In the world of camp, it is often said, “To bore a kid is a sin”. In the world of the boardroom,
the total absence of boredom is unachievable (sorry). But what can and should be achieved is good
preparation. The first step in keeping butts in boardroom seats is to be ready, organized, and
professional in your planning. Lack of pre-meeting information and in-meeting structure and
post-meeting follow-up invites un-involvement.
Engagement, however, is the key. I don’t know how many times I have described board
members as either being “engaged” or “not engaged”. It’s the difference between being a
bump on a log or on the edge of your seat. It changes board meeting time for a member from being a matter of endurance to an expectation of contribution. Engagement is the posture of members knowing that their absence creates a hole that won’t easily be filled and will, in fact, lessen the effectiveness of the board.
Maybe that kind of engagement seems unattainable, but it isn’t. However, even the smallest measure of it requires motivation. Board members need more than a sense of duty to get them to a meeting and engaged in it. They need to not only love the ministry they are in (that’s the easy part) but know they are critical to its success. They need to grasp that the spiritual objectives carried out by those in the trenches (the staff) must first be grounded in good governance (the board) and that is a very high calling.
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