The role of a scribe still remains intact despite the many enhancements to the role of a Company Secretary in many other aspects.
After producing flawless minutes a few consecutive times and getting commendations from the Board, this time around, my draft minutes were approved subject to some corrections.
The corrections were largely based on a preference on words and some spellings.
One of my colleagues approached me after the meeting looking very worried, and said,
“ Leya, what happened today? This is not like you. Your minutes had errors!”
My response was that it happens sometimes and the discussion with my colleague ended there.
I however decided to share this experience with the CEO and he asked me if I was worried about my minutes being approved subject to corrections and if so why.
I told him that I felt disappointed that the minutes were not flawless like the previous ones. He looked at me intently and told me something which to date, reminds me of my practical role as a scribe.
He said, “ young lady, you are perfectly entitled to set a standard for yourself which is commendable. I want you to know that you are the only person in that Boardroom that will not be excused for missing the essence and substance of the meeting. While others may drift off during the meeting, you cannot. Ask yourself if your minutes missed any substance of the meeting under consideration. Then accept that those minutes are not drafted to be owned by you but the Board. Therefore, if they express themselves differently from yourself and there is no departure from the substance, that is fine. Don’t let non issues bother you. Just do your job diligently and ensure that your minutes meet the Boards approval. That’s the expected outcome. The quality of your work is the value you add.”
To those responsible for confirming minutes, my recommendations towards execution of this activity is summed up as follows;
- Ensure that you read the minutes for substance, context, presentation, grammar, spellings and so on, before the meeting.
2. In submitting corrections, ensure that you clearly highlight the errors and suggest solutions for agreement. The corrections should be owned by the collective.
3. Allow the Secretary to respond to your proposed correction by either noting it or making reference to the record for clarification or justification of the casting in the draft. In the final analysis, it is the Board that confirms the minutes.
4. Be courteous, reminding yourself that addressing the Secretary in a disrespectful manner is unethical.
5. Corrections that may cause embarrassment to the Secretary and which can be brought to his/her attention for redress prior to the meeting should be pursued that way. Make that phone call and have a polite chat!
6. For expedience, corrections submitted to the Secretary prior to the meeting can be put in a corrigenda for adoption.
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