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The Board, Revisited

"You want to get out of the hole? First you’re going to have to put down the shovel." -Rick Dicker, Incredibles 2

The Board, Revisited
rethinking the board.
💡
Programming Note: I am thinking about shifting up the posting schedule here a bit into 2 categories: a weekly list of "here's 10 things I found interesting", and then the more traditional "long form" posts every few weeks. I am finding that the calendar is getting crazy, and waiting to share things out over weeks, holds up the weekly links. Stay tuned!

In 2021, I talked about an idea I had regarding cultivating trusted circles by creating your own personal board of directors.

Cultivate a trusted circle of former or current colleagues, advisors, networkers, and even a critic or two that you can bounce ideas off of, help you with professional development, or provide some clarity to major decisions.

This group needs to be able to give you honest feedback, and more importantly you need to be able to take it.

You're not in this alone, and seeking guidance isn't a weakness; it's perspective.

I ran through some ideas on who should be on the board - including some diversity, making it dynamic, filling it with mentors and peers, having a few critics, and absolutely making sure it isn't a family member. ;)

That post sparked a fire (as it remains the most-read piece that I've written), so I decided to revisit it a few years past since I still get pings on it.

Oddly enough, I recently ran across Shane Parrish’s book Clear Thinking). The book, which is described as a path for 'Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results' talks about personal boards:

Back in the early '80s, I made Bill Lazier the honorary chairman of my personal board of directors. And when I chose members ... they were not chosen for their success. They were chosen for their values and character .... They're the sorts of people I wouldn't want to let down.

The sort of person you wouldn't want to let down.

It's powerful and insightful, and it rings true to my own experiences with personal boards. I wanted to look back and say, "I wish I had thought of this or that," or something that I would change, and there really wasn't a lot outside of the original concept to tweak.. but..

If there were any things to play with:

  • A board meeting. Considering how much I have grown to enjoy the art of the gathering, there's probably something magical that could be crafted by pulling people together in a wonderful place. I once wrote, "getting a small group with different backgrounds and experiences together, sharing a well-crafted meal in a beautiful setting coupled with a carefully prepared spirit - I'll admit: there's nothing quite like that.". In the spirit of a "board meeting," it could be awesome.
  • Changing it up. Most people on my board have remained consistent over the last few years. There may be nothing wrong with term limits; adding new blood there isn't a bad idea. Your needs as a human evolve and change, and your challenges and perspectives also change, and so should the board's composition. Continuous growth.
  • Digital. Would throwing some tech in there, such as a Slack channel or a shared bookmark/reading list, be a good idea? It may evolve into group thinking—too often, people I share many links with ultimately end up all reading the same things.
  • Active engagement. Often, I reach out to the board if I'm facing an issue or trying to cement my thinking on tackling a problem. I haven't engaged them in skill improvement or "what am I lacking right now" conversations—it's more about "hey, I'm trying to tackle a problem, and this is what I'm thinking."
  • Give back more. Personal boards are a two-way street; I need to contact them to see if they feel like I'm also keeping up my end of the bargain.
  • Add in someone earlier in career. Maybe this falls under mentorship, but I have found tremendous value in shifting how I hire to lean more toward fresh out of school. The recent graduates keep things new and alive, and I learn a lot from them. Adding an early-in-career person to the board would bring some interesting perspectives.

Having a blueprint for a personal board is one of the most valuable things I've done in my career.

Be there for them.
Thank them (hand-written notes are amazing!).
Having a group of individuals that can encourage you, challenge ideas, support and uplift you will help you in the long run grow both personally and professionally.

I read once, "the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is today."

So, if you haven't already, go and craft your own small council (sorry, I can't resist GoT memes) and build your group of trusted advisors today.

If you enjoy these posts, you can subscribe to Club Mako ($1/mo) 📆, buy me a coffee ☕️, check out the store or just share my work. If you'd rather just keep up with my ramblings, follow me via your favorite RSS reader or via Mastodon. Your support is much appreciated!

Exploration 🧭

I've been thinking a lot about this lately: the power of just letting go.

“Do you really let yourself go? Nature is giving you, by death, the opportunity to let go of all this nonsense.”

To Watch 📺

Quotables 📚

The trick is simple: If it’s important, make it visible. If it happens over time, create a signal that brings the future into the present.

Creating vivid measurements of essential variables that others overlook is a significant competitive advantage.

via Aral Balkan

Here are a few random findings that I thought would be interesting to share. It really is just a dump of things sitting in my "thats interesting" pile, that I threw some categories on for you to pick out what tickles your fancy.

Thinking 🤪

Huh. 👽

Media 📺

Tech 📟

Life 🫶🏻

As Jor-EL in the classic 1978 movie Superman, Marlon Brando was iconic but had some amusing stories about the behind-the-scenes. In an interview with actor Cary Elwes, 16 at the time, described his job as "to get Marlon out of his trailer".

"Marlon had no incentive to be on time because his agent had struck the most amazing deal for him," Elwes said. "Every day the picture went over, he got another million dollars.

He "swiftly discovered that the best way to lure Brando out of his trailer was mainly with food."

"Once you fed Marlon, he was in a much better mood," the actor recalled. "So I tried to find delicacies that appealed to him, which were limited at Shepperton at the time. He mainly wanted desserts."

Anyway, I recently stumbled upon a blooper reel from that performance that I had never seen before. In it, he hilariously struggles to remember his son Kal-El's name.

Be well. ✌🏻

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Jamie Larson
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