Board etiquette

Directors of publicly listed companies (PLCs) and private corporations usually attend board meetings face to face now and must, of course, observe boardroom etiquette.

- CHIT U. JUAN

These board room manners are learned from basic etiquette in school augmented by classes held in esteemed institutions, like the Institute of Corporate Directors (www.icd.ph), the Centers for Good Governance, and the like. Even we, at NextGen Organization of Women Corporate Directors (www.nowedphils.com), find time to listen to fireside chats with respected luminaries in corporate boards, like Cora dela Paz-Bernardo.

But in less formal boards, especially of non-government organizations (NGOs) and advisory councils, people seem to throw the etiquette book aside because either it is a “gratis et amore” board position or pro bono, or it is a family council or a board in a family corporation, where one will not be replaced or evaluated due to stockholder rights or, in the case of family, one is a rightful heir to the company. But this is where etiquette should first be learned and practiced. No board or council is any less than a PLC when we talk about governance and etiquette.

How many times have you attended a board meeting where the chairman tunes in from his mobile phone as he is travelling, or that he is home because something came up. You tend to doubt the seriousness of the corporation and the formality required of board members when your own chair does not consider it to be important to be dressed, come on time, and be behaved. Or even take note of the date and time and be present physically.