By Insight Editor / 7 Feb 2024 / Topics: Culture & careers
As a leader, it’s important to build a personal board of directors — a group of trusted advisors who can provide guidance and support as you navigate your career. With their perspectives, you’ll be able to make better decisions, avoid blind spots and identify new opportunities for both personal and professional growth. From selecting the right members to understanding how to leverage their expertise, Z and Rich provide practical tips and real-world examples for curating a team of experts that will help you reach your full potential.
To experience this week’s episode, listen on the player above, watch the conversation below or scroll down to read a complete transcript. You can also subscribe to Leading With Insight on Apple Podcasts, Pandora and Spotify.
Audio transcript:
As a leader, do you ever have a situation where you feel that, I don't know where to turn to or who to seek out for guidance? On today's episode, we're going to talk to you about who those leaders are in your corner that can help you overcome any challenge that you come across. My name is Zee. - And I'm Rich. Just to remind everybody, this is a little mentor mentee session, just elaborating on sparking the curiosity, having conversations about everything under the umbrella of leadership. So just wanted to remind everybody of that today.(...) Again, my name is Rich, and imagine having your own trusted advisors. Each one of those advisors, an expert in the field that they are in. Now, you can leverage those advisors, you can lean on them for guidance and support. Today, that's what we're going to be diving into. - Yeah, just like superheroes, right? I mean, we were very familiar. I don't wanna do any trademark violations here, but just like every leader has superpowers,(...) everybody has something to contribute. If we can now assemble these leaders, assemble this creation, this creative mindset, these skills, these expertise,
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can you imagine what we can overcome?(...) I would say quite a bit or a lot of things, but here's a challenge when it comes to leaders and new leaders or again, returning leaders, is that we try to take it all on ourselves instead of leveraging your resources.(...) So Rich, we're gonna be curious today, so definitely gonna ask me some questions around this. And let me ask you this question, first of all, now that we've been doing this podcast and we've evolved your title to aspiring leader, ambitious leader,(...) how do you feel so far in taking on this new journey into leadership? - Yeah, so I feel pretty confident with the tools that I've been equipped with, going through aspiring leadership definitely helps a great foundation for me, but just kind of learning the puzzle pieces as we go, creating that curiosity, being transparent,
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utilizing some of the strategic steps, the four pillars,
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all of those things kind of really play a major factor and really helped me out to kind of set myself up to be a leader and for others to see me as a leader. - That's amazing, yeah. And like I said, you're not alone. A lot of folks who've been joining us in the journey of this podcast, hopefully you're feeling the same way, you've been seeing some growth, you're implementing, you're putting into practice, well, first of all, you're gathering tools that you can start using and then now implementing them and between now this is season two, coming towards the final stretch of our second season,(...) I'm confident that you've probably have seen some tremendous growth and transformation within your team, within yourself, whether you have direct reports or not, I'm confident that there has been some change in evolution happening. But now we're gonna take a step further, right? Since this season, we've been talking primarily about, hey, let's focus on newly promoted, newly into leader roles, but now we're also saying, hey, also if it's been a while, right? Let's say you've been away from a leadership role in a while, you've kind of worked on other projects and now you're coming back to it.(...) The topics we've discussed so far hopefully have been resonating with a lot of you, but this one now comes down to, okay, remember, you're not alone. And why do you think that is rich, that as leaders or as individuals in general, we tend to sometimes just rely on ourselves primarily and forget that we're not alone, I try to take it ourselves. - Yeah, I think from a perspective of doing the job so well as an individual contributor and not wanting to sort of maybe relinquish everything,
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sometimes it can be hard to get people up to speed,(...) different aspects like that. It's just like, well, I can do it quicker myself as opposed to relinquishing that whatever skill it is, whatever duty that is, and maybe training somebody else to do it just as skillfully as you.
