The Board of Directors and the General Manager/Chief Operating ...

Exhibit 8The Board of Directors and the General Manager/Chief Operating Officer 57Checklist for Preparing a Board Meeting AgendaWhen preparing a written agenda for a board meeting, a club general managershould check to be sure that:• The agenda contains a clear indication of why the meeting is being called.• The agenda is sent out in advance to everyone expected at the meeting.• Relevant supplementary material is attached (reports, statistical information,proposals).• Time is reserved for announcements.• It says who is running the meeting.• Time is reserved for breaks during long or unusually difficult meetings.• Time is budgeted for each agenda item.• There is an explanatory line or two after each agenda item to set the tone of thediscussion.• The agenda follows a consistent format for each meeting.• The agenda identifies the type of action that must be taken on a given agenda itemwhen necessary (a recommendation, an assignment, a decision, and so on).• The agenda clearly identifies the location, starting time, and ending time of themeeting.• The names of individuals making reports are clearly noted.• The agenda avoids technical terms that might not be understood by all boardmembers (or explains any technical terms used).• Guests making presentations are placed early on the agenda so that they canleave when their presentations are complete.At many clubs, it is the general manager who puts board meeting agendastogether, subject to the approval of the board president. (Exhibit 8 contains tipsoffered by club general managers for preparing a board meeting agenda.) Althoughputting an agenda together every month can be time consuming, many generalmanagers welcome this responsibility because it gives them a measure of controlover board meetings and helps them keep board members focused on policy andgovernance issues and away from the temptation to manage the club.Many general managers recommend that board meeting agendas be asdetailed as possible. For example, instead of simply listing “Treasurer’s Report,”ideally an agenda should list something like the following:Treasurer’s Report—15 minutesFinancial Review. (See the attached statement.)Capital Requests. The grounds committee is requesting a supplemental airconditioner for the Kaiser Building.