If you are entirely honest with yourself, it's exceedingly hard to prioritize (and continue to prioritize) a board search. So hard that it can be exhausting at times, and the only thing getting you through it to remind yourself why you are doing it.
(And a little help from your friends in The Board Mastermind.)
No, it's not just you. Corporate board search is hard for nearly every candidate, and it's hard in a different, more profound way than searching for your next executive role. In fact, it's different and possibly harder than anything you have ever done before.
OK, a few have it easier, and that very fact makes it even harder for everyone else. That's "what is." It's up to you to take that in and move beyond it.
Treat it like pebbles in your shoe, NOT a locked door.
Shake out your shoe, put it back on, and keep walking.
That's why we are here. That's why we started a DA/CB Board Mastermind, and why we have launched The Corporate Board Speaker Series.
We are here to create a community of truly talented board candidates and help make it easier for them make a lasting difference in the world through their board service.
We are here to level the playing field at the board level, because the tone at the top sets the stage for everywhere and everything.
There are many moving parts in a board search, and you need to get them all to move in the right direction.
You need to find and maintain the motivation to keep doing it. And not once in a while, but on a consistent basis.
You know that's the case - again, it's "what is" - and that in itself can feel overwhelming.
Sometimes weeks or months can go by, and you realize that you haven't invested the time to make significant progress.
What does significant progress even look like? Can you measure it? Yes, you can!
You can and should measure and celebrate the milestones on your path to a corporate board role. These efforts will not be in vain, and your investment in yourself will continue to serve you in the years to come.
When you do commit yourself to the search and are ready to show up and jump the hurdles to get there, it still can be a solitary journey.
Being selected for a corporate board isn't easy, after all. If it was, many more people would want to do it.
You are doing something above and beyond what most of your close colleagues and friends have elected as next steps for themselves.
Your historical peer group is not aligned with this path. They will continue to support you, but you need to tap into a robust, vibrant and well-connected community for this significant stage and aspect of your professional journey.
They will see you in a new light, and you will return the favor.
Remember that you chose the corporate board path because it's an optimal way to leverage your talents in the next phase of your career or complement the great work you are already doing.
You chose to "self-select" for corporate board work, because you know that you will be a phenomenal addition to a board of directors.
Now, stop beating yourself up about how things always don't happen as quickly as we want them to materialize and remember the gifts you have to offer the world (and a corporate board).
Tap into the power of The Board Mastermind community.
The Corporate Board Speaker Series of The Board Mastermind is designed to continue your progress toward your first or a subsequent board seat.
Here is what you can expect:
1) a safe space for robust conversations about board-readiness and the challenges and opportunities facing board members, including diverse candidates and attorneys,
2) opportunities to maintain and grow your network with current, seasoned board members who will be sharing hard-fought insights with you,
3) continued connection with the community of fellow Board Mastermind members and the facilitator, and
4) an earmarked space on your calendar to continue to commit to your board search among competing priorities.
If you wish to join the CBSS program and continue prioritizing board readiness, please come ready to actively engage and use this group as a springboard for your board search.
We will hold five hour-long CBSS sessions with individual speakers in 2024 (in the months of June, July, September, October and November). Speakers will be seasoned board members, recruiters and/or others who are well-connected to the corporate board community.
FINAL DATES AND SPEAKER BIOS TO COME.
Please register directly or email us at [email protected] if you are interested in this program.