ABA Banking Journal
No Result
View All Result
  • Topics
    • Ag Banking
    • Commercial Lending
    • Community Banking
    • Compliance and Risk
    • Cybersecurity
    • Economy
    • Human Resources
    • Insurance
    • Legal
    • Mortgage
    • Mutual Funds
    • Payments
    • Policy
    • Retail and Marketing
    • Tax and Accounting
    • Technology
    • Wealth Management
  • Newsbytes
  • Podcasts
  • Magazine
    • Subscribe
    • Advertise
    • Magazine Archive
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Podcast Archive
    • Sponsored Content Archive
SUBSCRIBE
ABA Banking Journal
  • Topics
    • Ag Banking
    • Commercial Lending
    • Community Banking
    • Compliance and Risk
    • Cybersecurity
    • Economy
    • Human Resources
    • Insurance
    • Legal
    • Mortgage
    • Mutual Funds
    • Payments
    • Policy
    • Retail and Marketing
    • Tax and Accounting
    • Technology
    • Wealth Management
  • Newsbytes
  • Podcasts
  • Magazine
    • Subscribe
    • Advertise
    • Magazine Archive
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Podcast Archive
    • Sponsored Content Archive
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
ADVERTISEMENT
Home ABA Banking Journal

Six Tactical Steps to Keep Boards Fresh

October 7, 2019
Reading Time: 2 mins read

By Debra Cope

This article accompanies an ABA Banking Journal feature on board refreshment. Click here to read the feature.

What are some steps boards can take to keep adapt to industry change? Board members and industry experts offer several tips:

1 Harness technology to make board service easier for busy executives. Inserra cites a client bank in Florida that has a board member in Colorado who attends nearly all meetings remotely. “It’s common these days to have board meetings where at least one person is calling in,” he says. “Banks can use that to attract new talent.” The key is to make sure meetings are secure, which is particularly important for banks. Directors may be required to log in using the bank’s iPad or other device for security reasons.

2 Don’t fixate on age. “If the only thing a 62-year-old board member ever does is second a motion, they’re probably not adding value,” Inserra says. “I’d rather see a 72-year-old board member who is willing to ask questions and challenge management.”

3 Evaluate the board. “I’ve not seen age or term limits be especially effective,” McAlpin says. “What bank boards need are annual 360-degree evaluations in which directors and management are really candid about the impact and quality of their service.”

4 Stay focused on strategy, not day-to-day decisions. Many boards are more deeply involved in decisions such as loan approvals than they need to be, says John Gorman, a partner in the law firm Luse Gorman in Washington, D.C. “The job of a director is not to slog through numbers,” Gorman says. “The board should be much more focused on strategic direction and engaging management in big questions, such as ‘Where are we going?’ and ‘How do we get there?’” Gorman says. He cites risk management, technology and cybersecurity as some of the areas where forward-looking boards are concentrating their energies now.

5 Be intentional. It is important to look for ways to put people into leadership positions, Goodenow says. He questions whether any board member should be chairman of a committee “for life” and says he has encouraged board members to step up to lead even technical roles, such as the audit committee, if they had the drive to learn the ropes.

6 Make time for purposeful social events. The flip side of allowing remote board attendance is that boards need to be more deliberate in building relationships and thereby building the trust that enables directors to be candid with one another, Inserra says. Having people arrive the night before a board meeting or retreat for a casual dinner is one effective approach to fostering camaraderie. Assigning seats can help ensure that directors mix rather than congregate with those they know best.

ADVERTISEMENT
Tags: DirectorsLeadership
ShareTweetPin

Author

Debra Cope

Debra Cope

Debra Cope is editor-in-chief of ABA Banking Journal Directors Briefing.

Related Posts

The future of careers in risk and compliance

The future of careers in risk and compliance

ABA Banking Journal Podcast
July 17, 2025

What does the future hold for bank risk and compliance professionals? Krysti Cunningham discusses the technological transformation in risk and compliance at community and midsize banks and applications for AI tools and LLMs in risk and compliance.

ABA faults banking regulators for confusing CRA rule rollout

Banking agencies propose to rescind Community Reinvestment Act rule

Community Banking
July 16, 2025

The Federal Reserve, FDIC and OCC issued a joint proposal to rescind the Community Reinvestment Act final rule adopted in 2023.

OCC sees need for regulatory reform in bank merger process

Bank acquisitions announced in three states

Community Banking
July 16, 2025

Huntington Bancshares, First Community and Civista Bancshares announce planned acquisitions in Texas, Georgia and Ohio.

FDIC withdraws proposed rules on brokered deposits, corporate governance, executive pay

FDIC board advances proposals on industrial banks, supervisory appeals, bank branches

Community Banking
July 15, 2025

The FDIC board voted to roll back Biden-era actions on industrial banks, supervisory appeals and CRA implementation. It also introduced a proposal to streamline the agency’s approval process for new bank branches.

ABA donates to Texas flood relief efforts, urges bankers to contribute

ABA donates to Texas flood relief efforts, urges bankers to contribute

Community Banking
July 10, 2025

ABA will donate $10,000 to Texas Bankers Foundation to assist with immediate disaster response and recovery following the recent catastrophic flooding in Central Texas.

Budget bill narrowly passes Senate, moves back to House

Breaking down the bank-related provisions in the big budget bill

ABA Banking Journal Podcast
July 10, 2025

Following the enactment of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, hear from ABA experts on how key ABA-supported provisions on tax policy, rural real estate and health savings accounts in the budget reconciliation law will affect banks.

NEWSBYTES

ABA offers fixes for small-business lending data collection rule

July 18, 2025

ABA DataBank: Retail sales rebounded in June

July 18, 2025

CFPB to keep notification procedures for state enforcement of consumer law

July 18, 2025

SPONSORED CONTENT

Navigating Disruption in Ag Lending – Why Tariffs Are Just the Tip of the Iceberg

Navigating Disruption in Ag Lending – Why Tariffs Are Just the Tip of the Iceberg

July 1, 2025
AI Compliance and Regulation: What Financial Institutions Need to Know

Unlocking Deposit Growth: How Financial Institutions Can Activate Data for Precision Cross-Sell

June 1, 2025
Choosing the Right Account Opening Platform: 10 Key Considerations for Long-Term Success

Choosing the Right Account Opening Platform: 10 Key Considerations for Long-Term Success

April 25, 2025
Outsourcing: Getting to Go/No-Go

Outsourcing: Getting to Go/No-Go

April 5, 2025

PODCASTS

The future of careers in risk and compliance

July 17, 2025

Breaking down the bank-related provisions in the big budget bill

July 10, 2025

Podcast: Inside ABA’s new Treasury Check Verification System API

June 25, 2025
ADVERTISEMENT

American Bankers Association
1333 New Hampshire Ave NW
Washington, DC 20036
1-800-BANKERS (800-226-5377)
www.aba.com
About ABA
Privacy Policy
Contact ABA

ABA Banking Journal
About ABA Banking Journal
Media Kit
Advertising
Subscribe

© 2025 American Bankers Association. All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Topics
    • Ag Banking
    • Commercial Lending
    • Community Banking
    • Compliance and Risk
    • Cybersecurity
    • Economy
    • Human Resources
    • Insurance
    • Legal
    • Mortgage
    • Mutual Funds
    • Payments
    • Policy
    • Retail and Marketing
    • Tax and Accounting
    • Technology
    • Wealth Management
  • Newsbytes
  • Podcasts
  • Magazine
    • Subscribe
    • Advertise
    • Magazine Archive
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Podcast Archive
    • Sponsored Content Archive

© 2025 American Bankers Association. All rights reserved.