Board members play a crucial part in governance, fostering accountability, and determining the future of the organization. But managing such a huge group of personalities at all stages of their careers can be challenging, especially in an in-person setting like a board meeting.

One of the key challenges for boards is navigating how to manage their business without micromanaging or interfering. To aid, it’s essential that board members are aware of the distinction between the policy decisions at the highest level and the lower-level management policy. It is also important that the board communicates Governance Management effectively with management and has clearly defined the ways it will communicate its decisions with management.

To make this happen, a good practice is to schedule regular phone calls with board members 7-10 days prior to the next board meeting. This allows the board to examine any issues likely to be discussed at the meeting and makes sure that any negative news isn’t delivered for the first time at the time of the meeting.

The final key is to develop guidelines that define the roles of the board, medical team, and management. Effectively implemented guidelines reduce the amount of “busy work” at each board meeting. This allows time for strategic planning.

It is vital that the board has members with a broad spectrum of knowledge across all areas of the organization. This includes sales, finance marketing, operations, and finance. It will also help if some members have previous experience in other areas than healthcare. This allows the board members to gain new knowledge and make best decisions for the company.