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The Board School is America's first school specifically designed to teach owners, managers and directors of family and closely held businesses what a board of directors does, how to know when one is needed, and how to develop a board arrangement and process that works for them. In its six-year history, more than 90 percent of The Board School's alumni have begun to work on boards, or gone on to the next phase of board development.
Class Syllabus
Week 1:
- Introductions, class preview, expectations and confidentiality:
- What a board of directors is
- What a board of advisors is
- Comparisons: board of directors v. board of advisors
- When a board of directors is needed
Week 2:
- What owners do
- What managers do
- What a board does
- A look at the board's independence and authority
Week 2:
- The board process: working with owners
- How a board directs owners
- Tips for working with owners
- How to work with owners on the board
Week 4:
- The board process: working with managers
- How a board directs managers
- Tips for working with managers
- Differences between advising, directing and managing
- How to work with managers on the board
Week 5:
- Where are you and what's next?
- Putting the board together
- Choosing the appropriate board structure
- Developing a profile for the board of directors
- Determining expectations of the board
- Determining expectations of a director
- Identifying attributes, skills and qualifications for directors
Week 6:
- Putting the board together:
- Selecting and electing board members
- Setting compensation
- Looking at the role of the board chair
- Developing an agenda
- Conducting a board meeting
- Training the board
- Looking at the role of the board secretary and committees
Week 7:
- Evaluating the board
- Legal responsibilities of directors
- Limiting the liability of directors
- Due diligence: questions to ask
- Q & A
- How to move forward with boards upon completion of class
- Final conclusions and suggestions
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