Marathon board meetings are a problem for both members and management. Not only do they consume far too much precious time, they tend to be more of an exercise in education than decision making and strategy.
These lengthy, unproductive sessions come about for several reasons. First, there's often a lack of structure and effective planning. Too often, board members don't have all the most current information they need until they walk in and take a seat, which puts them behind the eight ball when it comes to making informed decisions.
