The past few years I've sat in a number of board rooms and watched some founders thrive and others struggle

Sharing some tips, particularly for first-time founders, on how to best run board meetings

Oh - and it's a THREAD

1/ Focus on a few strategic topics - leave general updates to a pre-read, board members can ask questions on those if they have them

2/ Use your board observers - most are dying to be helpful so whether it's taking notes or helping with one-off requests, ask them!

3/ Call on quiet board members - you wanted them in the room for a reason

4/ Ask for example board decks - avoid the "where is slide x" question

5/ Build relationships 1-on-1 with board members - get to know their strengths and what they can help with

6/ Avoid jump ball for board requests - figure out who is best for what

7/ Bring on an independent board member early and don't make it one of your friends - bring someone who will push your thinking and bring a new (hopefully diverse) perspective

8/ Bring functional leaders to board meetings - especially when the spotlight is on them (i.e. VP Product to present a major release)

also, include new execs when they join so they can get introduced to the board

9/ The CEO should be able to answer questions on the numbers - even if the CFO is leading the financials section

also, preview metrics to track in advance and the format the board wants to see them in

10/ Don't let someone dominate the conversation - be confident in taking back control of the time