to visioning is a progressive, often gradual, process to orchestrate. Once up there, it only takes the smallest mention of a short-term concern to bring the far-reaching discussion crashing to the ground. It’s like opening the canopy of a balloon and letting all the hot air out.

A board meeting can suffer the same fate. The meeting is a change of venue, a break in one’s day. The board meeting is new context, allowing individuals to rise above the small and short-term, to deal with the large and long-term -- to get on a strategic level. However, if you start the board meeting on an operational footing, in 95% of the cases you’ll never reach the strategic level at that meeting.

To effect that high level for the participants of a board meeting, make the meeting materials all about the future. That means delivering all the operational reports in a separate package.

This also means you can hold your board meetings earlier in a month. Since the board no longer focuses on operational issues, it does not have to wait to receive operational reports in order to meet. You might even get into a preferred restaurant for the meeting because you are no longer competing for space with other boards later in the month.

Discussions of the long-range future do not rely on any month’s or any quarter’s results. Instead, as directors and executives discuss the long-range future, they do so with a memory of the operational trends displayed in the charts and graphs included periodically in the separate operational reports package.

This idea means change, and change can be a hassle. Nevertheless, if you are serious about having hot, future-oriented board discussions that soar in the clouds of long-term thought, then this is an idea that deserves some serious groundwork to launch it.

Dan Clark, a former CUES member, heads Dan Clark Associates: Governance and Strategic Planning, a member of CUES Financial Suppliers Forum, and is the author of the blog Musings on Governance.

Read more of Dan’s board agenda ideas in the CUES Skybox archives.

Comments

[Onenespenia]

Lakota Joint Medicine http://www.manisteecatholiccentral.com/xanax.html - cheap xanax Patients should discuss any concerns they have with their doctor about withdrawal and discontinuation of Xanax. http://www.manisteecatholiccentral.com/xanax.html - alprazolam online pharmacy

[Dapoxetine]

zalhfxqkpunkmdpikmto, Buy dapoxetine, FMftSgx, [url=http://brooklynjazzradio.com/]Dapoxetine[/url], JjngZnY, http://brooklynjazzradio.com/ Dapoxetine, YasXOJl.

[qysplnuu]

sFx0TLX6, http://webboard.thaimuslim.com/index.php?topic=181671.0 >atrovent inhalador, fPz1XWR5, cost of atrovent, atrovent inhalador, uZw8TNH5, atrovent for cough, http://webboard.thaimuslim.com/index.php?topic=181671.0 atrovent inhaler, nTn9RSZ7, atrovent drug information, xOw1BWY9

[drpidpmb]

a3UPi5gM, valium dosage, g6HWo8kE, valium controlled, http://www.transnatural.nl/profiles/blogs/best-way-to-take-valium >valium on line, h4LZs3mB, valium facts, http://www.transnatural.nl/profiles/blogs/best-way-to-take-valium valium 5, x5HNr0pA, valium high like, s6FHv9oY

[ojqseeqp]

639V5A, http://happinessstrategies.com/forum/index.php?topic=42726.0 zolpidem cost, 050M2P, purchase zolpidem online, http://happinessstrategies.com/forum/index.php?topic=42726.0 >zolpidem, 422S0I, ambien zolpidem price, zolpidem without rx, 186Z2P, zolpidem ambien buy, 525N4R

[lwfpjxep]

xf40u, http://gfxforums100.top-site-list.com/gfxforums100-thread57200.html purchase ativan, kg95l, can you buy ativan, ativan cost, dj52h, ativans drug, http://gfxforums100.top-site-list.com/gfxforums100-thread57200.html buy ativan, vs24v, ativan purchase, qt97l

[Fat Burning Furnace Review]

cohakdvfttlzcpy, Fat burning furnace fact or fiction?, bRUpgTR, [url=http://fatburningfurnace4all.com/]Fat Burning Furnace[/url], yDWSndu, http://fatburningfurnace4all.com/ Fat Burning Furnace Review, uqwxlLf.

