A goal-oriented calendar can be the difference between a productive year and a nonproductive one for compensation committees.

Planning for the year goes beyond scheduling meetings. Compensation committee chairs should have a thoughtful plan that encompasses the goals of the committee for the year. A detailed and in-depth calendar can help both new chairs and experienced chairs craft a plan for the year that considers the short- and long-term needs of the bank.

This article provides planning tips and a cheat sheet for the core topics that should be on the committee’s annual schedule. Though the cheat sheet is specific to public banks, private banks can use the list as well.

What’s on The Agenda
The old saying goes “what gets written down, gets done.” Having a written document sets a roadmap for the year and provides your committee a timeline to stay on track. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel.

Start with the committee charter, which provides a job description for the committee’s responsibilities. Review the past year’s calendar, agendas and meeting minutes for a head start in creating your annual agenda and stick to it throughout the year.

Identifying key topics at the beginning of the year allows for communication across all stakeholders: members of the committee, your management team, and outside legal and compensation advisors.

Topics should cover both short-term and long-term items. For example, if you are looking to request more shares for your equity plan, this process should start well in advance, and may include updating your equity plan document, modeling ISS and Glass Lewis share guidelines, and redesigning your grant methodology.

Getting your outside advisors involved early can help you avoid last-minute surprises.

Frequency of Meetings
Typically, public banks hold four to six meetings in a year. This allows the committee sufficient time to cover key topics and to review the goals of the committee. In any given year, the agenda may require additional meetings for special events including merger and acquisition activity, creation of new incentive plans and other events.

What (And When) Should Be on The Calendar
Below are key topics that should be on the regular calendar for public banks as well as additional items for consideration any time during the year. The sample covers a typical schedule, however, there is flexibility depending on the subject.

In any given year, items should be evaluated both in terms of the current short-term and the longer term needs of the bank 24 months or more from now.