172. I’ll be there for you (Condition #21: in-person)

I’ll just say it up front, I’m a huge fan of in-person board meetings. This is just one person’s opinion, but I believe that every board meeting that is not an emergency AND requires either substantial discussion or a consequential decision or both should be *completely* in-person except in super exceptional circumstances. Yes, I know I am leaning a bit away from inclusion here and there are all sorts of reasons why some individuals may not be able to safely show up in person to board meetings under any circumstances. I suspect there are smart ways to accommodate those needs that I’m just not aware of. The thing is that things like body language, whispering to the person next to you, and having a quick debrief during coffee breaks, really matter. These things provide us with information and signals about the people around us that we have no way of accessing if we aren’t all in person together. Being in person also gives us tonnes of additional conditions to be intentional about, including lots of stuff we’ve already covered so far in this season. I promise I’m not trying to imply that boards who hold virtual or blended meetings are doing something wrong. I just think it’s helpful to remember the potential social value of being physically close to the people you’re working with to make decisions.