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- Yeah, and that's definitely a true statement. We've heard that from our previous episodes, right? Jeff Fine, when he was here, we talked about delegation
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and in this continuing pattern. So it's just not that we're not alone in this journey, right? But we tend to always forget that. I mean, I don't know what it is, but it is, but that's what we're gonna talk about today. And I'd love to kind of unpack that with you and have a good discussion. - Yeah, absolutely. So let's dive into how leaders can really assemble their own personal board of directors. But before we kind of even just set that stage and set that tone, let's talk a little bit about why is it important for leaders to have their own personal board of directors? - Yeah, I love the way you're starting off. I always start with the why. Why is this important? Why are we spending 28, 30 minutes of our time discussing this topic? Well, it's important because as we know, connecting and being around others and just having a community around us is powerful.
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Just think about even to our earlier days as human race, we can only survive so much by ourselves.
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We're limited to what we know, to our knowledge, to our resources, experiences, and our skillset.(...) Now, if we add other people to that element,(...) so now I have somebody with me that we can kind of go through this journey together.
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Trying to survive if we're looking at a survival situation or even more importantly, trying to navigate this world that we're living in, having another person, now we have two diverse, two different experiences, thoughts, expertise, skills that we can accomplish a lot more. Well, guess what? We had a third person, a fourth person. Now you're starting to build and create things that would have taken you a lot by yourself. And now you have all these amazing resources and skillsets around you. So can you believe that? Now we went from, hey, I'm just to have a little shelter. I'm barely making ends meet, surviving, but now it's like we have multiple people working on various projects and getting advice.(...) It just just starts to grow from there. I don't know why I'm picturing right now. I don't know if you're picturing is like, ever played the game Sims or SimCity? Building your city, your town. It's like growing. You start to add villagers and people. And now that all of a sudden you go, you have this huge, amazing structure and community around you. Kind of the same thing, that's why it's important that we're not alone. We can do more with others than by ourselves. - Yeah, absolutely. It kind of lends itself to that saying, it takes a village, right?(...) - So I think that's where it came from. (both laughing) - Yeah, absolutely. - So I think that's the why, right? That's why it's important. So for new leaders or leaders coming back into the leadership flow,(...) don't forget that. Take a moment to pause and be like, hey, who is it that I have around me? What's the network of people that I can go and consult and seek advice and even more importantly, can even challenge me on certain things that I'm struggling with, that I want to see things differently, where that can take you as a leader to expand your leadership, right? Expand your ability to overcome this. And there's gonna be so much. I mean, I'll tell you right now, you're listening to this podcast, you probably already have as a leader, things that you're working through, that you're kind of stuck on or you don't know what to do. And you're kind of just going to go in with the flow and go with the emotion. How about this? Now, go ahead and seek out those individuals, those folks that can start giving you more guidance to get you kick started or overcome that challenge. - Yeah, so let's do some differentiation for our audience here. Let's talk about why or what the difference is between a mentor and maybe finding that whole board of directors that you would recommend for leaders. - Well, yeah, that's a good call out. Yeah, because part of your, again, we're talking about, now we're talking about assembling those leaders, right?
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I like to use a term and I've seen it heard it before, create your own board of directors. So when you think about a board of directors, you have folks in the table that will challenge question that will basically make you an organization better. Now the organization in this case as a leader is you, make you a better leader. So a mentor will be part of that board of directors. So you have a C for a one or a few mentors, but that's not the only ones that should be in your own personal board of directors.
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Let me take a pause here. I'm not going to give it away. Let me throw it to you. So mentors, yes, you have seats for them, right? Who else you think would be a good, who would be a good additions to that board?(...) - Probably those who have an expertise that's maybe outside of your wheelhouse that you can kind of rely on and tap into those skills and learn a little from. - All right, we're going to set some seats there for SMEs,(...) experts in the field of whatever it is you're like for, boom, right there. - All righty, we're assembling it. Mentors, SMEs, what else? - So maybe those who have been in the industry and know a little about a lot and can put those puzzle pieces together and really connect the dots between teams and different systems and everything that you would need. - Okay, so if I'm hearing you correctly, you're saying the other folks should be maybe somebody who's done your role in the past,(...) previous, the previous manager that you took on the role for,(...) folks who maybe do what you do in a different organization that you can tap into. So kind of similar to SME, but more now specialized to your role. Is that what I'm hearing? - Yeah, yeah. - Okay. Yeah, yeah, pass. I'm gonna say, hey, let me go back to the previous leader of this team. What challenges did they experience this challenge or what have you? Okay, yeah, we can, we'll set a couple seats for them. Why not? Anybody else comes to mind? - Oh,(...) I mean, I'm sure there's tons more, but I don't know. - Well, dude, that's just touching the surface, right? There's a lot more. You can add some now. Let's say you have some coaches, right? You may have a coach that you're working on to help with certain areas. Let me invite them to the table.
