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Eli Mina is a board effectiveness consultant and meeting management expert who runs his own consulting and training practice. He is the author of several books on meetings and effective decision-making, including The Complete Handbook of Business Meetings.

C ON T E N T S Foreword xi Introduction xv Acknowledgments xxvii CHAPTER ONE: Faulty Direction 1 Problem 1: Outdated Mission * Problem 2: Off-Mandate Activities * Problem 3: Vision Based on Negative Assumptions * Problem 4: No Strategic Planning CHAPTER TWO: Governance and Structural Issues 8 Problem 5: Oversized Board * Problem 6: Overconcentration of Powers * Problem 7: Dilution of Powers * Problem 8: Issues of Self-Regulation * Problem 9: No Disciplinary Measures * Problem 10: Employees as Board Members CHAPTER THREE: Unethical Culture 17 Problem 11: Cycle of Abuse * Problem 12: Acquiescence and Submission * Problem 13: Culture of Entitlement * Problem 14: Preoccupation with Financial Self-Interest * Problem 15: Advocating Constituency Interests * Problem 16: Fishing for Partisan Support * Problem 17: Conflict of Interest CHAPTER FOUR: Procedural Issues 29 Problem 18: Binding Decisions at General Meetings * Problem 19: Insistence on Unanimity * Problem 20: Rushed Decisions * Problem 21: Last-Minute Agenda Items (Green Bananas) * Problem 22: Poor Preparation * Problem 23: Disorganized Problem Solving * Problem 24: Impromptu Motions * Problem 25: Premature Closure * Problem 26: Quick Votes * Problem 27: Obsession with Rules * Problem 28: Procedural Trickery * Problem 29: Minutes That Focus on Individual Words and Actions CHAPTER FIVE: Problematic Board Members 45 Problem 30: The Disengaged Board Member * Problem 31: The Single- Issue Advocate * Problem 32: The Rebel * Problem 33: The Accuser * Problem 34: The Bully * Problem 35: The Know-It-All * Problem 36: The Contrarian * Problem 37: The Closet Parliamentarian * Problem 38: The Short-Tempered Board Member * Problem 39: The Overly Sensitive Board Member * Problem 40: The Secretive Board Member * Problem 41: The Talkative Board Member * Problem 42: The Board Member Who Won't Speak Up * Problem 43: The Mumbler * Problem 44: The Lecturer CHAPTER SIX: The Ineffective Board Chair 63 Problem 45: The Chair Who Biases Discussions * Problem 46: The Chair Who Acts Unilaterally * Problem 47: The Spineless Chair * Problem 48: The Chair Who Is Attached to the Position * Problem 49: The Chair Who Is a Poor Team-Builder CHAPTER SEVEN: Dysfunctional Boards 72 Problem 50: The Board as a Social Club * Problem 51: Groupthink * Problem 52: Partisan Politics * Problem 53: Too Many Soloists * Problem 54: Paralyzed by Fear * Problem 55: Driven by Rivalry * Problem 56: Shortsighted Preoccupation with Money * Problem 57: The Adversarial Board * Problem 58: Post-Decision Attacks * Problem 59: The Indecisive Board * Problem 60: The Board That Never Turns Back * Problem 61: Keeping Them in the Dark * Problem 62: Nitpicking Over Small Details * Problem 63: Deferring to Experience * Problem 64: Collective Impatience * Problem 65: Predetermined Outcomes CHAPTER EIGHT: Unproductive Board Meetings 92 Problem 66: No Clear Purpose to a Meeting * Problem 67: Chaotic, Disorderly Meetings * Problem 68: Stuffiness and Formality * Problem 69: Time Wasting * Problem 70: Deadlock * Problem 71: Side Conversations * Problem 72: Electronic Distractions * Problem 73: Sleeping During a Meeting * Problem 74: Parking Lot Conversations * Problem 75: Full-Scale E-Mail War * Problem 76: Wasteful Teleconference Call * Problem 77: Logistical Problems CHAPTER NINE: Flawed Interactions with Management 107 Problem 78: Micromanagement * Problem 79: Physical Labor Without Insurance Coverage * Problem 80: Violating the Chain of Command * Problem 81: Public Insults of Staff Members * Problem 82: Rubber- Stamping Management's Recommendations * Problem 83: The Dominant CEO * Problem 84: Gifts from the CEO * Problem 85: The Stonewalling CEO * Problem 86: Sanitized Reports * Problem 87: Private Briefings from the CEO * Problem 88: Withholding Criticism * Problem 89: Overuse or Underuse of Consultants * Problem 90: Interfering with an Adviser * Problem 91: The Timid Minute Taker CHAPTER TEN: Flawed Interactions with the Community 125 Problem 92: Entrenchment and Defensiveness * Problem 93: Capitulation to Political Pressure * Problem 94: Behind Closed Doors * Problem 95: Breaches of Confidentiality * Problem 96: Board Acting as a Complaint Department * Problem 97: No Boundaries Between the Board and the Community * Problem 98: Cheering, Clapping, Heckling, and Harassment * Problem 99: Misguided Focus on the Customer * Problem 100: Unprofessional Appearance at Public Meetings * Problem 101: Speeches Disguised as Questions APPENDIX A: Board Effectiveness Audit 139 APPENDIX B: Board Evaluation Tools 145 APPENDIX C: Myths and Truths About Rules of Order 167 APPENDIX D: Tools for Meeting Chairs and Participants 170 Index 173 About the Author 179