[qvsbnmfx]

2H7Maze, ativan cost, 2Z7Jujr, cheap ativan online no prescription, http://ebeatz.ning.com/forum/topics/generic-ativan-no-rx ativan online, 1O9Heci, ativan canada price, http://ebeatz.ning.com/forum/topics/generic-ativan-no-rx cheap ativan, 7Q0Bdzw, buy ativan online us, 9I8Jkpg

[rgywryia]

Kww8f075, http://www.cyberforums.us/forum/showthread.php?t=650629 adipex without rx, Lau4c073, cheapest place to buy adipex online, http://www.cyberforums.us/forum/showthread.php?t=650629 adipex, Fqc8t397, adipex price, purchase adipex, Frs2r985, price for adipex, Cym0e432

[amxosvmq]

493ox0o, http://forum.bo2forum.com/showthread.php?t=127727 xanax without prescription, 324ab2w, prescription xanax cheap, [url=http://forum.bo2forum.com/showthread.php?t=127727]xanax online[/url], 790ga8e, xanax bars price, xanax price, 571cn3y, drugs similar to xanax, 993hx4n

[KetTreate]

Vqjhodw [url=http://www.todiversified.com]ugg australia uk[/url] Zfldgle http://www.todiversified.com Exhqyaz ugg australia uk Ikkhjpv

[puzzle games]

chluldvfttlzcpy, Aarp daily games and jigsaw puzzle, vancmbj, [url=http://puzzlegameszone.com/]puzzle games[/url], ZqShCJN, http://puzzlegameszone.com/ Kids puzzle games, RPDfQdM.

[Viagra]

cvifedvfttlzcpy, Viagra, FrYkwlQ, [url=http://bestpharm.webnode.fr/]Compare cialis levitra viagra[/url], DLoHqez, http://bestpharm.webnode.fr/ Cheap viagra profisional line only uk, JmxHqsP.

[Viagra]

cvifedvfttlzcpy, Viagra, FrYkwlQ, [url=http://bestpharm.webnode.fr/]Compare cialis levitra viagra[/url], DLoHqez, http://bestpharm.webnode.fr/ Cheap viagra profisional line only uk, JmxHqsP.

[LYPEENGARGY]

3FnyI1ZioL8 ghd 9TfuS3ZxjC7 http://homeideas.realbusinessideassocialnetworking.com/informationnowvideo.com/blogs/322/7894/cheap-ghd-straighteners-yh19ur

[anagnenifub]

rCb ugg boots clearance fUj http://www.dailystrength.org/people/1160446/journal mMw ugg boots sale cFd http://uggbootsuk19.blogshells.com/2011/12/19/cheap_ugg_boots_for_women

[Alenuedorully]

tE ugg boots uk wB http://www.arunavi.jp/twiyodogawa/cheapuggs/2011/12/21/ugg-boots-uk-cheap/ rO hogan sito ufficiale aI http://fpv-online.com/blogs/entry/scarpe-hogan-donna-sericins-P

[smusiaigniz]

szmygmwil uggs on sale ctwkxsfwp http://irongolfclub.com/uggs-on-sale.html

[WinaiceHape]

bT uggs on sale discount aU http://www.supportows.org/uggsale228/2011/12/28/the-uggs-fact-is-shopping-on/ jN cheap ugg boots outlet kF http://hook2it.com/blogs/entry/Perfect-cheap-ugg-boots-for-women

[phipiat]

Good to meet you!
How are you?
His superb basketball skills, striving spirit for perfection and doing actively in charity event perfectly echo Audemars Piguet's brand concept. We are so happy that we can gather here with James."
http://uuhsrnpmwll.2logs.com/2011/12/27/the-best-watches-imitations-you-can-find-in-south-africa/
http://celiya20.blog.com/2011/12/28/developer-watches-can-match-any-clothing/
http://biyali.edublogs.org/2011/12/28/history-of-vintage-watches-from-branded-watch-brands/

http://biyali.edublogs.org/2011/12/29/how-to-maintain-your-watches/
http://yphkrnsmeqc.bliblog.com/steps-of-choosing-great-watches/
http://bloguay.com/biyali/2011/12/29/it-is-a-global-trend-to-wear-replica-watches/

[url=http://amelie2011.multiply.com/journal/]replica watches[/url]
[url=http://lisayun.over-blog.com/]quality replica watches[/url]

