Download - Presenting To Boards Slideshare
Presenting to BoardsPractical skills
Julie Garland McLellan
Presenting to a board is animportant occasion
Only peak performanceWill be good enough!
How not to fail
PrepareKnow what the board
does
How it operates
What it is worried about
Present Pre-reading Participation Discuss don’t debate
Persist Follow up Engage Thank you!
X we are here!
Start by understanding your audience
What the board does
Set strategy
Obtain resources
Ensure risk is managed
Provide accounta-
bility
Hire (and fire)
the CEO
BALANCE COMPLIANCE AND PERFORMANCE
How boards operate
• Joint and several liability:– Equality– Collegiality– Confidentiality– Robust debate– Independence
• Limited engagement with shareholder• Total exposure to management
Address their concerns ...
You need to know:• What most boards worry about• What this board worries about• What each individual director worries
about
What boards worry about
Financ
ial
Gover
nmen
t
Resou
rces
Reput
ation
Strate
gy
Lead
ersh
ip
Compe
titors
Mer
gers
Issue
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
No
of
men
tio
ns
Worries – by sector
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Resou
rces
Strate
gy
Reput
ation
Lead
ersh
ip
Financ
ial
Compe
titors
Mer
gers
Per
cen
tag
e o
f re
spo
nd
ents
Government
Commercial
Not for profit
Gover
nmen
t
Worries – by experience
0%5%
10%15%20%25%30%35%40%45%50%
Financ
ial
Gover
nmen
t
Resou
rces
Reput
ation
Lead
ersh
ip
Strate
gy
Compe
titors
Mer
gers
Novice
Experienced
More experienced
Prepare appropriate pre-reading
Relevant
Integrated
In perspective
Timely
Frequent
Accurate
Consistent
Clear
Brief!!!
X we are here!
Context
Legal
Strategic
Preferences
• Australian law• Industry regulations• Trade practices
• Current performance• Competitors• Speed of change
• Personal styles• Company policies• Constitutional choice
The meeting agendaB
oar
d C
on
cen
trat
ion
an
d E
ffo
rt
Time
Significant matters for board consideration
Routine matters
Routine matters
© Julie Garland McLellan 2005, reproduced with permission
Prepare for participation
Dealing with debate
• One conversation• Use a parking lot• Call it if you see it!• Work through the Chairman• Stay positive• Break if the board obviously need to
Balance discussion with structure
• What do they already know?
• What do they need to know before they can discuss?
• What can they find out through discussion?
X we are here!
You only succeed if you make it back out alive!
Follow up
• Summarise agreement or decisions for the minutes
• Agree next steps• Identify any deliverables• Leave them with reasons to come back to
you• A ‘Thank you’ letter never does any harm!
Want more information?
Buy the book at www.amazon.com
Visit www.mclellan.com.auFor information on:• Board performance• Julie’s Newsletter• Director Mentoring• Director Books• Papers
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