My Personal Board of Directors

Until Charlie Judy wrote about having a personal board of directors several years ago I had never heard of the concept. Kudos to Charlie for being so far ahead. At the time I thought it was a fabulous idea, and in the 'old' Jay Kuhns style I moved on. No follow up....no call to Charlie to explore it further...no email shout out.

Nothing.

Not This Time

Recently I saw another piece about the value of a personal board of directors and I realized it was time to do something. I was actually embarrassed reading it knowing that I missed the opportunity to have my all star team in place several years ago.

Not this time. I'm on it.

Discovering My Team

What was fascinating as I started thinking about who would be on "my board" was that I already had the core team in place. They were actively 'working' for me. How did I figure it out? It was easy. I looked at who I was reaching out to for advice, support, encouragement, and feedback. That very small list was the first group to become board members.

Building My Team

The next step was a bit more intentional. I realized the small group of people that made up the  'founding members' was not large or diverse enough for me to get the comprehensive support I needed. I thought about who would help fill in the gaps in membership in order to maximize the impact of the team without making it too unwieldy to manage.

Several more names were added and suddenly my board was coming together. As my view of the world has evolved (I'm increasingly interested in marketing, branding and communications) I realized I had another slot or two that needed to be filled. That's okay...boards are supposed to be fluid. Plus, my board is functioning very well!

 

When Are The Meetings

There are a variety of ways to implement your personal board of directors. I'm choosing to keep my membership confidential, even from the other board members. (Although I'm sure some of you are well aware that you have been appointed!)

For me, it's not about putting pressure on my all star team to have to "do" or "be" or "act" in a new or special way. I need them to just be who they are...that's why I chose them in the first place!

How About You

I'm surprised at how empowering my board has been for me. I view them as real board members now in addition to being friends, colleagues, and confidants. It's energizing to work with them and hear their views. Candidly, it's liberating to have a team I trust enough that I can open up on just about every issue in my life.

Don't make the mistake I made when Charlie showed me the way and I didn't listen. Build your team, seek them out regularly and learn from them. They care about you, otherwise they never would have made it to such a prestigious position.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

pic