The process of organizing the work of the board of directors sometimes requires flexibility and the ability to adjust to the expectations of other members of the management process. However, guessing the moods and desires of other board members is mostly a futile exercise. There are many effective practices in management theory that will teach you how to meet the basic expectations of your business partners. Here are some tips to help anticipate board member expectations and build an effective workflow at all corporate levels.
The primary responsibility of top management and other tips to help establish a mutually beneficial working process for the board of directors
To organize the work process of the board of directors with the maximum benefit for the entire company, it is advisable to use some recommendations that will help to prepare for cooperation with other board members:
- Set a personal example. If you want board members to listen to you, set a personal example of how best to do so. Ask for help from other board members and be open and friendly in your interactions. If you want to implement new work practices in the company, start implementing them first so that others can follow your example.
- Encourage the sharing of experiences. To establish a more effective collaborative process within the board of directors, not only provide personal examples of expected actions but also encourage the sharing of experiences on particular issues. In this way, you can establish seamless communication and make the collaborative process more open.
- Don’t ignore attendance at meetings. If you want board members to actively participate, don’t skip meetings yourself. That way you will show your interest in the board’s work, and you can personally persuade other board members to be more diligent in their responsibilities.
- Don’t make promises you can’t keep. The process of building a trusting relationship with other board members should be built on trust. To achieve this, do not make promises to shareholders or your colleagues that you cannot fulfill for objective reasons. This will show how interested you are in trusting cooperation and your professionalism because you know how to really assess your strengths and capabilities.
- Be aware of ethical standards. While cooperating with board members you should not forget the basic norms of ethical behavior. In addition, this will help create a higher-level corporate culture not only on the board of directors but throughout the company.
It is worth remembering that compliance with expectations should not be the goal of the company’s further development. It may be part of the overall strategy, but not the ultimate goal. Achievement of the principle of compliance with expectations should be part of the overall corporate culture, which is followed by all employees of the company without exception, not just members of the board of directors. However, it is management that has the primary responsibility for implementing the new corporate culture standards. Compared to other employees, they have more responsibility for the company’s activities. Not surprisingly, it also falls on them to implement standards of compliance with expectations. The best way to instill a new way of building working relationships is by personal example, and senior management must relentlessly follow this practice.