From the blog

Interview

Women in the Boardroom | Interview | Kiran Bajar

In this WITB interview find out Kiran Bajar's powerful strategies for harmonizing career excellence and personal fulfillment across her multifaceted roles in tech, nonprofit, and education leadership. As Chief of Staff at Keboola, charity board member, school governor, and mentor, Kiran shares invaluable insights on upholding ethical governance, achieving work-life balance and much more. Her inspirational journey illuminates the power of versatile, compassionate leadership across every endeavor.

Interview

Women in the Boardroom | Interview | Deborah Webster

Explore the compelling journey of Deborah Webster in our latest interview, where she shares her expertise in ethical innovation and leadership. Discover how her work at the intersection of technology, ethics, and sustainability is guiding leaders towards more responsible business practices. Gain insights from her ability to foresee the challenges in high-profile cases and her advice for aspiring leaders in navigating the complexities of today's world. This conversation is a must-read for those looking to make a meaningful impact in their fields.

Interview

Startup success stories | Interview with Startup mentor Rob Bowley

In the interview with Rob Bowley, a seasoned tech industry mentor, he discusses key challenges for startups, focusing on technology and product development. Bowley advises a lean approach, emphasizing the need for validation before building a product and careful hiring decisions. He underscores the importance of mentorship for strategic insights and avoiding common pitfalls, highlighting the critical role of adaptability and market feedback in startup success.

Interview

Women in the Boardroom | Interview | Michele Lieber

Explore Michele Lieber's unique journey in the boardroom as she combines public policy expertise with legal acumen in our latest 'Women in the Boardroom' series. Discover how her role in Washington D.C. shapes her approach to corporate governance and mentorship.

Interview

Startup success stories | Interview with Koko founder Rob Morris

In this insightful article, Rob Morris, founder of Koko, shares his journey from tech startup to nonprofit, focusing on the use of AI and digital platforms to enhance mental health support. He discusses the critical balance of integrating advanced technology with human empathy to address global mental health challenges.

Interview

Startup success stories | Interview | Board member - Pablo Lascurain

Explore key insights from serial entrepreneur Pablo Lascurain, as he shares his vast experience in nurturing over 400 startups. In this exclusive interview, Pablo discusses essential qualities for startup success, the art of leveraging board dynamics, and practical advice for founders. Discover the wisdom of a seasoned mentor in our latest Startup Success series, a must-read for entrepreneurs and business leaders.

Interview

Women in the Boardroom | Interview | Kari Hayden Pendoley

The criteria for corporate boardrooms are evolving, with a shift away from traditional qualifications towards skills that are highly relevant and in demand in today's rapidly changing business environment. Renowned board member and entrepreneur Kari Hayden Pendoley discusses this in our interview with her, highlighting the increasing value of Environmental Social Governance (ESG) and proficiency in digital technology. She offers a compelling glimpse into how this change is reshaping boardroom dynamics, emphasizing the need for diverse talents and younger voices in modern business leadership.

Interview

Women in the Boardroom | Interview | Overcoming barriers

Women are gradually increasing their presence in corporate boardrooms but the full picture is more complex. Under 7% of board chairs and 5% of CEO roles worldwide are occupied by women. This fascinating interview with distinguished board members Connie Jordan, Paula Sorrell, and Renee Ryan delves into their experiences and sheds light on the challenges and achievements of women in the boardroom while emphasizing the need for deliberate strategies and policies to enhance the presence of women, particularly in positions of leadership.

Article

When Boards Clash with Visionaries: The Sam Altman OpenAI Saga

The Sam Altman saga at OpenAI epitomizes the complex interplay between innovative founders and corporate boards. Highlighting key conflicts from Apple to Uber, this article examines the crucial balance of vision and governance in tech leadership and the pressing need for accountability in Silicon Valley.

Article

Board Performance: 12 Signs of a Dysfunctional Board or Committee

Is your board displaying signs of dysfunction or toxicity? 45% of directors want someone on their board replaced. Dive into the 12 key indicators of an ineffective board and explore actionable strategies to restore efficiency, trust, and direction. Ensure your board remains an asset, not a liability.

Article

How Do Teams Master Committee Meetings? 4Ps + How-to guide + Checklist

Unlock the secrets to impactful committee meetings with our guide. Dive into the '4 Ps' and gain actionable steps for forming efficient committees, mastering meeting preparation, and ensuring post-meeting success. Plus, benefit from our downloadable checklist. Your comprehensive toolkit for transformative committee discussions.

Product Update

AI Powered Agendas for Board and Committee meetings

We're thrilled to introduce Agenda Runner, a streamlined AI tool for effortlessly creating meeting agendas. With thousands of AI tools flooding an ever increasing list of tool directories it's hard to keep up and identify which ones might be of use to use. If you write meeting agendas then we are sure Agenda Runner will be a great help to you.

Interview

Startup Success - Award-winning Startup Advisor Ash Phillips-Interview

In the dynamic world of startups, we explore the path to success with Ash Phillips, an experienced founder, award-winning advisor, speaker, and investor deeply embedded in the startup ecosystem. Discover valuable insights as Ash shares his perspective on qualities that fuel startup success, advice for those just starting their entrepreneurial journey, and strategies for effective resource utilization. Explore common pitfalls to avoid and the power of a supportive board of directors in driving business growth. Join us on this enlightening journey as we tap into Ash's wealth of knowledge and gain a deeper understanding of what it takes to thrive in the startup arena.

