The Chairperson is your Key
We all know that Chair’s are confident, self-assured individuals with great intellect and management skills right. Perhaps, but they are but they also spend much of their time concerning themselves with the dynamics of their board – particularly when it comes to appointing a new Director. In a previous article, I looked at the four […]
The Four Ways Board Appointments are Made
Typically, board appointments take place via four avenues: Through your personal connections; By a candidate directly approaching a board or organisation; By responding to an advertisement or Through an executive search firm, recruiter or headhunter. Whilst some of these avenues are more effective than others, there is a strong chance that you will need to […]
A Board Profile That Dares Them Not to Appoint You
Of fundamental importance is understanding and being able to articulate your offering to a board. Whilst this may seem obvious it is one of the most significant challenges I see potential board members struggle with. Further, beyond providing clarity in your own mind, your board profile must also form the basis of your CV, your cover letter […]
The Fundamental Attribution Error Changes Everything
You may ask what the Fundamental Attribution Error (FAE) is. Malcolm Gladwell writes about this in his bestselling book, Tipping Point. He writes that the Fundamental Attribution Error stems from the fact that people ‘instinctively want to explain the world around them in terms of people’s essential attributes.’ In other words, they do not take […]
Branding Yourself as a Non-Executive Director
When it comes to gaining a seat on a board, your ‘brand’ can make the difference between being considered appointable or not. Further, having a brand that does not suggest you are a Non-Executive or desire to be appointed to a board can prevent opportunities even presenting themselves to you. As such, getting your brand right is probably the […]
What Does a Successful Board Candidate Look Like?
Board Direction helps you fast track your board appointment – find out more. I needn’t tell you that there are as many types of boards as there are sectors and industries within. Therefore, the advice I am presenting you about being a successful board candidate, will need to be filtered into your own industry context, […]
Gaining a Role on a Not-for-Profit Board
Over the past few weeks, I have been looking at the various types of boards. Today I would like to discuss one that’s probably my favourite: the Not-for-Profit Board. The merits of serving on a Not-for-Profit board Time after time I hear clients of mine articulate that they are not interested in any opportunities on […]
Gaining a Board Role in the Commercial Sector
I have written before about the 3 types of boards that are commonly available to those who seek to serve on a board. I previously wrote about Government Boards and Committees. Today I want to focus on boards in the Commercial Sector and the different strategies and tactics required to gain an appointment. 5 Different Types of […]
Finding a Role with Government Boards or Committees
There are 3 types of boards that are commonly available to those who seek to serve on a board. They include: Government Boards & Committees Commercial Boards Not for Profit Boards In this article, I want to focus on Government Boards and Committees. Government Boards and Committees exist in a wide range of industries In […]
Making the Transition from CFO to NED
There are hundreds of companies looking for Non-Executive Directors (NEDs). However, gaining a board appointment is highly competitive – with there being more candidates than opportunities. Still, if you are a CFO, I have good news; for the majority of organisations looking for a new Non-Executive Director, CFOs & finance professionals are highly sought after. […]
The Perfect Board Candidate?
There are literally thousands of boards operating in a countless number of industries across Australia and each one operates within its own context and has various peculiarities unique to them. As such, it often seems difficult to decipher exactly what they might value in a new board member. This confusion is often compounded by a board’s desire […]
The Two Biggest Mistakes You Can Make When Considering a Board Career
I have never spoken to a board director that said finding that first directorship was quick or easy. Most of the time they describe it as arduous and time consuming – though our services do make the journey far more enjoyable and profitable. In talking to literally thousands of NED’s over the past 10+ years, […]
7 Steps to Gaining a Corporate Board Seat
In a previous article on diversity in the boardroom I made a plea for board seats to be more obtainable to a wider, qualified, more diverse audience with a broad range of talent. To remain competitive and profitable, our corporations depend on it. This opens the market to a much wider group of prospective directors […]
The Tax Deductible Benefits of Board Direction Membership
Board Direction has one vision and that is to help each member find and gain a board appointment. Being able to deduct your Board Direction membership fees from your taxes, is an added benefit. Every year, as soon as June comes around, we sit with heads bent over statements and receipts, trying to work out how […]
Forewarned is forearmed: the six challenges of gaining a board appointment.
Every day I meet people intent on starting a board career. But, for as many people I meet who want a board career I meet just as many who say that finding a board role is too onerous a process. This is disappointing because board appointments offer terrific opportunities to further your career, develop new skills and create new personal […]
LinkedIn & Your Board Search
LinkedIn – a highly underrated tool for your board search It is no secret that I love using LinkedIn – infact, with over 20,000 connections, I am a Top 10 Australian, LinkedIn user. I love using it because: it has some great functionality; it allows me to connect with individuals directly and provides an easy […]