The Awkward Truth About Seeking Board Roles
By Jocelyn Mangan, CEO of Him For Her
In our work at Him For Her and illumyn, we spend countless hours with people seeking board seats and people seeking board members. One reality of the board ecosystem is that it operates quite differently from the standard executive career experience, particularly when it comes to the process of seeking board roles. Through our conversations, we’ve uncovered some of the awkward realities of this process and outlined them below. This guidance focuses on what to expect - and what to do to overcome any hesitation - in order to move forward in your pursuit of board roles.
Own your “board qualified” story.
You have likely heard the statistic that women apply for roles when they feel 100% qualified, while men will apply at 60%. This reality does not help when it comes to the boardroom. Many directors will be first-time directors, and some will have had limited time in boardrooms throughout their careers, particularly those who are senior executives at very large corporations. For this reason, it can be hard for anyone to truly feel board qualified. That said, we’ve helped thousands of companies looking for board members, and through this, have amassed a good wealth of knowledge around what competencies boards are looking for. In a prior edition of our newsletter, we outline the six dimensions of expertise that come our way. With a little effort and translation, this should help you transform your experience into a set of skills that you can speak to in terms of what you will bring to a board. The more you can get comfortable with your board qualified story, the more you can begin to share it and increase your visibility for board openings.
2. Get comfortable with being proactive.
The truth is, most board roles are filled through word-of-mouth networks. The tough reality of this, is that many of us are not top of mind in these networks and conversations. So, ensuring you are on the radar means not waiting for a phone call to come in, but being intentionally proactive within your network of CEOs, board members and investors. When I founded Him For Her, I interviewed almost 100 CEOs and board members, and every single one I talked to wanted to help. At the same time, today I find myself talking to board qualified executives who have not had to be proactive for a long time in order to advance their career, so the thought of reaching out to ask for help seems highly uncomfortable. Yet, it works. I talked with a woman the other day, who spent a Saturday morning, networking from her inbox, and within three months, she had a board offer, and now, her first board role.
3. Ditch the stereotypes.
It’s hard to imagine being something you don’t see. And, when we think of the images of boardrooms from movies or television shows, it’s not surprising that the average board member today is a 63-year old white male. Many of these board members are retired and have been CEOs or CFOs in the past. While this is a valid and helpful experience to have as a board member, boards today area also looking to augment this profile with other experiences: executives who are still operating and can relate to the challenges of the current operating environment, executives who are representative of different generations and can relate to various age groups, and a wide variety of functional and industry backgrounds. Of the 100+ board members seated as a direct result of our introductions, almost half were first time, and still in operating roles.
The board ecosystem may operate differently than what you are used to, but by owning your expertise and taking a proactive approach, you can move forward confidently in your pursuit of a board role.