[Prearfrop]

ku7 ugg boots dj9 http://www.healthinn.me/uggbootsoutlet5989/blog/cheap-uggs-boots-solicit-the-assistance/ si8 ugg boots uk an0 http://socialenginedev.com/blog.php?user=nnbsdeog6&blogentry_id=735 ns3 uggs on sale outlet dx3 http://www.tsarouxia.com/blog.php?user=mirrio0816&blogentry_id=16162

[Saundadar]

vIu ghd hair straighteners mCh http://volunteerforjesus.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=175602 pAc ghd straighteners nz uRv http://poiskjob.com/user/spcvbhknljeqwm/ vFr swiss replica watches vNj http://shamart.ru/index.php?action=profile;u=9562

[lieddyacculse]

vfL chanel handbags hlF http://network.studio11chicago.com/hermesbirkin12/blog/chanel-handbags-that-is/

[Barifraliagma]

With Vehicle The rapid improvement of provider industries, domestic Car Beauty Decorating store the intensity of competitors. Residing room for your market to cater for the needs in the terminal proprietors, several automotive elegance shop within the shop Decoration, Advertising and marketing Strategies, and conduite efforts within the significant, helpless into extra and additional, signifies additional to the additional uncommon growth in earnings. How to break the aggressive landscape, plus the profits "Go," Fortune "overweight", as many headaches automotive beauty decoration store manager problem! Auto elegance shop experience the development of decorative bottle neck2009, is China's automobile market milestone year, the total output and sales volume over the United States, after the advancement of self into the era of brand building, successful country among the world's largest listed auto, but because the occupying half of China's car market chain Automobile Elegance decorative marketplace is in a very awkward position. Fortune within the eighties of last century's waxing, sealing Glaze, In place sauna, sun proof foil and other services, is still the current automotive elegance store to be the key decorative projects, new project development stagnated, growing product homogeneity, price wars conflict...... the face of bloody water cross-flow into the extra and a lot more, promotional efforts increase, but profitability was negative growth from the market place situation, many automobile upholstery store beauty is no alternative. In this industry environment, how the breakdown of existing services and product homogeneity, the owner with the consumer final renewed desire to become decorative automotive beauty shops occupy the industry opportunities, enhance the profitability of an important bargaining chip! MAC Mica foil as a breakthrough tool for the bodyMAC Mackie Body foil technology to China, will struggle to compete in a vicious car beauty car decoration store and tired with the traditional elegance services, final proprietors to bring the gospel. Paint a new generation of physical protection technology, highly personalized body foil to color scheme, the world's five hundred companies imported products, MAC Mackie Body foil to keep pace with demand for end-consumers a comprehensive vision of homogeneous competitors severe impact car elegance decoration marketplace, creating a physical way domestic automobile escort and personal equipment posted the first of its kind. It is understood, MAC Mackie Body foil is the world's most advanced automotive paint protection and to change color scheme, the quote in the original manufacturer of scratch to bridge the technology and cover the entire flat membrane technology, the original glue strip technology, and also the edge sealing procedures, random changes in color from the vehicle, while not only protect the original paint, but also be able to restore at any time, the perfect location to chemical injury the cost of closure enamel paint, coating, spray paint to color the traditional automotive beauty options The project in Beijing and Shanghai, has been widely touted by the market. As in Europe, North America and Japan and other developed countries have a mature services, body foil is a high profit, high technology, high acceptance, low-input type of project. MAC Mackie company after the domestic auto industry cosmetic decoration accurate research, launched a new decoration for your conservation of existing automotive elegance shops tailored to "store shop licensing" model, which relies on MAC Mackie Body foil technology and product platforms through effective mining automotive elegance store customers have the resources to MAC Mackie Body foil as the characteristics of the project to provide value to end customers personalized support, in order to expand profit channels, enhance their competitiveness. Mentioned earlier, car upholstery store elegance services only to break the status quo before the homogenization of market place advantage, increase earnings, MAC Mackie foil for your majority of car elegance car body decoration shop proprietors to provide a stimulating consumer desire to end the "fuel "As for how point, the key management itself is also looking to grasp market place trends and consumer end-owners of cognitive psychology.

[url=http://www.burberrybagsonlineshop.com/]burberry outlet[/url]