What’s The Best Way For To You Manage Your Board Of Directors?
“Never surprise your board,” my friend and mentor, Dave, said to me. We were meeting for coffee at Peets in Palo Alto four weeks before my first board meeting as a startup CEO.
I nodded my head because Dave’s advice sounded sage. Then, I asked Dave, “What do you mean?”
Dave smiled and said, “Never spring bad news that your board is unaware of in a board meeting. Instead, you should meet with each board member one on one and let them know in a private setting.”
Remember, you’re likely dealing with very large egos when it comes to your startup board. And you’re better off working with these large egos in private, one on one setting, rather than in a board meeting.
You control the story when you meet with each board member 1:1.
So I set up meetings with each board member. There weren’t any surprises I had to tell my board before that first meeting, but, soon enough, there would be issues.
The reality is there are always problems and there are always issues in any company. But, when you get in front of the story (the problems you are facing) and tell your board honestly what’s going on, you start building trust between you and your board.
