Preliminary Board Review

The Preliminary Board Review is designed for boards that want to improve their performance but are not in a position to commit resources to a major change effort, or for boards who simply want to benchmark how they are doing against "best practices."

• Is the atmosphere so collegial that you are sometimes concerned about offending your colleagues if you argue a point?
• Are meetings so tightly scheduled that there is not ample time for thoughtful discussion?
• Is there open and honest debate, or do forceful presentations invariably win approval?
• Is the agenda so full of routine approvals that there is not enough time for future visioning?
• Are committee meetings held just prior to full board meetings, and limiting discussion to stay on schedule?
• Do you feel fully informed about the risks facing the company?
• Is the board book a useful briefing package? Does it take you more than 2 hours to get through it?
• Can the board afford to have an adversarial relationship with the CEO? Are you prepared to replace the CEO or other key executives if need be?
• Do all directors contribute equally, or is participation unevenly distributed?
• Is there an established annual process for director and board effectiveness assessments?

Board Effectiveness Preliminary Board Review:

Methodology - Direct observations: board meetings, committee meetings, leadership team meetings. Interviews with directors and key leaders. Document reviews: board books, planning documents, annual reports, strategy, and metrics.

BEP Preliminary Board Review Highlight Report encompasses the following - board decision making, board focus, board configuration, board meetings, board committees, roles and responsibilities, governance, director development and succession plan, compensation, culture, and communications.