On April 27, we experienced a board meeting simulation at Together, a social-profit association dedicated to the hosting of migrants in Brussels. At the end of the meeting, we debriefed on success factors, pitfalls, complexity of the topics, and time management… all issues we are regularly confronted with.
During this board meeting, we noted that:
- the lack of prior contact between the chair and the executive management may lead to confusion and tension
- the study of the files by the directors should not be superficial. Problem-solving scenarios must already be considered at this stage
- discussing strategy requires time and perspective. This subject cannot be lightly discussed during a classical meeting
- the board meeting is important, but the contacts before and after the meeting may be essential. Directors seize this opportunity to test hypotheses or implement the beginnings of solutions.
At the end of the meeting, we debriefed on success factors, pitfalls, complexity of the topics, and time management… all issues we are regularly confronted with.
This pedagogical exercise is part of the BoardCompanions.org program of support and training for directors in the non-profit sector.
Many thanks to @sleclef, @filipgeerts, @jcuyttenhove, @francenivelle, @patrickceulemans, @francoispacco, @dominiqueclerbois, @koenscheiris, @xavierbedoret for having played this game with so much commitment. It was also fun!
