It’s very simple: a director is invited to attend a board meeting of a third-party organization with complete discretion. “The simple observation taught me a lot” said one participant. It is inexpensive and requires little preparation.
We have just completed the 2020 Immersion Program through which 3 directors from the non-profit sector participated as observers in board meetings of large industrial companies.
This program took place within #BoardCompanions.org, a Belgian association that aims to professionalize boards in the non-profit sector. The participants to the program had the exceptional opportunity to discover other business topics, other corporate cultures, and other managerial styles.
“I have been impressed by the quality and the dedication of the board members of the visited company, as well as the high level of the discussions”.
Three key learnings: (1) the essential role of the president, well prepared on the agenda topics, disciplined but not directive; concluding the debates with a clear and consensual resolution; (2) the high quality of the documents provided to the members in a time frame that allows for a thorough reading of the files; (3) the sometimes too discreet attitude of the non-executive directors, who, in fact, have a true role to play.
Tomorrow, it might be the board members from the industrial sector, in search of “purpose”, who will visit and be inspired by the strong values in the non-profit sector.
BoardCompanions.org, a non-profit association that works in partnership with #INSEAD and #FondationRoiBaudouin, is run by @ErikWeytjens, @Jean-CharlesUyttenhove and @XavierBedoret.
