In the same way end-of-year board activities give executives and other senior leaders a chance to review individual and collective performances, the start of a new year represents the opportunity for organizations of all types to build some positive momentum going into the coming months.
Effective planning gives your team overarching strategies and procedures to follow that can help them develop their skills and execute your ideas to the best of their abilities. Most boardrooms are looking for ways to update and improve upon their performances and decision-making processes, but how exactly do you do that? Read on to learn 5 ways you can prepare your board for 2025 and put your organization in the best position to succeed.
1. Host a Board Retreat
Keeping every board member engaged is an ongoing task for each organization. One method of doing so is to hold a board retreat where the entire board gets together to discuss relevant topics and set achievable goals. The concept of board retreats often gets criticized for being an inefficient and time-consuming endeavor, but they can provide significant benefits for any board governance program.
In regard to long-term planning, board retreats give organizations a platform to delve into their overall mission and values so each member has a clear sense of direction on how to proceed. They also offer a perfect environment to create a recorded succession plan in anticipation of any forthcoming leadership transition.
But board retreats are often most valuable as a tool to build deeper relationships between each board member. Intentionally scheduling hours or days for conversations empowers board members to hear different perspectives on business matters and develop more meaningful connections that typically improve their ability to collaborate in the future.
To get the most out of a board retreat, be sure to create a retreat agenda that states the objectives of the retreat, discussion topics, and carves out some social time for attendees to relax.
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2. Create a Comprehensive Board Calendar
Board members must be able to track their own responsibilities and tasks to perform their roles within the organization. Creating a board calendar is a great way to ensure every activity is accounted for and progress is made at the expected pace.
A board calendar should include all the events and projects that should be completed over the course of a year. The formation of a board calendar is typically the job of the CEO or corporate secretary. The board should review and approve the board calendar early in the governance year.
The board calendar gives each member a timeline to structure their work, laying out what duties they need to address and when. The contents of a board calendar will vary depending on the organization’s goals, industry, and resources. If your organization’s medium-term outlook changes, don’t be hesitant to revise the calendar.
Board calendars usually include the following items:
- Dates for regular board meetings
- Regulatory and compliance reports
- Fundraising events
- Orientation for new directors
- Peer reviews or self-assessments
- Audit reports
- Budget approvals
3. Refresh Board Training and Orientation
It doesn’t matter if your latest board recruit comes in with impressive credentials or is a relative novice to the position. The organization should put time into developing board training and orientation programs so new board members understand their roles and the context within the management structure.
There is no perfect strategy that fits all establishments. Orientation can last a few hours or a few days depending on the organization’s needs. New board members should feel comfortable in their duties and feel empowered to use their skills.
The beginning of the year is a great time to review your current procedures and evaluate their current effectiveness. Have data-driven discussions to discern the usefulness of your orientation sessions. It’s also important to hold individual meetings with directors who have undergone the training to learn about their experiences and which aspects they did and didn’t find fulfilling.
4. Organize Board Documents and Materials
Board members must be able to access many pieces of information to do their jobs properly. The ability to sort that information in a coherent manner and find relevant data is a necessity for high-functioning organizations.
Board management software platforms like OnBoard can serve as a secure, efficient way to organize and distribute board documents and materials among members. OnBoard’s Agenda Builder and Minutes Builder features also take a lot of the drudge work out of preparing for and running board meetings.
A common method to keep board members up-to-date on the organization’s current status is by making a board pack. Board packs include multiple documents concerning crucial matters to keep directors informed prior to the next board meeting so they can make better decisions. Board packs can be delivered by hand or electronically. They can include many different items such as:
- The board meeting agenda
- Previous meeting minutes
- A CEO report
- Financial reports
- Board committee reports
Annual board reports are another way to prime your board with the right figures to recognize the organization’s financial state and act accordingly. Board reports are a written overview of the organization’s financial health and performance over the previous fiscal year. This provides transparency and helps to keep the board accountable.
5. Define Key Performance Metrics
Once you have settled on your goals for the year, the board must devise ways to measure growth and development over the coming months. Performance metrics are quantifiable measurements that board members can use to track their progress toward important objectives. These metrics are important to assess board performance and make strategic adjustments to improve your outlook if needed.
Performance metrics are not the same as key performance indicators (KPIs). Performance metrics are used to broadly measure your strategy against an established goal, while KPIs use more specific data to gauge your work.
Common examples of performance metrics include:
- Productivity
- ROI
- Sales activity
- Project quality
- Cost
- Employee efficiency
Getting Started With OnBoard
Whether you’re preparing your board for the new year or tackling any other task, the success of any board begins with consistent, high-level governance. Many organizations utilize board management software to formulate strategies and keep board members engaged as much as possible.
OnBoard provides numerous tools and features that will help your team increase its productivity and streamline the decision-making process.
Request a trial today to see how the OnBoard platform can help your team achieve its goals.
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About The Author
- Adam Wire is a Content Marketing Manager at OnBoard who joined the company in 2021. A Ball State University graduate, Adam worked in various content marketing roles at Angi, USA Football, and Adult & Child Health following a 12-year career in newspapers. His favorite part of the job is problem-solving and helping teammates achieve their goals. He lives in Indianapolis with his wife and two dogs. He’s an avid sports fan and foodie who also enjoys lawn and yard work and running.
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