Running Board Meetings: How to Get the Most from Them (3rd edition)

Citation

Mann, S. (2006), "Running Board Meetings: How to Get the Most from Them (3rd edition)", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 27 No. 1, pp. 82-83. https://doi.org/10.1108/01437730610641386

Running Board Meetings is an unashamedly practical guide whose aim is to provide valuable advice on every aspect of board meetings. What it lacks in theoretical underpinnings it makes up for in it being totally grounded by real‐life example, draw from the wealth of the author's experiences in the business world.

Dunne guides the reader through the entire process of the “board meeting”, starting with what to do before the meeting is even organised (how often should they take place? How long should they last? What should be on the agenda in terms of a long‐term vs short‐term mix?). Indeed, the book is split into three (unequal) parts, helpfully labelled “before”, “during” and “after” the meeting. The first part, the “before” is the weightiest, with additional topics including seating arrangements, distributing material in advance of the meeting, “any other business”, away days and creating the right atmosphere. Some material seems little more than common sense (e.g. avoid uncomfortable chairs) but it is surprising how much useful advice, titbits and snippets are packed into each section.

Part two, the “during” deals with the how to of managing meetings. My favourite part of this section is the personality analysis of various meeting attendees; from the silent seether, to the key influencer to the quiet floater – if nothing else, I will have plenty to occupy me if I am unfortunate enough to have to attend any future dull meetings, as I attempt to classify everyone present Dunne‐style.

Another highlight for me is the section on De Bono's hats. The famous lateral thinker proposed that giving people different coloured hats whereby each colour denotes a role, allows people to develop new ways of thinking. Thus, for example, a red hat denotes rage whilst a white one is neutral and objective. The hats are supposed to allow people to think in ways that they might not ordinarily do.

Part three, the “after”, is disappointingly brief, at only ten pages. In fact, the appendices, which run to around 30 pages, far outweigh the rather insubstantial part three. This, however, is my only real criticism of the book, although to be fair, I would have been less happy with attempts to pad out part three with rubbish just to try and keep reviewers like me happy. And, to be fair, the wealth of useful stuff in the appendices feels a bit like an unexpected bonus, with its case studies (CHEMCO and Convo) serving as very useful exercises for MBA‐type programmes.

Overall, Running Board Meetings is a pleasant, easy‐to‐read book that manages to be entertaining yet informative. Awash with quotes and anecdotes that really bring the material to life, the book is probably useful, if not exactly essential, reading for any directors or aspiring achievers.