You Need Your Own Board of Directors… How to Build It

[00:00:00] Do you have a board of directors? If not, let's talk about it.

[00:00:09] The landscape of business is changing radically, yet leadership is being taught the same old way it's always been taught. When the world is changing, it's time to bring our leadership styles along for the ride. Thanks to cutting edge neuroscience, we now have access to new tools and new language that inspires action, collaboration, and innovation in the modern workplace.

[00:00:30] I started this podcast to bring you the best of these cutting edge tools, exercises, best practices, and modern leadership strategies every single week. Whether you're a company leader, a corporate visionary, or an entrepreneur, this show gives you new insights into the neuroscience and language of leadership, as well as practical steps and tips you can take back to the office so you can lead your team in a powerful way.

[00:00:55] Keeping your people happy and engaged while achieving your biggest goals because no one has ever changed the world by doing things the way they've always been done. I'm your host, Jen Thornton. I'm a talent strategist, an executive coach, speaker, and a founder of 304 coaching. Now let's fix leadership. Do you have an idea or a topic we should discuss here together on let's fix leadership?

[00:01:19] Send your ideas and your questions directly to me at Hello, at let's fix leadership dot com. So what is a personal board of directors? Many people call them thought partners, but I like to think about them as a board of directors because like a corporate board, it's a group of trusted advisors from many different areas of disciplines that help guide a CEO in their decisions.

[00:01:44] And since you are the CEO of your career, you need a board too. And there are endless reasons why you would want to have a curated board of directors in your life. You can gain mentorship, you can have diverse perspectives, there's a lot of accountability that comes with it, industry knowledge, networking, emotional support, and the list goes on and on.

[00:02:07] If you're interested in building your personal board of directors, start with a list of the current people in your circle that you trust and enjoy staying in contact with. Once you have that list, think about what each person brings to the relationship, and make sure you know what you are giving in return.

[00:02:25] Once this is complete, what are the common themes? Is everyone from the same industry, maybe the same place in your career? Typically, we organically grow this group, so there's a lot of similarity to the people. But to really get the most out of it, and to give the most, you want to purposely build diversity into your trusted board of directors.

[00:02:51] Let's take a quick break from the conversation. Does your company need to prepare those upcoming leaders to take the reins to learn more about our leadership academies and our coaching and to see if your company is a good fit for our transformation programs, visit 304 coaching. com. Now let's look for what you need.

[00:03:12] Where are the holes? What do you wish you had, but you don't, what type of person would really push you out of your comfort zone? A diverse group of individuals with different backgrounds, experiences, and skills will help you see situations from multiple angles. It'll bring more innovation into the conversation and it will help you make better decisions.

[00:03:35] Now think about these individuals in different groups. You want to have mentors.

[00:03:43] Now that we know how we want to build our board, and we know who we need on our board, let's start building those relationships. So first, always give more than you get and give without expectations. This creates an open two way relationship. Be open and share your authentic self with your board. When an individual shares with you, listen.

[00:04:07] Without judgment and offer any support that you can be the person who reaches out whatever it takes for you to stay in touch. Just do it, put reminders on your calendar, set up reoccurring meetings with someone and just send a text sometimes and say, Hey, thinking about you hope all is going well. One of my favorite things to do is when I'm planning trips to a city, whether it's for fun or for work, I might go a day early or stay a date late.

[00:04:39] Just to have dinner with someone in that city I know, who I haven't seen in a while, keeping those connections alive is what really matters. Now that you have a board, and you are focused on building authentic, genuine relationships, and you are consistently staying in touch, how do you get the most out of the conversations?

[00:05:01] It should always be a mix of what's been going on, what is coming up, and what are your future plans? Anytime two great professionals sit down and share these three things, great conversations will come out of it. And the last thing, when creating a board of directors, be open to the feedback. Embrace the different points of view and the ideas someone has to offer you.

[00:05:28] Personally, I find such a satisfaction out of my board of directors. I have so many wonderful, kind, and highly intelligent people in my life that I can call when I need them. And I truly hope they all see me in that same way. To fix leadership, we have to have productive and healthy relationships. Enjoy building your board of directors.

[00:05:53] Thanks for listening to Let's Fix Leadership. By hanging out with me today, you're already on your path. If you're looking to learn more and to see if your company is a good fit for our coaching and leadership education, then hey, visit 304 coaching. com. If you got value out of this podcast, share it with a friend.

[00:06:10] And it would mean the world to me if you would leave a thoughtful review and a rating on iTunes. Thanks again for listening. And I appreciate your work in fixing leadership.