I don’t have the board network to get a NED role

The most common obstacle experienced by aspiring Non-Executive Directors (NEDs) when trying to get appointed to a board is that they have no board network or connections. From my research, close to 80% of all NED vacancies in the UK are never publicly advertised. This is a sound reason why a strong board network is essential when seeking a NED appointment. At the same time, I do see many aspiring NED who recognise the need to establish a board network but fail to comprehend which network connections are the ones that are likely to lead to a board appointment. Essentially, they waste time making the wrong connections and maintaining an ineffective board network.

What is a board network? It may not be quite what you think.

Effective board networking involves building connections and relationships that can help improve your reputation, furnishing introductions to those who can help, and informing you about potential NED opportunities. Your board network will likely include people from different aspects of your life and career, including coworkers, friends of friends, industry connections, business connections, and social acquaintances.

To establish connections with people in the first place means you have something in common. When determining which connections should be a part of your board network, you should consider what commonalities will help advance your board career.

Old school connections

Contrary to what many believe, for most, your old-school ties are very unlikely to be the connections that will furnish you with a NED role and, even more so, your first NED appointment. Unless that is, you are interested in and are a legitimate candidate for a NED appointment in the the top 100 listed companies. Even with the push for more diversity on boards, it is still an elite club at this level. NEDs that operate here are known to each other, with chairs taking comfort in appointing NED candidates that have this level of board experience.

Strong ties

When I suggest to my clients that 65% of people gain NED appointments directly via personal connections, they immediately focus on the people they already know and know well. People they feel they can trust to help them with the competitive process of gaining a NED appointment. They believe these relationships are strong and have no hesitation in picking up the phone and having a conversation about their board aspirations. Some of these strong ties are NEDs, CEOs, or Chairs, or know the others who are. So, it seems logical to include these connections in your board network and vigorously nurture these relationships.

On occasions, strong ties may result in a NED appointment, but in most cases, they do not. Unfortunately, most aspiring NEDs waste time chasing and nurturing these connections, leading to frustration when they do not get a return on their investment. Don’t get me wrong, the strength of these connections is valuable, but when it comes to gaining a NED appointment, they need to be viewed differently. You should consider them as people who can introduce you to others rather than put themselves out there and recommend you as a potential NED or be the direct link to a NED role.

There are a number of reasons why your strong ties are unlikely to recommend you for a NED role or introduce you to their valuable connections. These include: 

1. If your strong tie is a strong friendship, it is likely that, in their eyes, you are unproven as a NED.
2. Your strong ties think of you in some other role, such as a lawyer, accountant, friend, busy CEO, retiree, entrepreneur, etc.
3. They may know you too well, including flaws and failings.
4. They may like you but not rate you as a top-level executive or leader.
5. Finally, they may feel uncomfortable about the potential to damage the relationship.

The fear of risking their reputation if they recommend you for a NED role or introduce you to their most valuable connections will prevent them from doing so.

Weak ties

Weak ties are people you see rarely or infrequently, essentially, people you don’t know well. But, when building a board network, these are the connections you need to make and nurture. These casual contacts are far more valuable than you imagined because they come without preconceived conclusions about who you are or what you can offer a board. They also have no emotional or professional attachment to you – leaving them more likely to offer help, advice, and recommendations risk-free.

The magic really happens when they also serve as connectors. They can link you digitally or in person, intentionally or unintentionally, to key people who have open NED opportunities or can further your pathway toward one. Weak ties are so valuable that approximately 50% of all NED appointments occur through these sorts of board connections. Many of these appointments happen with just one candidate for the role. The candidate that found the role via their weak tie board network.

Not a natural networker?

The reality is that very few of us are naturally comfortable with networking. The good news is that building a board network based on weak ties is not that challenging. Plus, these people and opportunities are everywhere and can be accessed in various ways, day or night. Developing weak ties and leveraging suitable strong ties is surprisingly easy. It requires no cold calling or attending boring networking events, and you don’t need to be a confident networker.

Before actively building your board network, you must be clear about your value at the board level – what you have to offer a board and how you can help. If you can’t articulate your value effectively, it is difficult for your network to know how to help or think about you when NED opportunities arise.

Build your board network

You must identify a list of potential weak ties to add to your board network. Some you may already have a connection with physically or via personal or professional online platforms. You will need to identify others as targets with which to establish a connection. To do this, you must be clear about the organisations, industries, and causes you want to serve as a NED.

From here, you must establish a contact list of the people you want to introduce or reintroduce yourself to. Start by creating a list of target organisations. We recommend that our members work with a minimum of 12. For each of these organisations, you should research the names of people you want to add to your board network. Consider current and past NEDs and executive directors, similar people from competitors, and partner organisations. Also, identify possible contacts from industry organisations or networks. For each organisation you should aim to identify at least ten people from each target organisation.

The key to making this approach successful is to be legitimate and authentic when reaching out to your potential board contacts. By doing so, establishing a connection with your new weak ties will be more effortless because:

• • You will have something in common, making conversations easier.
  • You will have similar experiences to share.
  • They are more likely to respond to your invitations to connect and share because of your mutual passions, experiences, and connections.
  • There is no uncomfortable cold calling – just a simple introduction or reintroduction to those already in your network.
  • NEDs are open to accepting these types of connections and conversations because, like you, they are passionate.

From here, success will come with consistency and time management. We recommend that you initially start with 12 target organisations because the task is more manageable by concentrating on building weak ties for one organisation per month. However, each month, you must also commit to nurturing your board network. This will take more time as you establish more contacts. You must keep engaged with your board network and front of mind when they are made aware of NED opportunities. Statistically, 50% of organisations appoint a new NED, board member, or trustee annually. Those are the opportunities you want to tap into.

Time to move forward

Not having a board network is one of the easiest obstacles to fix. Taking this “weak tie” approach is simple, manageable, and highly successful. Don’t put off starting a NED career because you believe you don’t have access to an old-school elite network or network of people in the right places. Developing a board network is a process that anyone can achieve. It is not a select skill, a personal attribute, or a benefit that only comes from associating in the right circles. During the Board Appointment Training Series, our Executive Members learn how to master this process and use it to find and gain board roles that others can’t.

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