Why Do You Need a Personal Board of Directors?
Everyone has an inner circle whether you realize it or not. These are the people who care about you and support you. They can offer a different perspective, a shoulder to cry on, or they can be your cheerleader. Initially, your inner circle is composed of your parents, other family members, teachers and friends. As you mature and enter the work force, you inner circle expands.
A personal board of directors is that group of people that helps you achieve your career goals. These are your mentors, your peers, and others who are interested in your success.
A personal board of directors is similar to the board of directors of a company in that they are invested in your success and can offer insight and connections that lead to that success. You should be able to consult with them for:
- Advice based on their life experience
- Support in times of stress, unemployment, or other misfortune
- Support and affirmation of your successes
- Guidance
- Accountability
- Connections with others who can contribute to your success
Who Should Be on Your Board of Directors?
It’s important to have a diverse group of leaders and influencers in your professional inner circle. It’s hard to step out of your own box and see things from different angles. You need people with different contributions to add to your thinking. Look for people who have:
- more experience than you
- a large network of connections
- experience in areas that compliment your area of expertise
- a broad knowledge base and understanding of your community or market
- ability to take calculated risks
How Do You Find Your Personal Board of Directors?
Throughout your life, you will interact with many people who influence your career development. Sometimes a chance encounter teaches you a lesson or leads to the next connection. Maybe you take a proactive approach and target someone you’d like to meet at a networking event. Perhaps you join an organization with the intent of making career connections. You can also ask a mutual acquaintance for an introduction. However you meet, there will be those with whom you develop a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship. Those are the people who become your personal board of directors.
How Do You Make AWC Membership Work for You?
AWC is the perfect place for a communicator to find her personal board of directors. At the chapter level, you have fellow communicators that you see regularly at meetings. It’s easy to form lasting bonds when you are working on chapter projects together. You discover who is dependable and supportive and a good resource. The reciprocal relationships you develop through your AWC chapter are invaluable.
If your chapter is anything like mine, there are always non-members (prospective members!) who attend meetings and events who offer the opportunity to expand your network. Be welcoming to those people and make connections! You could entice them to join AWC!
Don’t forget your speakers! Be sure to connect with them. Introduce yourself, ask questions, strike up a conversation before or after the meeting, connect on LinkedIn or other social media channels and engage there. One or more might develop into a relationship that leads to adding them to your personal board.
National Level
Look beyond your chapter – AWC is a national organization! There are many opportunities to connect with members in other parts of the country. Volunteer for a national level committee. There are always jobs that you can do – both short term commitments and longer term. Just contact the committee chair and let her know how much of a time commitment you can make and what your skills are. If you have more time, consider joining the national board of directors. A call for nominations goes out at the end of every year for a 3-year term on the board. You can certainly self-nominate if you are interested! You will gain leadership experience in guiding the operations of our national organization and presenting national awards programs and conferences.
Involvement at the national level gives you access to people with different perspectives based on their regions and usually many years of experience in different aspects of the communication field. If you don’t have a chapter near you, national involvement may fill the bill.
About the Author
Peggy Fleming is Director of Communication and Engagement at West Bank in West Des Moines, Iowa. A member of the Association for Women in Communications, she currently serves on the AWC National Board of Directors and on the board of her local chapter. An AWC Clarion Award winner, in 2021 she is chairing the Clarion Awards. Peggy is a graduate of Drake University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
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