Have you ever been to a Board meeting that goes like this: Agenda, Minutes Approval, and then a series of Reports that deal with past issues? Staff are notorious for reporting on ‘what has happened.’ So why do our Board meetings review the past? Perhaps we are more comfortable with what we ‘know’ than what is ‘unknown.’

Maybe it’s easier to talk about what has been done rather than what needs to be done. Where in the meeting do new ideas get discussed?  When do people around the table feel they are embracing the future?

It starts with asking the question. Try this: at your next Board meeting, make the last item on the agenda “What Do We Need to Be Thinking About?” The answers may surprise you.