The board

The Columbus Chamber of Commerce’s New Fiscal Year arrived October 1 and with that, three new additions to the Board of Directors (see press release and Chamber Newsletter). This effectively kicked off a “new” Board who recently engaged in a day of training at the annual Chamber Board Retreat. A day that included leadership, communication, and board governance training.

Many Thanks to our first trainer of the day, our very own Michael Meier PhD, PE. Mike is a retired engineer in commercial nuclear energy with a doctorate in organizational psychology. Mike is also Certified in the Meyers Briggs Assessments. Utilizing Mike’s expertise, each board member received an assessment. Mike presented the intricacies of the Meyers Briggs system and the results of the individual assessments.

He highlighted the differences of board members who might be more detailed orientated versus those who are more creative or spontaneous and the effects each of those can have on a team. He underlined the communication of an extrovert versus an introvert and that no matter what type of “vert” we are, we can all learn to communicate more effectively.

The board’s next training segment at the Retreat was parliamentary procedure, also known as “parli-pro.”

We know that the board of directors leads an organization, and for that organization to be as effective as possible the organization must function effectively. Which begs the question, “What is it for a Board to function effectively?” The answer came from both Zach Zahradnik and Mike.

Zach Zahradnik left being an Ag teacher for the world of insurance at Texas Farm Bureau Insurance, but not before the rules and processes of parliamentary procedure were imbedded in his soul. As a teacher in the vocational-ag program with the offshoot of Future Farmers of America (FFA) Zach became accomplished in parliamentary procedure, so much so that he is currently studying to be a certified Parliamentarian.

From this deep well, Zach took the board through the basics of parli-pro before a deeper dive into various scenarios. The board caught on and were able to utilize his points quickly. As he mentioned several times, the purpose of parliamentary procedure is to take care of the business at hand as efficiently and effectively as possible.

“What is it for a board to function effectively?” Answer: Understanding the personalities of your Board members, implementing parliamentary procedures, and then by using that knowledge you will have a Board that functions effectively.

Thank you, Mike and Zach.