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Just Like the CEO

Create a Personal Board of Directors

THERE’S A ROLE out there for you, a big one. You can do it in addition to your current job, too. It doesn’t pay anything, but you will learn a lot. You get to work with people who care about you, and best of all, the subject matter is going to be something you’re very interested in—you! What could be better than that?

Here’s what you’re going to do. First, think of yourself as the CEO of a company or the executive director of a nonprofit organization. There’s no doubt that such top leaders have a tough job. But they do get a lot of help—and some of that comes from their built-in advisory group, the board of directors. The board is a fascinating concept; a group of experienced executives who come together a few times a year to advise and support the leader as he or she works to move the company forward. Although board members come in different shapes and sizes, they do have one thing in common: They all have a vested interest in seeing the top leader succeed. They contribute by offering honest feedback on strategy, advocating ethics and governance, and approving well-planned risk-taking and innovation.

Your own development as a leader has a lot of parallels to what the CEO or executive director is trying to accomplish. You’re both looking to set a bold strategy (one of personal improvement). You’re both striving for the highest ethical standards (in your leadership behaviors). Finally, you’re both also setting a clear plan and taking a few risks to innovate (as you add new skills to your game). If you’re doing this properly, you’re working from a strategic plan, establishing a set of guiding principles that you won’t compromise on, and taking some risks—just like the top leader. So why not borrow the board of directors’ idea, too? Here’s how to do it.

Select a Diverse Collection of Board Members

First, identify four to five people to serve on your PBD—your Personal Board of Directors. What are this group’s members going to do? They’re going to help you plan, execute, and assess your development as a leader. You’re going to brief them on your plans and ask for their advice and suggestions. You’re going to ask them to track your progress, give you feedback on how you’re doing, and evaluate your results. In other words, you’re going to set up a structure that ensures that you absolutely, positively achieve your development objectives. Unless, of course, you’re willing to go to all this trouble and then NOT make an effort to improve. But you wouldn’t do that, would you?

Start by choosing a PBD from among your peers, direct reports, extended team members, and matrix managers. Pick people who are familiar with your work, see you regularly throughout the year, and will give you a diverse set of opinions and suggestions. Don’t choose your current boss (you get enough advice and feedback from him). The best combination depends on your development goals; if you’re trying to be more patient and listen more effectively, choose two to three direct reports or people lower down in your group to be on the PBD. If you’re trying to demonstrate more executive presence, lean toward a greater number of matrix managers (peers of your boss). The ideal composition is probably two peers, two direct reports, and one matrix manager. Because you want to meet with them in person, choose all of your PBD members from within your current organization (although it’s tempting to “hire” your best friends or former colleagues for this assignment, don’t do it. This is a job for people who see you every day). Obviously, once you’ve thought about who should serve on your PBD, you need to ask them if they’d be interested and gain their commitment.

Put Your Board of Directors to Work

And just what is this commitment? How does it work? Tell your PBD members that you’d like to meet with them as a group three times a year; each meeting should last about an hour. Schedule the first meeting right after your performance appraisal (if your company doesn’t do performance appraisals, schedule the meeting when you’re about to set your annual development objectives). Schedule the second meeting for six months later to check in on your progress. Schedule the third and final meeting just prior to the next performance appraisal cycle to collect final feedback on how you accomplished your learning goals during the previous year. Start the first meeting by thanking them for helping you focus on your development goals, and express your appreciation for signing on as your personal set of advisors. Share your development plan, and ask for their feedback and recommendations. Ask them to observe your behavior throughout the year in these areas, and invite them to provide constructive criticism and suggestions as they notice results or a lack of progress. Solicit recommendations in the very first meeting; find out what they think will or will not work as you pursue your goals. The second meeting is all about their feedback: What are they noticing? What are you doing well? What could you be doing even better? Finally, in the third meeting, gather even more input, and ask for suggestions on what you should tackle next in terms of personal improvement.

When I was promoted to my first vice president role, I used this technique because I really wanted to check myself against the standards and expectations of people at this level of the organization. I felt I needed regular, honest feedback about how I was showing up as an executive, so I asked a group of other VPs to serve as my PBD for the first year. Their recommendations were great, and their feedback helped me settle into my role. More important, they showed me how to truly be an executive. I’m still grateful for their guidance; it helped me get my feet on the ground after a stretch promotion.

At first, this might seem like a hokey idea; even your PBD members might find it a little strange. But after you meet a couple of times, it will feel pretty natural. All you’re doing is asking a group of people—who already know you well and have a vested interest in seeing you succeed—to help you grow as a leader. This is something that you can do for yourself, no matter what size organization you work in. Just like the CEO or executive director uses the board to stress-test strategy and product ideas, you can use your Personal Board of Directors to evaluate your development as a leader. Try it—you’ll find that there’s nothing more motivating than publicly declaring your intentions to improve as a leader.

Bootstrap Takeaways

Create a Personal Board of Directors

1. Identify a group of trusted colleagues to meet with you two to three times a year to discuss your development plan.

2. Expand the conversation by sharing your strategy or employee engagement plans with your PBD—solicit their reaction and feedback.

3. If this works for you, tell others about it; putting yourself out there is a great way to ensure you meet your commitments!