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I'm gonna invite, well, how about this? You have a significant other? We think that, you think that that would be rich. You're a married guy, right? You think maybe you'll leave some room there for your wife? - Absolutely. I'm sure there'll be a lot of red teaming, right?
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- Yes, yes. And then we'll talk about that. You need that red team. So significant other.
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Friends, family members, right? And I would even put in there, we're talking more like folks that have experience and all that, but how about even adding some folks there who are the up and coming generation or the next wave of generation, right? Of thought leaders and stuff. So mentees, right? Folks that you mentor could be a part of that as well and kind of get their take if you're looking to. So to answer your question,(...) mentors are one piece of it. It's not just a mentor. There's a lot more people that you can invite. And honestly, there's not a specific amount or I would say, yes, you still wanna keep it within a manageable amount. I'll say that. You don't want like 2 million people on your board. You want trusted advisors who said, folks that you trust, build that trust with, that can be honest with you, give you good advice. At the same time, challenge you, red team. You brought that up. All these folks who can really help you overcome the various challenges that you're gonna deal with as a leader.(...) We talked about various similar or common challenges as leaders, they're having difficult conversations, performance conversations, delegation, the list goes on. Well, guess what? I have my board of directors here who can help me with those challenges. So yeah, that's a great question, dude. And I love that because I was not even, I didn't even think about it until you said that. Like, dude, literally picture who those people are and start assembling them. Start collecting, start reaching out, start building that board. So how can leaders go about identifying themselves as somebody who can possibly make someone's board of directors?(...) Oh, now we're talking the next level. So let's say, maybe you're thinking like, am I part of somebody's board of directors?(...) I would say you probably are.
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They may not label that or may not call that. It's like, hey, Rich, would you like to be part of my executive board of directors? My assembly of leaders and thought leaders. Probably won't be as direct like that, but just think about this. You know you're part of somebody's board of directors.(...) When somebody comes to you and consults with you on a question that they might have, when they're frequently coming to you for advice, right? And when I say frequent, not like every day, but there's once in a while, they're coming to you and you're just like, huh, you know, hey, Rich, hey, dude, can I talk to you for a second? Can I just jump on a quick call? Yeah, sure, right? I have this challenge. I'm trying to, you know, I'm coming up with a presentation that I'm gonna present in front of my executive leaders.
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I'm stuck on a couple areas. Would you, would it be okay? Can I schedule some time to run through that slide in the presentation with you and get your advice?
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If I've done that, guess what, Rich? You're part of my, you're part of my executive board, right? So that's what I would just, you know, kind of pay, consider now, I don't want you to go out there and start going, I mean, I'm part of 20 executive board of directors. I'm part of this.
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Still compare. Just know that it does happen. Sometimes you may not even know, but maybe it's a good time. I would just have you reflect really quick and think about how between, I would say, the past few months, how many people have come to me for advice and would like my feedback, would like for me to kind of evaluate or look over things. That should tell you right there that you definitely are, and I'm sure you are. Yeah, yeah. So going back to, and this is more around, you know,
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going back to building your own personal board of directors, you said there was no set number, but how do you kind of gauge, you know, however many people the right amount is to bring in?(...) Yeah, you know, I would just, I wouldn't overthink it, right? I would just start, you know, as you're talking and getting to know a network,(...) start taking note, you know, start taking inventory if you can, you know, those folks that you've interacted with that, that you met that could potentially in the future help you or add value to future interactions,(...) you know, and that's the thing, you know, it's that, sometimes it could be impromptu, you know, it could be, you know, that I'm dealing with something a little unique or I've never dealt with before.(...) All of a sudden you're going through, by the way, do you know what a Rolodex is?
