It is that time of the year again — time to reflect on the year gone and what you can do better in the year ahead. If you are looking for a board role in 2024, now is the time to prepare. If you are considering your first appointment or developing a board career, you need a plan.
A board appointment plan
People get overwhelmed with advice when it comes to a board career. Some say to start with a not-for-profit appointment; others say it is all about your Board CV, and many think you must have the ‘right’ connections in place. Yes, all these pieces of advice have merit. However, everyone’s aspirations and experiences differ, as does their path to a board appointment.
My Board Appointment Plan can be utilised by anyone wanting to gain a board appointment. It is extensive, covering every element of the board appointment process, and centres around three core elements – Aspiration, Articulation and Application.
Aspiration – be honest and clear about your board aspirations. Be able to list organisations you both want and can, be appointed to the board of.
Articulation – essentially, your board pitch, the reason you should be appointed to those boards you aspire to.
Application – understanding how you will be appointed and instigating what you must do to get there.
What can you focus on NOW if you are looking for a board role in 2024
FOCUS 1: Your board aspirations
The end of the year is the perfect time to set or re-set your board aspirations. Ask yourself:
- If your aspirations are realistic at this stage in your board career?
- If your aspirations for 2024 are not achievable, ask yourself why and if you can do anything to achieve your goals in the future?
- Should you set new board goals for 2024? Be more realistic?
- Should you network differently?
- Stop doing things that aren’t working?
FOCUS 2: Your executive career
Spend some time to consider where a board role in 2024 fits in your executive career. Taking on a board role will take time away from your executive or family responsibilities. On the other hand, there are substantial professional and personal rewards to be had by serving as a non-executive board director.
If you have a board role, you might well be considering another and for good reason. Those who hold multiple directorships are proven to be fast adopters of business practices and innovation across organisations and industries.
FOCUS 3: Your board pitch
Have you written your board profile, and can you pitch it confidently? If you do have one, is it working, or does it need refining? One central question that you must be able to answer is, ‘What is your value at board level?’ Your answer must address the key criteria that a Chair wants to find in a successful board candidate.
FOCUS 4: Your board CV
Your Board CV should differ from your Executive CV. It should address your value at board level. If you don’t have one, writing this document will help refine your unique skill set and board pitch. If you do have one, you must ensure it is up to date. The process of writing or rewriting a Board CV can be almost as valuable as the end product.
FOCUS 5: Looking for advertised board roles
If you are looking for a board role in 2024, you must be present and active on LinkedIn. Many organisations and search firms use LinkedIn to source candidates and advertise board roles. However, there are multiple other places that advertise board vacancies. For most aspiring board directors this means finding board vacancies is one of the most time-consuming and frustrating parts of the process. Having all the roles available in one place is invaluable, which is why we source and advertise over ~4,000 board vacancies each year.
FOCUS 6: Leveraging personal connections – new and old
Make sure your connecting efforts are consistent, sustained, and meaningful. Take some to analyse, revise, refresh and reconnect with your networks. Make sure to tell people you are looking for a board appointment. In some cases, it can be just that easy for opportunities to arise.
FOCUS 7: Accountability
This is the one step that most people miss, and in doing so, is the main reason why they fail. Some of you will look back at 2023 and agree that this is where they failed. Gaining a board appointment is a process that takes time, commitment and perseverance. You must follow a forward-thinking plan, work on your plan regularly, and spend your time wisely. You need to build in accountabilities. Prioritise weekly tasks and review your plan quarterly.
In Summary
If you are looking for a board role in 2024, there are only four reasons it won’t happen.
- If you don’t know which organisations you both want and could be appointed to.
- You can’t articulate your value to those organisations in a compelling fashion.
- You don’t understand how board appointments are actually made, so you keep doing things that seem right but don’t work.
- You get frustrated and quit.
Unsurprisingly, each element can be easily fixed if you have a plan. One that is easy to implement and will unlock the countless board opportunities, many not advertised. It will focus your attention and reduce frustration—most of all, a plan that will generate a ROI on your valuable time.
If you are serious about board success in 2024 there are three ways we can help.
About the Author
David Schwarz is CEO & Founder of Board Appointments – The UK’s leading board advertising and non-executive career support firm. He has over a decade of experience of putting people on boards as an international headhunter and a non-executive recruiter and has interviewed over one thousand non-executives and placed hundreds into some of the most significant public, private and NFP roles in the world.