Seeking Personal Board Members
Who wants to join my board of directors? (No board room table needed)
As a nonprofit professional, I felt that my greatest way to give back is to serve on the board of directors for another nonprofit organization. This is helpful in two ways. One, I learn how to better build relationships between board members and staff. Two, I can approach potential board members and share the benefits of being a board member.
Throughout my career, I have served on a number of committees and boards but originally, I only thought that boards were for nonprofit organizations or large publicly traded companies. About ten years ago, I was presented with the idea that individuals should actually create their own board of directors for their personal brand.
These board members can hold different roles and be different experts to you as you navigate through your personal and professional lives. Imagine having a financial board member that helped you find financial freedom or a spiritual board member that helped you find higher meaning to the work that you are doing.
For me, I have attempted to create my personal board of directors on a couple of occasions. In the past, I approached a handful of people that already influenced my life and had initial meetings with them. However, just like a regular board of directors, if you don’t steward the relationship or set the agenda for these meetings, the board members feel unvalued and don’t understand what there role is. I also feel that I wasn’t fully ready to embrace what I truly needed from my individual board members. I wasn’t ready to ask for help or to have someone give me constructive criticism. I didn’t want to feel shameful by admitting that I have weaknesses.
As I prepare to enter my forties, I have finally realized that I need support to be the best me. I need to be willing to have mentors in my life who highlight both my strengths and weaknesses. I need to have people that I can lean into when I don’t have the answers (or have further questions about). I am ready to open up my individual board of directors again.
The board members I am currently seeking are:
A seasoned nonprofit leader who has served as an executive director/CEO of a medium sized nonprofit.
A business operations leader who has experience with best financial and HR practices.
A father who is or has navigated being a parent to teenagers.
A financial expert who can examine my unorthodox saving practices.
Someone who will serve as my happiness expert.
The one role I have filled so far is my spiritual connection.
Are you one of these leaders who can meet with me three or four times over the next year? If you are open to meeting to see if you would be a good fit, don’t hesitate to reach out to me.