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Avoiding “Death by Meeting:”
Using the Consent Agenda
By Judy Keller, Vice President
Lawrence, KS
 Recently, a client shared that they are using Patrick Lencioni’s best-selling business book, Death by Meeting: A Leadership Fable...About Solving the Most Painful Problem in Business, in their sizeable development department to refocus what had become rather long and tedious development team meetings.
Their learnings: Don’t meet unless you have controversy (read: something to discuss). Keep reports brief and forward-looking; report less on what you’ve done and more on what you’re going to do. Deliver reports on the work of your team in advance in writing, as well as items to place on the agenda.
“Death by meeting” is one of the quickest ways to kill a volunteer’s enthusiasm for your organization. Judicious use of a consent agenda is a valuable tool that can help streamline your meetings to make them more efficient, productive – and enjoyable for your volunteers.
The consent agenda tells your board that you value their time, that you appreciate their efforts to contribute to decision making, and that you want meetings to be of reasonable length. It places all standing written reports under one action item, allowing a board to act upon them with one motion. It permits a board to ponder minutes, financials and performance reports in the comfort and privacy of their homes. It equips them to arrive at a board meeting prepared to focus on the business of business. No surprises.
Board members want to come to meetings equipped to participate. They appreciate receiving a concise, well-written packet well before the meeting.
Consent agenda items are typically those that require approval but not action, so they can be acted upon in a single motion. Finance reports are typically on the consent agenda; By-laws changes are not. Anyone who wants to discuss a consent agenda item is welcome to remove it for discussion.
The consent agenda saves time and energy for everyone involved. It assures that the staff will develop clear working papers, and that the board will not have to read, or listen to someone read, reports about routine agenda items. Too many executive directors, particularly in small nonprofits, fail to recognize just how much their board will appreciate being given the opportunity to arrive informed, discuss “real” rather than “documentary” issues, and to see meetings end on time.
Consent agendas can present a challenge for an executive director unsure of how to institute them, or a board chair who is unfamiliar with them. Staff may not be eager to develop reports that are more easily spoken, and board members may get the impression that staff is rushing or controlling the agenda. None of these dangers outweighs the advantages of using a consent agenda, especially for meetings that traditionally run more than 90 minutes.
To read more on this subject, click here to go to Patrick Lencioni’s website.
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