How to organise and hold productive executive meetings – 2

When approving the agenda, it is important for the chairperson to engage all members from the outset to ensure alignment and avoid unnecessary back-and-forth during discussions. Once the agenda is approved, all members are expected to adhere to it.

This discipline not only promotes order, but also helps determine and manage the expected duration of meetings. In most cases, particularly with regard to board meetings, the duration is not expected to exceed three hours. This time consideration should be factored in when reviewing and approving the proposed agenda items.

When confirmation and approval of the minutes is moved to the end of the meeting, the fourth agenda item, traditionally reserved for “approval of minutes”, is effectively replaced by “matters arising”. For this practice to be effective, meetings must remain focused and time-conscious so members can still review and approve the minutes while discussions are fresh in their memory.

The chairperson plays a critical role in ensuring that the approved minutes accurately reflect the discussions and decisions made during the meeting. In my experience as managing director, I have encountered instances where secretaries submitted minutes containing issues that were not discussed. To avoid such discrepancies, especially when the minutes are approved in subsequent meetings, I strongly advise CEOs to request the draft minutes from secretaries shortly after each meeting. This allows for sufficient time for review and correction before the minutes are tabled for approval in the next management meeting, where the CEO typically serves as the chairperson.

In the case of board meetings and board committee meetings, CEOs should ensure that minutes are obtained from secretaries promptly after the meeting and reviewed thoroughly before being submitted to the respective chairpersons. Likewise, chairpersons, regardless of whether the minutes are scheduled for approval in the next meeting or not, should request and review the draft minutes immediately after the meeting. This proactive approach helps confirm that the minutes accurately reflect the discussions held, rather than waiting for a whole week, a month, or even several months until the next meeting, by which time critical details may have been forgotten or misrepresented.

I was once asked by a school head with whom I am acquainted, “How long should a meeting last?” My response was it depends on the nature and purpose of a meeting. Generally, management meetings and board committee meetings tend to last longer, sometimes extending beyond three hours, especially when breaks are included. Strategic sessions may require even more time due to the complexity of issues being discussed. That said, regardless of the meeting type, it is important for chairpersons to manage time effectively and guide discussions to ensure that they remain focused on the approved agenda and avoid unnecessary diversions.

Meetings, particularly those involving decision-making such as board, management, or committee sessions, are generally not expected to be inordinately lengthy. To achieve this, thorough preparation is critical on the part of both members and the chairperson. Members are expected to read and understand all submissions or documents in advance so that meeting time is used to focus only on key issues or clarifications.

At the same time, the chairperson must also review the submissions and understand them beforehand and identify priority matters to steer the discussion effectively. In my observation, meetings tend to be lengthy when members come in unprepared, resulting in time being spent reading or understanding submissions during the meeting itself. Proper preparation by all participants significantly improves the efficiency and quality of discussions.

In this context, the effectiveness of any meeting depends significantly on how well the chairperson is prepared. I recall learning this during meetings chaired by the late Prof Matthew Luhanga at the University of Dar es Salaam. His approach was exemplary. Whenever a member raised a point already addressed in the documents, he would refer them back to the relevant section. This instilled a culture of diligence among members, encouraging them to engage meaningfully and avoid unnecessary repetition.

In the next part of this series I will continue discussing the role of chairperson in ensuring that the meetings are effective. I will also point out the significance of changing from the use of hard copies for meetings packages to soft packages through ICT.

Dr Muhsin Salim Masoud is a seasoned banker and academic, who has also served as managing director of the People’s Bank of Zanzibar and Amana Bank. [email protected]