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Yeah, yeah. Okay, cool. You're asking me personally, yes, yes. I was like, I don't know, nowadays people go, what is that? Is that like an archaic tool?
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You know, it's, in other words, it's like a list of contacts, right? People that you've interacted with and going, hey, let me go back to my Rolodex, my internal Rolodex. Who have I spoken with recently? Who have I interacted with that either has had a situation like this, is in the area that I'm dealing with, has mentioned whatever, kind of go through that list and go and then you narrow it down and go, oh, you know, so and so, and let me go ahead and reach out to them and start that interaction.(...) So when I said there's really not a set amount because honestly, it can be a good list. I just, you have to sometimes go back and recall after a certain amount of time. Now, there's probably going to be your go-to, your initial ones like your mentor, best friends, those type of folks, a hundred percent. But there could be that next layer where you're just like, it's been a while, but I have interacted just recently.
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I went to Costco yesterday, right? Making my Costco run. In line,(...) have you ever come in a situation and you're like, do I recognize that person? Like I saw him the other time, I'm like, dude, it looks so familiar.
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And then we make eye contact and that's where you're like, and they also go, oh, it looks familiar. It's like, boom, connection. I'm like, dude, I reckon, I know you. So then of course you start a conversation, hey, and it's like Z, hey,(...) you say their name. And then all of a sudden you start to remember where you met him from. And then all of a sudden you're like, dude, so that interaction, I remember that we used to work together a long time ago at a previous organization,(...) started quickly connecting and going, he's now a business owner, what his business is all about,(...) all these things that came up. And then from there, I already took inventory and be like, all right, I just got reconnected with a new contact. And now if I ever have any questions around this area, this adverse expertise, now I know who to rely on to call on, right? So sometimes those will come back in your life, right? And it's impossible to remember everybody and everything they do, but just remember that that's what I'm saying. It's an ever flowing, ever changing board, but you have your go-to and then you have the other ones that kind of get interchangeable if that makes sense. - Yeah, yeah. So just thinking about the different perspectives of everybody who is on that board, right? We talked about SMEs, we talked about coaches, we talked about mentors.(...) How do you go about maybe balancing the voices of everyone within that? - That's a great call out as well, because there is a thing as information overload, right? Are we heard too many chefs in the kitchen or whatever, which could make it more complex.
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So the questions are on target today, Rich.
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You have to find that right balance as well.
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You know, one of the things, one of the paradoxes that I came across is called the, believe it or not, too much information paradox or what we call, us young folks call TMI paradox.
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But there's a nice balance. Like if you don't have enough information, like when you're working on a project or you're trying to overcome a challenge or whatever, and you want to do some research, how do I surpass or how do I overcome this challenge?(...) I don't have a lot of information. I'm pretty confused. I have no idea where to begin, where to start. So that level of confusion is pretty high.(...) But then you start reaching out to colleagues, you start doing your research, you're reaching out to your personal board of directors. I'm reaching out to SMEs, best friend who may have advice, maybe my manager, by the way, your manager, leader can be there as well, your colleagues, your peers.(...) I'm getting information, I'm starting to get clarity. Okay, I'm finding a pattern, right? I'm seeing what people are telling me and it's becoming very similar. Might be a couple of conflicting answers and responses, but I'm finding a pattern, cool. But I keep going and I keep getting more information. Now that level of clarity is gonna now turn to confusion because I have too much information. Now there's more conflicting responses.
