COVER STORY

Continued from page 14 his style and will interact with him in an honest, ethical, and straightforward manner.

Goals For The Board

One of Lidemark’s defining characteristics may be that he is as comfortable mingling with the senior corporate executives who serve alongside him on the Advocis board as he is hanging out with clients on a golf course or buddies around a pool table.

He sees it as a strength that a diversified group of people with vastly different skills and experiences sit with him on the board: “It’s valuable for the members to see we can be a membership organization for a wide variety of people — and our example is your board. We want to be representative of our membership.”

During his tenure as chair, Lidemark will focus on strengthening governance. This year, instead of having the secretary head up the Governance Committee, the board has appointed a committee chair who is not on the executive. The committee chair will work closely with the secretary, bringing to the table a wealth of governance experience acquired at other organizations.

The board is doing something similar with the Finance and Audit Committee. In that case, the committee chair is a Chartered Professional Accountant who will collaborate with the treasurer, sharing specialized knowledge essential to the financial oversight of the organization.

In addition, Lidemark has arranged for every board member to join the Institute for Corporate Directors (ICD). That organization provides free seminars and education that Lidemark is confident will elevate everyone’s understanding of governance.

To advisors who are considering following in his footsteps and participating actively in their professional association, Lidemark says, “Just get involved.”

“Get on a committee. Commit to one hour a month. … You’ll meet great people, because you have common interests [and] you’ll be happy with yourself, your personal growth, and your knowledge of the industry.”