When an accomplished executive is at the point in their career when they have the time and the interest to think about serving on a board, how to get there is often not obvious.   But while the path to each board is unique, there are common steps that many successful directors take. By understanding your own readiness, being deliberate and intentional in exploring various avenues to board opportunities, and having insight into the recruitment process, you will more likely find the right board at the right time.

The first step is to ask yourself what kind of board and why? Publicly traded, private family business, early venture, large not-for-profit, or local community charity? Each board will have different requirements for its directors, so your first move should be to identify the kind of board you feel motivated and able to serve.

Be Realistic: Assessing Your Readiness

When considering a board position, assessing what you can offer is paramount. Reflect on your professional experience, current realities, motivations, style, and interests:

• Evaluate your commitment level and professional leadership stage.
  • Do I have the time to dedicate to this board and deliver at the level I’ll need to?
  • Have I gained the professional experience that ensures I understand the full scope of strategy, operations, and the line between managing and governing?
  • Have I gained knowledge and experience in governance?

• Delve into your motivations.
  • Why do I want to serve on a board?
  • What kind of organization do I want to serve?
  • What do I want to gain from this, and what do I want to give?

• Assess your skills, knowledge, and experience, mapping their value to potential boards. Most boards require you to have experience in strategic leadership and exposure to governance decision-making.
  • Have I gained a depth of knowledge about governance, either on the job or through governance education?
  • Do I have the right mix of skills and experience?
  • Where would my background be most valued?

Once you’ve reflected on all those questions, it’s time to tackle the biggest one: What do you bring to the table that the board needs? Get specific and craft a narrative to effectively convey the unique value you will bring to the board and to the organizations that might need your experience and perspective to shape their strategy.

Be Strategic: Exploring Avenues to Opportunities

Identifying the right opportunities requires a strategic approach. Explore three avenues to board positions:

• Invest time in researching and identifying target organizations and examining the make-up of current boards and executive teams. Lean on connections within your network and ask about their experiences that led to their board positions. Often the CEO and those who are already sitting around the table are the most trusted conduits to a board, and having trusted references still makes a difference.
• Reach out to professional and personal connections for introductions and conversations about your board aspirations. People who know you are often the best conduit to a board, and your best references. Share that you have the interest and availability to lend your experience to a board if it’s the right fit. Explain what kinds of boards might find value in your experience. Talk to people who are serving on boards already and have a similar background to yours. The next time they’re called to serve on a board and can’t, they’ll think of you and tell the recruiter to give you a call.
• Identify which recruiters specialize in serving boards. Board recruitment is a specialized area, and you should seek out a recruiter who can not only help you identify potential positions but can advise you about the company and what it might be like to serve on that board. Seek referrals and begin to build a relationship so they know your skills and your style. The process of board recruitment is highly targeted and discreet. Although this is evolving to help ensure a diverse slate of candidates, it helps to ‘be known’ to recruiters who specialize in board director recruitment as distinct from executive recruitment.

Be Ready: Navigating the Recruitment Process

Let’s assume we’re talking about a sophisticated board; they have a plan for how the board should evolve and a search partner by their side. Boards such as these usually have an annual cycle for recruiting, driven by year-end, formal director 360s, and term limits. Understand the process:

• Skills: Planful boards develop a skills matrix, driving candidate selection criteria and ensuring alignment with the board’s evolving needs.
• Styles: A mid-capital, second-generation family business board will have a very different recruitment style and decision-making process than that of a large publicly traded bank. The board’s search partner will approach things differently depending on the board’s nature and unique characteristics.
• Stages: While each recruitment process is unique, there are a few typical stages in the journey of a successful candidate. You’ll often start with a recruiter meeting, and then progress through committee interviews, a conversation with the CEO, and, if possible, a more in-depth discussion with the Chair. Ask for this time with the Chair if not offered – it helps solidify mutual expectations and aligned perspective. At each stage, be prepared to specifically articulate how your knowledge and experience meet their board’s needs.

Be Sure: Reciprocal Evaluation

As you move through the board recruitment process, you should also be determining if they are the right fit for you. Do your due diligence to really understand what you’re getting into and be discerning about the roles you explore. Assess the time and attention required – can you realistically commit? Does this board align with your professional goals and personal values? Do you trust the judgment of the Chair and do you believe in the strategy of the organization? If you identify red flags in any of these areas, take the time to further assess. Just as in an executive career journey, each step in the board journey shapes the next.

If you’ve seen one board director search, you’ve seen one board director search.

No two board director searches are identical. There are many paths to the boardroom – through existing relationships, through proactive research and outreach, or through chance and circumstance – and understanding that each board approaches recruitment differently can help ensure you find the right board for the right reasons, and that what you can lend to the responsibility will be fully valued.

Does your board need someone to help take you to the next level? Watson helps boards of directors find the right people to help boards be more effective so they can positively shape the future of their organizations. Email letwatsonhelpyou@watsoninc.ca to start the conversation.