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Electronic Voting For The Board Of Directors: Dos and Don'ts

These days, businesses are finding the most suitable people for their boards without the restrictions of distance between home and office. With shifts to hybrid ways of working and the rise in the use of electronic meeting software such as Zoom, Skype and Microsoft Teams, in-person board meetings are no longer a must-have. However, it’s critical to remember that many of the same rules still apply. Ultimately, each director has to fulfil their responsibilities and fiduciary duties wherever they’re voting from. This means that many of the daily tasks of the board of directors and company secretary can be managed...

What Is Good Local Governance and How To Achieve It

We often hear about governance in the context of corporate governance: the rules, practices and procedures that inform how a corporation, firm or business operates. However, governance also applies to local authorities and governments.  Local authorities and governments are appointed to take care of a district by problem-solving, making decisions and driving improvements – this could be a county council in a city, a municipality or even a school district. The scale of such authorities may surprise you; in the USA, for example, there are around 85,000 units of local government. Whether corporate or local, the relevant governance rules are...

The Local Government Meeting Procedures You Should Know About

There are four forms of local government: counties, cities and towns, special districts and school districts. In the EU, for example, this is around 130,000 units of local government nationally. Local governments exist to solve problems, make decisions and drive improvements in the areas, districts or schools that they are responsible for. Just like a regular meeting for an organisation, regulations, rules and bylaws apply here, too. To ensure that these meetings run smoothly, the same concepts are crucial – prepare an agenda, create processes, follow all rules that apply to your organisation and/or district and keep meeting minutes. Due...

Board Meeting Protocol: Rules, Procedure, Etiquette and More

The Chartered Governance Institute says it is “essential that boards conduct their meetings with a view to optimising the use of the time and intellectual capital of their members.” Due to the expertise required for a person to serve on a board, there are high expectations of how they behave in a board meeting setting. This is why a board meeting protocol tends to be based more in tradition and formality than similar documents for other types of meetings. This formality is borne out of respect for the other members of the board. They are all members of the board...

Robert's Rules Of Order: Motions Explained Simply

Almost 150 years ago, in 1876, US army officer Henry Martyn Robert created Robert’s Rules to help churches and organisations run their meetings fairly. The rules were inspired by the senate procedure at the time. The fundamentals of the rules were to:  Today, Robert’s Rules (which has since undergone many updates and new editions based on usage, feedback and modernisation) is the most widely used set of rules for parliamentary procedure in the US. As such, it’s also been adopted globally for school PTA meetings, board meetings and non-profit businesses alike. The latest edition is Robert’s Rules of Order Newly...

Here’s How You Should Write A Chairperson Report

Whether you’re a chairperson or a company secretary, the chairperson’s report is an important part of this leadership role. For the purpose of this article, a chairperson may also be referred to as a president or chair – generally speaking, we’re referring to the presiding officer of your organisation, board, committee or assembly. But what are the rules, regulations and expectations behind writing a chairperson’s report? Does it have to be written by the chairperson themselves? What are the reporting requirements? How often should one be written? Let’s take a look at everything you need to know about preparing a...

The Easy Way To Create An Executive Director Work Plan

An executive director (ED) is a board position within a corporation or non-profit organisation that’s also an employee within the business itself. Executive directors hold immense responsibility and are part of the inner operations of the business – the title is interchangeable with chief executive officer, or CEO.  The CEO is involved in the day-to-day running of the business. They have their own KPIs and targets to hit as part of their role and are paid a salary – their remuneration package may also include commission or performance-related bonuses. The functions of an executive director differ from non-executive directors. The...

How To Keep Track Of Meeting Follow-Up Action Items + Template

Meetings can be busy and, with so many discussions and topics to cover, it’s easy for quick actions and verbal agreements made during the meeting to be forgotten. But this can affect productivity and waste precious resources, such as time, effort and energy. Board meetings held in this way may mean that research and projects take longer to complete. This is often due to missed deadlines or miscommunication from either side. If the action’s notes and due dates aren’t clear, it’s not possible to follow up or chase on these items. So, how can we, as directors and secretaries, prevent...

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