Building a Personal Board of Directors

The Board of Directors of a company selects, supports and reviews the performance of the CEO. If you are in The Me-Suite running your own life like a company, you are your own CEO.   You need a personal Board of Directors to be a sounding board (pun intended), a sparring partner, a reality check that you’re living up to the Me-Suite mindset.  You don’t need a nice BoD (pun intended again). You need an honest, sincere BoD.

Here are tips for building your own Board of Directors (BoD):

• Define the scope of your  BoD.   What do you need your Board of Directors to direct?  Some need a cheerleader. Some need to hear when the baby is ugly.   Some need targeted content expertise. You have to decide what you really need at this stage, and be clear about that with yourself and the BoD members.

• Invite individuals who complement your blind spots.  You aren’t really learning and challenging yourself if there’s no diversity of thought.

• Target 3-4 individuals for your BoD.  You need a cross-section of perspectives but a practical size.

• Connect quarterly at a minimum.  Without this forced rhythm, you really aren’t serious about having a board.  Realistically, you’d be connecting with the BoD members individually. If you host a joint meeting, the collaboration could be very powerful if facilitated sharply.

• Don’t get bored with your board.  Your Me-Suite needs change over time.  So should your BoD.

Share experiences you have had with a personal BoD in the comments below  ↓

Check out the Me-Suite podcast interview with Ana Dutra.  Ana has served as CEO and Board Director across a variety of companies and industries.  She is the author of Lessons in LeaderShiT: Detoxing the Workplace. Ana and Donna discuss practical tips and traps for building your own board of directors to nurture the Me-Suite mindset and discipline.