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I have more than I needed, then I'm actually more confused than I was, more the same confused that I was in the beginning with no information. So I would say you have to have that hand to balance. So what is that? Well, for me, I would always check myself and say, hey, what's good enough? Maybe set that parameters for yourself.(...) Maybe I'm gonna ask five of my board of directors for this advice. Who are they? Boom, perfect. These are the ones I'm gonna seek out to, seek them out and you're done. Kind of set those boundaries, set those time limits, set those things so that way you don't go overboard because we definitely have been there, where we over research. - Yeah, yeah. So you kind of already dabbled into how we leverage these board of directors, maybe picking a certain group, a certain set amount, but what's a good cadence or what's kind of too much of an overload into tapping into that board of directors? - Oh man, another good question. So, again, every relationship that you have with them is different, right? So a mentor, it depends on your relationship with that mentor. If you have one or two in your executive board of directors,
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you already set that cadence with them, whether it's once a month, whether it's every two weeks, like you already kind of have that. So that can be part of maybe knowing that I have a meeting coming up with my mentor, I'm gonna bring that up. Or, this is a one-off and I can reach out to them if I need to. So there's that. Now the rest, it all depends on the relationship. There's some that your relationship really comes down to, hey, I reach out maybe once a month, once a quarter, once in a while, just to check in, how are you doing? Maybe check your post on LinkedIn, compliment on that. That's about it. But then when it comes down to it, they know that when you reach out, that you really do need their advice. You really do need them. And it's something that, hey, it's reciprocal. I know when they need something, I'm there for them as well. And that's, I guess, the next layer too, is when you have this board, make sure that you're maintaining this relationship and the healthy balance.(...) It's a give and take, like any relationship, we talk a lot about trust, is that you're not always constantly seeking out and taking.(...) You're also given back as well. So if you're a part of their board or their group of directors, make sure that you're available for them as well, that you're ready to offer that advice. Because once it's reciprocal, there's really, it won't get to a point where you're like, oh, here comes Rich again. He's asking for more advice again. But every time I need something, he's not available for me, but here, you know what I mean? So going back to your original question, honestly, there really isn't a set amount. It's depending on that relationship and what you've done to build it that sets those rules. - Got it. So you kind of touched on picking out strategically which board of directors to leverage on any specific engagement or topic or something you might have difficulties with. But is there some sort of other best practices that we can utilize in terms of leveraging those board of directors? I know you mentioned strategically picking out a few, setting a cadence, not making it a one-way street in terms of the give take, always providing value as well and not just, hey, I have this, can you help me, can you help me? But also being the help when it's needed. - Yeah, I would say another best practice is that just really, really work on that relationship. Because if the only relationship you have with them is transactional, I need something, you give me something back, that is not gonna last long. That you truly are, when you are reaching out, you're also checking in on them. Is there any, you're checking in, is there anything, let's say for example, I'm struggling with something and I need help, I reach out.
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Instead of saying, hey, Rich, I need help, can you answer this question?(...) Do what we do all the time, connect with them. Hey, it's been a while, how are you doing? Great.
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Hey, I know it's been a while, but I do have a question that I really could use your advice, right? Being upfront, being transparent.(...) Once you're done with that, instead of just saying, thanks a lot, appreciate it, and then you're out of there,(...) take a pause and be like, hey, I really appreciate that, that's gonna help me. Like express to them the value that they bring and what that did for you and your conundrum and your situation,(...) but then take that moment and then take that time to then go back and be like, by the way, Rich, is there anything that I can do for you?
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Is that it? Simple as that? Hey, is there anything I can do for you? You know, I'm good right now, thanks for asking. Or actually, you know what, I do have this problem.
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Go ahead and help them out. Or if they're like, you know what, I can't, it's like, oh, that's great, well, hey, just remember, anytime you need anything, don't hesitate to reach out, I'd be happy to help. That's it, man, it's like tip of simple gestures like that and also meaning it, right? Not making it just a autobiographical response because that doesn't come as genuine. Like literally when you mean it, you mean it.
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What can I do for? Is there anything I can help you with at this time? How are you doing?
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It goes a long way than just, give me, I'm taking them out, right? So interesting, you know, things that we probably know, but we don't think about. - Yeah, I like that, small things. Is there anything that I can do for you? That's awesome. - Yeah, actually you can. I do need a house sitter and a dog sitter coming in the next few months.
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(laughing)(...) - So can you share with us maybe some of your own experiences with personal board of directors and how it's helped you in the past?
