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Preparation and Participation
- Complete pre-reading and background work to understand agenda items.
- Contribute to dialogue and deliberation with concise and focused comments.
- Challenge assumptions and ask the hard questions.
- Make the “business case” with your contributions, not simply opinion.
- Pick your battles; not everything is worth a tussle.
- Remain open-minded; approach topics and differences with a sense of inquiry.
- Explore minority opinion and value all points of view.
- Avoid zingers and distracting side conversations.
- Say it in the Boardroom not the hallway: we’re a team and need candidness.
- Stick to lay language and avoid jargon and acronyms.
- Encourage and involve quieter members.
- Actively support group decisions. Move on when the group moves on.
- Assure discussion includes strategic relevance of all decisions.
- Stay out of the weeds and details of operations.
- Require invited presenters to submit “pre-read” materials to protect discussion time.
Engagement
- Get to the point, no speeches or long stories.
- Be prepared, participate.
- Be open-minded; have a sense of appreciative inquiry.
- Lighten up.
- Focus on the problem, not the person.
- Limit side conversations, texting and emailing; step out if you must chat or take a call.
- Pick your fights: focus on important points and don’t nit pick.
- Support the decision…move on when the group moves on.
- Explore the minority opinion – encourage different points of view.
- Say it in the room, not in the hall.
- Don’t rush decision-making.
- Lob up ideas/suggestions – i.e.: “how about this?” vs. “I think.”
- Slay sacred cows —challenge assumptions, honor skepticism and question
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