Try shaking up your meeting agenda. Remember raise the bar? Set and get agreement from directors to come to the table with the understanding that they have digested all pre-meeting information, and in each usual agenda item or management report, the only coverage will be exceptions or questions which directors raise for discussion. Then, devote the remainder of agenda time to strategic level deliberations, items requiring a board vote and fulfilling other board responsibilities, such as the succession pipeline and director education.
Revamp your meetings to ensure that time is available to spend on the board’s broader role, and watch the amount of engagement; energy and contribution soar during meetings.