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- Oh, there's tons of examples, but I would say especially as a new leader,
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you know, again, start working with your first, you know, your first frontline leaders and teammates that you have available to you. So of course, always rely on your significant other, your spouse, such a great board of directors right there, because especially when it comes to life decisions, more important, even any kind of decision, right? It's good to keep them in the loop, get engaged there.
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You're an immediate manager, right? You're a leader, build that relationship with them, you know, and hopefully they're doing the same as well, and they're doing that, but you take that initiative, just like what we're gonna talk about future episodes is that we're in charge of our own career development and our own path, right? Other people are there along the way that will be there for us, but we have to also take our part to do the work, to engage. So focus on that. So for me, earlier in my career, what I've learned is yes, like build that relationship with your leader initially, because once again, they have the experience that you, maybe that you're lacking or you don't have yet in your new role, right?
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Start there, also with your peers, you know, those are good starting. So if you're starting that board, maybe your question is how do you start it initially? Yeah, start with those initial folks in your circles, and then from there, great segue,(...) we have events coming up. We had mastery last year, which we were there in person, and we challenged you, if you recall, connect with people, right? Go with, talk to people you haven't with before.(...) We have Amplify coming up, which by the way, we're in the process of actually working on actually doing an episode there, which is exciting. Little, hey, spoiler alert, be willing to look out for that. But take those opportunities to then expand your Port of Directors outside of the individuals that you interact with every day.(...) You know, that is gonna take you. So for me, my experience has been that, yes, I've quickly leveraged those folks around me, those individuals, but then I took it to the next level and now expand outside, and the more you start doing that, the more creative voices, ideas, expertise,
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and you start to feel, I don't know, you feel even more accomplished, you feel like you have amazing voices once you start going, oh my gosh, my board is pretty robust, and that's all because of me doing the work,(...) getting out there, being curious, talking to others,(...) building those relationships, and those venues, and those events. So that's my advice, and you know, there's tons of examples, I mean, difficult conversations. I mean, I think we all have experienced our first time dealing with something as a leader.
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Somebody came in late, or they're constantly late. Somebody's not turning in their work, their work on time.
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And even we're talking about even the most common leadership things about people showing up, you know, maybe instances that happen in meetings, you're just like, ooh, that shouldn't have said that, or whatever, the list goes on, and you're gonna continue to come across unique and interesting things that, you won't have the answers to, but there's somebody that will. - Yeah. - Yeah. - So today, folks, we've discussed why our, personal board of directors is important. We've talked about why leveraging them is important, how to build that board of directors.(...) Any other final thoughts for you? - Yeah, so, you know, with this topic, we were thinking about, we're talking about this, right? And I think it's perfect timing that, after all the topics we talked about, that we come across this area, because, you know, you have to do this as a leader, you have to do this learning curve, you have to kind of observe, there's gonna be some trials and errors, and it's totally fine.(...) But if you think that you can do this alone, if you think that you can handle this by yourself,(...) it's gonna be a long road, it's gonna be a difficult road ahead of you. But as soon as you get out of yourself, and taken on the world by yourself, and start assembling these amazing individuals and people in your life to help,
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you'll be surprised how much you can accomplish, how much you can get done.(...) And not only for yourself, but as we talked about leader, you have influence over others. So also the people around you, you've taken the time to be humble, to be a little bit vulnerable, to say, you know what, I don't know, but I'm gonna find out and I'm gonna seek out advice from those who will or can give me advice.
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So that's really my final take, is, you know, you're not alone, you're always gonna have somebody in your corner, it just takes time to open your eyes and expand and realize who around me can I help, can I leverage and build those relationships to be an awesome leader.(...) - Great, well, very well said, very well said. So if you liked our content today, hit the like button, be sure to turn on your notifications and tune into our next episode where we have one of our top executives join us for more leadership decisions. Stay tuned and until next time.
Host
Z Tinoco is a diversity, leadership & organization development manager who believes in building teams, inspiring minds and creating authentic connections. He helps people reach their goals and find success through humor, leadership and a diverse mindset.
Co-host
Richard is an experienced paid media specialist with a proven track record of creating and executing successful campaigns across various platforms. Richard has a passion for tackling new challenges, connecting with people and loves all things tech.
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