Q: I love my board, but a few members consistently bring up old issues that have been previously discussed and concluded or interject new matters not on the agenda. How do you recommend addressing the concerns of these members without derailing the board meeting?

A: No matter what size your board, there is usually a member or two who have their own concerns which they frequently express, oftentimes disrupting or derailing an already packed official agenda. What I always recommend in these situations is to make sure that your official board agenda is clear, concise, and perhaps most importantly, circulated well before the board meeting so that all members have ample time to prepare for the topics up for discussion. It’s also important that every agenda uses a standardized format. It doesn’t really matter what that format is, but consistency is key. Once the agenda is in tip-top shape, it’ll be easier to encourage board members to stick to it. 

Now that we’ve cleaned up our agenda, we need to find your strategic plan. You’re not sure where it is? I promise you are not alone! Chances are your association went through a strategic planning exercise some years ago, it was fruitful and produced a good plan, but immediately thereafter the plan was put aside, and the association kept marching down the path it was already on. Let’s leverage your plan to improve meetings and keep the association on track. If you have a plan in place, and it was completed within the last three years, take it out, dust it off, and align each board agenda item to a specific objective. Once done, the next time your board member interjects something off topic, pivot back to the strategic plan and how the agenda is following the plan, and the off-topic interruption won’t have a lot of air to breathe. 

If your plan is more than three years old, it’s time for an update! We can discuss the strategic plan update in a subsequent column.

Bradley Pryba, Esq. is Senior Vice President of Kellen, responsible for strategic planning and Board training. To contact Brad directly, BPryba@kellencompany.com.