An essential guide to understanding the dynamics of a startup's board of directors Let's face it, as founders and entrepreneurs, you have a lot on your plate-getting to your minimum viable product, developing customer interaction, hiring team members, and managing the accounts/books. Sooner or later, you have a board of directors, three to five (or even seven) Type A personalities who seek your attention and at times will tell you what to do.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Startup Boards: Getting the Most Out of Your Board of Directors; Copyright; Content; Foreword; Acknowledgments; Part One: Overview; Chapter 1: Introduction; Why Does a Startup Need a Board?; The Board Is an Extension of Your Team; Who This Book Is For; Magic Words, Phrases, and Abbreviations; Chapter 2: What is a Board?; Value Creation, Accountability, and Transparency; Legal Duties of a Board Member; Chair or Lead Director; The Role of Board Committees; Other Functions of a Board; Part Two: Building Your Board; Chapter 3: Creating Your Board.

The Board's Technical Priorities: Economics and ControlThe Board's Emotional Priorities: Trust, Judgment, and Transparency; Composition of the Board; Identifying Great Board Members; The VC Firm Matters as Much as the Person; Independent Board Members; The Role of an Executive Chairman; Board Observers; Your Lawyer; Should Gender Diversity Matter?; Being Rich and King; Chapter 4: Recruiting Board Members; The Value of Good Board Members; Helping You Think Big or Killing Your Company; Characteristics and Skills of a Board Member; Recruiting Board Members; Checking References.

Preparing for an Expansion-Stage BoardChapter 5: The Formal Structure of the Board; Certificate of Incorporation; The Impact of a Financing on the Certificate of Incorporation; Why VCs Want Board Seats; Chapter 6: Aligning Your Board; Motivation and Communication; Compensation; Orienting Your New Board Members; Lessons from Experience; Chapter 7: Is an Advisory Board Useful?; Should You Have an Advisory Board?; Attributes of a Useful Advisory Board Member; Selecting Advisory Board Members; Challenges of Advisory Boards; Part Three: The Business of the Board Meeting.

Chapter 8: The Actual Board MeetingCreating an Annual Calendar; The Meeting Agenda; Focus on Critical Items; Sending Out the Board Package; Meeting Length; A Board Call Instead of a Meeting; Remote Attendees; Meeting Hygiene; Managing Interpersonal Dynamics; Including Your Team in the Board Meeting; The Executive Session; After the Meeting; Chapter 9: Motions and Votes; Robert's Rules of Order; The Agenda; Have Your Lawyer at the Meeting; The Mechanics of Voting on Motions; What If You Do Not Agree to a Motion?; Dealing with Formal Items; Minutes; Unanimous Written Consent.

Chapter 10: Legal ChallengesWhen the Going Gets Tough; Minimizing Legal Challenges; Pragmatic or Idealistic?; Part Four: Communications; Chapter 11: Managing Ongoing Expectations; What the Board Expects from a CEO; Communicate Both Good News and Bad News; Things CEOs Can Do to Get in Trouble with Their Board; What CEOs Should Expect from the Board; Using Your Board's Social Capital; Board Member as Psychologist; Chapter 12: Trying New Things; Continuous Information; Learning by Doing: Serving on Other Boards; Chapter 13: Communication Conflicts; Emotion versus Logic; Reciprocation; Groupthink.

Online resource (Wiley, Bloomberg Law, viewed March 12, 2018).

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