A company has board members that help define the company's strategic objectives. So why do people don't have personal board members? If you see yourself as an entity and you want to see yourself grow, I would encourage you to have a personal board.
The people on your board may not ever have to meet, it is not like a company board where they come and meet once a quarter. These are people that you can bounce ideas off, the people you respect, who have some domain, expertise and they know you deeply. These are people who are behind you and you can exchange ideas with them. You don’t necessarily have to agree with everything they say but it is good to think and reflect on what they say.
Identify 5 to 7 people, that know you are deeply invested in your success, so when they tell you the hard truth, you know that this is the hard truth that will help you.
I have a personal board, and some people have a sit there but they might not even know that they form part of my personal board. I have friends, colleagues, relatives, a whole bunch of people that are professional and that I relate to. I am always streaming and listening to these people and some things that they say I take and some things they say I pass because I believe my ideas are better than theirs.
The people on the personal board never really have to meet, you will never have to give them tea and muffins, but in your important life decisions, they are there and they are contributing.
Treat yourself as an entity and invest in yourself by having a personal board where people on that board will challenge and advise you.
The personal board will evolve as time goes on because it is often situation-specific. I go back to the period where I had mentors throughout and each time I moved career, I always made sure that I find someone who would help me with the transition.
My personal board:
- Close friends
2. My mentor
3. My immediate family (parents and siblings)
4. Current and ex-colleagues
At this point in my life, I don’t have direct coaching, so I lean on my personal board if I have any questions about something I am not sure of. Not that I don’t need coaching, we all need coaching, even the greatest need coaching. I use my board mostly to think about deep life and career strategy issues that I am facing.
To give you an example, I would ask my personal board about what they think about a particular issue. I genuinely want to listen to them but I don’t always agree with everything they say.
The important thing about a personal board is that it evolves. It is situation-specific and these are people that are in your proximity, they are helpful, they are really behind you, and it makes sense to tap and get the best out of them.
