I just finished soul-crushing assignment: develop a BSA training slide deck for the Board. My instructions: “You only have 10 minutes. Keep it high level. It’s all the Board can stand.” I got it done, but I don’t feel good about it. I think all I did was reinforce the board’s inclination to not take BSA training seriously.
You know, if the board has just 10 minutes, the best plan is having them read together, out loud (just like in church), the criminal and civil penalties for BSA violations, especially the part about losing the bank charter and a lifetime ban from banking. Having done that, they can at least understand the penalties for not taking BSA seriously. Who knows, afterwards they may be inclined to spend more time on BSA.
I went back to my desk and created a second deck. It concentrated on the five “most important things directors need to know about BSA.” This deck was much better. But, since it takes 20 minutes to present, it’s a non-starter. See it here.
My take away on this: Us BSA people must work harder, being more creative, to deserve the board’s attention. We need to develop a reputation as people worth listening to– as opposed to being people only worth 10 minutes.