For those of us who serve on Boards the last few months during #lockdown have challenged many of our norms. How often have we heard the cry from our colleagues about being zoomed out?
The pattern of Board meetings has certainly changed in my experience over the last few months and some of the lessons learned are really positive - like less travel, better attendance, flexibility of timings for meetings. At the same time many bemoan the loss of the personal interactions before and after Board meetings, the reading of body language and the fatigue of concentrating on video conferences.
These are the most popular conversation starters but in our work on Board evaluation and effectiveness for charities and sports bodies doing this work during #lockdown has given us the chance to dig a little deeper. Looking at how Board meeting are structured and the role of board papers seems to have subtly changed too. The dynamics of the meeting are clearly different but is this helpful or a hindrance to good governance?
In my own experience chairing 3 different Boards over the period I have felt some to have been a really positive experience but one didn't alter the dynamics as much as I had hoped. As a Chair it has meant learning a whole new set of skills.
But we are more interested in your experience. What has worked well? What hasn't worked. What will you do post lockdown? What of the lessons you have learned will you retain? Which elements of online Board meetings can't you wait to ditch?
It seems from polling that only a minority of people want to return to the old normal in many facets of life. Certainly blended working from home will increasingly be accepted. So will this have an impact on when and how you hold these meetings. Or will you just hold sub-committees online or even a blend of both. I know on one Board we have agreed to hold more frequent meetings for a time but on specific short topics with a less formal agenda. What have you experimented with? Let us know. Comment below and lets build Boards back better!