Description

How often does your board meeting force you to look back instead of ahead?

In this episode, Chris Sugden, Managing Partner at Edison Partners and host of Sit Down with Sugden, discusses why CEOs and CFOs lose entire weeks to board prep that does not help them plan the future. Drawing from decades on more than 50 boards, he explains how to shift reviews out of the boardroom, streamline materials, and make every meeting more useful for the business.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How the 80/20 rule sharpens board materials and saves valuable prep time
• Why moving financial reviews outside the boardroom leads to better strategic discussions
• How twice-yearly reviews of board prep improve alignment and overall efficiency

Things to listen for:
(00:00) Introduction
(01:28) How board prep, budgets, and planning collide
(02:19) The 80/20 test for every board deck
(03:11) Rear view mirror data vs forward-looking insight
(04:46) Monthly or quarterly calls to reduce boardroom noise
(05:30) How audit committees streamline financial reviews
(06:55) Why reviewing prep time improves every meeting
(08:46) What the 20 percent of new material should cover
(10:29) How to grade your own board meetings
(11:19) A simple question every CEO should ask
(12:10) Giving CFOs room to reset expectations