How to Develop Your P-BOD Personal Board of Directors

from Women2Women Magazine Winter 2023

Program Speaker Profiles

How to Develop Your P-BOD: Personal Board of Directors

When you are a leader or business owner, it can be difficult to receive genuine feedback from those who work for you and alongside you, as they may want to focus on pleasing you or fear facing consequences. This is true not just for executives and entrepreneurs but also for women wishing to climb the ladder. We all have people in our lives that have different roles and responsibilities and who can be integral in our success. When it comes to finding success, strategically developing mentors and supporters who can fill a role on your personal board of directors can help skyrocket your success at work. Developing your personal board of directors, affectionately known as your P-BOD, can help you to unlock opportunities for connection and feedback as well as identify people who can help you become more successful.

What is a Personal Board of Directors (P-BOD)?

Your P-BOD is a group of five to 10 individuals who can help you make good decisions, give you advice and feedback, challenge your assumptions, brainstorm and broaden your professional network. You want to meet with each person on your board on a regular basis. They can help you navigate your blind spots, advocate for you and assist you in being thoughtful about leadership challenges. Let’s face facts, an annual meeting just won’t meet these needs. While you don’t need to gather your entire personal board of directors together, you want to have regular and meaningful conversations with them to discuss your challenges and opportunities in both your professional and personal life. Making sure that you’re fostering key relationships with the right people can help put you on a path to meaningful development.

What Should I Consider When Choosing My P-BOD?

Your personal board of directors should allow you to: • Be exposed to diverse perspectives • Gain wisdom to accelerate your learning curve • Provide access to key leaders and resources • Allow you to step out of your shoes and navigate your blind spots When you consider building your personal board of directors, think of people you know from different places and different times in your life: • A connector will lead you to ask questions of yourself that may lead to other questions that inspire you toward change. • A counselor provides invaluable perspective and encourages you to use critical thinking to understand diverse points of view. • A comptroller will hold you accountable. • A coach will push you to be your best and be your cheerleader while asking you exploratory questions to help you overcome missteps. • A challenger helps you to step out of your comfort zone and think boldly to act. It is helpful to ensure your P-BOD is dynamic and diverse enough to set you up for success.

Create Your P-BOD!

Now it’s time to go out there and recruit your P-BOD! Make sure that candidates are supportive and willing to offer you candid and direct feedback. When approaching a potential member for your P-BOD, allow your relationships to happen organically. Consider someone that you trust, or who is trusted by others, within the organization or someone that you would like to learn from. Invite that person for a virtual coffee chat or to “pick their brain” about a certain topic. Identify follow-up questions that can help the flow of your conversation. By leveraging your P-BOD and communicating with your board members regularly, you can trust you will be able to walk through challenges and celebrate your wins. Give it a try and watch your opportunities expand! 2 By Katherine Ketter AVP Customer Experience, Health Partners Plans Join The Newly Renovated IA Club