Startup Boards, 2nd Edition

Chapter 17Meeting Dynamics

As the CEO, you define meeting hygiene. Do you have a culture of laptops in the meeting, or should all computers, tablets, and smartphones be put away? Is checking email in the meeting acceptable? Is there a five-minute break every hour, or should people just get up and go to the bathroom when they need to?

For in-person meetings, food is often overlooked. Brad is a vegetarian and has been at thousands of board meetings where his only choice for something to eat was a ham sandwich and potato chips. You don't have to be extravagant, especially if you are a pre-revenue startup, but knowing your board members' food and drink preferences and putting a little effort into accommodating them sets a positive tone. In the era of GrubHub and UberEats, it's easy and inexpensive to get great food at a board meeting tailored to directors' preferences.

While it may seem trivial, you'll have a more effective meeting if everyone knows about it and operates using the same ground rules. Mutual respect will be higher as no one will be observing a different cultural norm in the meeting that will cause someone to feel disrespected.

Seating

Matt has one rule for seating during board meetings: directors have to sit together at one end of the table. Everyone else can fill in the rest of the table or side seating. While this may sound silly, Matt likes to have a lot of observers and management team members at board meetings. He believes board members have better conversations ...