Interview

Startup Success - Interview with mentor and board advisor Kay Kukoyi

Unlock startup success with invaluable insights from multi-award winning entrepreneur and startup mentor Kay Kukoyi. Explore typical founder challenges and strategies for overcoming them. Steer clear of common traps and receive financial tips to help you stay afloat. This inspiring interview will help you navigate the entrepreneurial journey and chart your path to success.

Article

Definitive guide to running virtual board meetings (+ free checklist)

A comprehensive guide to running successful virtual meetings. Whether you're transitioning to virtual meetings or seeking to enhance your existing practices, this detailed step-by-step resource along with a downloadable checklist is designed for you. Gain valuable insights and pro tips from seasoned board member Vic Annells to take your virtual board meetings to the next level.

Article

Should Startups Give Up Board Seats to Early-Stage Investors?

Deciding whether to offer board seats to early-stage investors is a critical decision for startups, with pros such as access to investors' expertise and network, reinforcement of investor confidence, and facilitation of investment negotiations. However, potential drawbacks include possible conflicts of interest, loss of control, and the risk of premature decisions. Find out more in our blog post about giving up board seats.

Article

From Chaos to Harmony: Managing a Problematic Startup Board Chair

This post discusses the challenges posed by a problematic Board Chair in startups. It identifies signs such as autocratic decision-making and opacity and provides strategies for resolution, including open communication and, in severe cases, chair removal. The importance of BoardShape, a tool that streamlines board operations and fosters transparency, is also highlighted to effectively tackle such issues.

Article

5 Key Elements of a Well-Structured Meeting Agenda

Effective meetings require careful planning, and a well-structured meeting agenda is key to achieving success. In this blog post, we highlight five critical elements that should be included in every meeting agenda.

Article

Topics of discussion for Successful Board Meetings

There are many issues associated with running a successful board meeting. But one that is often neglected is the best topics to actually discuss. This can be overlooked in favor of other aspects of the meeting, but if the most important aspects of your organization aren't addressed, you can hardly hope to have a successful meeting.

Tips

6 Tips for writing an effective meeting agenda

Here are some tips and guidelines for writing an effective meeting agenda, including how to decide on the topics to include, how to prioritize them, and how to format the agenda in a clear and easy-to-follow way.

Article

Impostor Syndrome and the Boardroom

Once impostor syndrome strikes, those suffering from this condition live in fear that their accomplishments are undeserved, essentially lucky, and that they will be exposed as frauds.

Article

How do you Know When you’re Holding Ineffective Board Meetings?

In the blogs that we've posted previously, our focus has generally been on how to create successful board processes. But it can also be equally valuable to recognize the characteristics of unsuccessful board meetings. So how do you know that you're sitting in an ineffective board meeting? In this article, we're going to find out.

Article

How to create a More Diverse and Inclusive Board

Many organizations buy into the concept of being more diverse and inclusive, yet fail to deliver this due to a lack of planning. For any other important activity within your organization, there is always a business case, and therefore a business plan. This should therefore be followed through with diligence for diversity, in order to help your board develop, articulate, and embrace a shared vision for inclusiveness.

Article

10 things for your board to consider in a high inflation environment

With the value of the pound dropping, businesses need to be proactive in order to mitigate the impact on their bottom line. There are a number of actions businesses can take to protect themselves from currency fluctuations.

Article

How to Effectively Incorporate Technology into Board Meetings

Although board meetings have historically been face-to-face and based on verbal communication, that doesn't mean that they should continue in this way indefinitely. The digitization of processes associated with board meetings can be beneficial for employees right across an organization, leading to improved governance, security, efficiency, and overall better outcomes.

Article

Inflation concerns in the boardroom

Inflation can have a significant impact on businesses, and it is often a topic of discussion in boardrooms across the country. Business leaders are trying to find ways to cope with inflationary pressures and protect their profit margins. In some cases, this may mean passing on inflationary costs to consumers. In other cases, businesses may try to find ways to reduce their expenses or increase their productivity. Whatever the approach, inflation is likely to feature prominently in boardroom discussions in the months and years to come.

Tips

Tips for becoming a successful board member

As a new member of a corporate board, you want to ensure your contributions are valuable. How can you quickly be seen to be someone that adds value to the discourse, come across as a professional and win the approval of your fellow board members?

Article

12 Top Mistakes that Companies Make When Running Meetings

Running a board meeting appears to be a relatively simple undertaking, yet it is easy to make basic errors that can render them unsuccessful events. If you fail to instigate best practices, those attending the meeting may not take away important information, or may even become frustrated with the process.

Article

10 Top Tips for Running a Successful Board Meeting

Running successful board meetings is extremely important in everything from the smallest businesses (SMEs) to multinational corporations. Your board of directors are the standard bearers for the entire company, and thus the occasions where they get together to communicate set the tone for the entire organisation. If you don't run successful board meetings, your organisation will struggle to meet its mission, ensure its financial stability, and even survive.