Meeting new board members and making sure they are onboarded effectively are often hard to fit in with enough lead time. At a minimum, I try to call new board members before the first meeting to go over any logistics and strategic questions, then set up a time to visit after their first meeting to follow up. Those first contacts are important to set the tone for board service.

—Michael Fraser, CAE, Executive Director, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials Arlington, Virginia

Managing conflicting desires among the elected board of directors, committee chairs, and engaged senior volunteers can be a challenge. Occasionally these three groups stop talking and listening to each other and begin to diverge from their efforts.

—Greg Wilson, CAE, Executive Director, Child Support Directors Association, Sacramento, California

Every CEO wishes there was more time in the day to obtain information directly from those in the marketplace. So much of our job is consumed by reviewing high-level or big-picture summaries. Many times, the best information—the type that gets directly to the heart of the matter— is from a one-on-one conversation with a member.

—Lynne Christensen, CAE, CEO, Cedar Shake and Shingle Bureau, Mission, British Columbia

Email has become an incredible time hog. Far too much valuable time is spent sifting through hundreds of unimportant and junk emails in search of those that are actually relevant. It is a daily and dreaded process.

—Jay Himes, CAE, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania