3 Things Good Board Members Do

I was speaking to a board chairman— chairwoman, actually— the other day about what makes a good board member. And she said good board members do 3 things. They read the materials when it's sent to them so they can prepare for the board meeting. 2, they listen carefully in the board meetings before starting asking questions or before starting down Their own agenda. And I was like, wait a minute, own agenda? She goes, yeah, a lot of board members actually have an agenda as they walk into the boardroom, and that's one of the most dangerous things for them to do. And thirdly, she said, they speak to the CEO or the leadership team in between board meetings, not only when they call you because they have issues, but also reaching out to them saying, hey, how are things going? Do you need anything? How can I be helpful? So those are the 3 things. 1, preparation. 2, leave agenda at the door. 3, check in with the leadership team between meetings.