4 Summer Tips for those who want to get started with board work

One size fits all' does not apply to board careers, just as it doesn’t for business careers. However, these tips are certainly valuable for all board candidates.

Tell Your Network

Once you have the goal of contributing to board work, the next natural step is to inform your network. Let them know what you want and plan, and you will undoubtedly find that many are ready to help you. This is perhaps the best advice of all.

Align the Decision with Your Family

It's important to consider how you use your potentially limited free time. Here, we cannot avoid touching on a gender difference: men generally have a larger professional network than their female peers and are typically more active in various networks through their business careers. This topic generates much debate, but Selection F's goal is to achieve results, not create debate. We mention it because balancing home life and finding time to network can be an important part of your board journey, regardless of gender.

Practice Presenting Your Skills

Identifying the core of your contributions and skills and practicing how to articulate them in words and stories is an exercise that prepares you incredibly well to present yourself as an attractive board member. This also includes a board CV. It should be short, precise, and convey what you are passionate about and your business career experience. This way, it shows how you can specifically contribute to the company's development. The board CV should be tailored to the type of company (ownership form, strategic challenge, industry, etc.) that you believe will benefit most from having you on the board.

Find Your Supporters

It's important to keep your professional support network informed about your ambitions and to see board work as a parallel and enriching track to your business career and current commitments to a potential employer. Position board work as 'working on the board' to your employer. Board work is a win-win situation for all parties, as actively involved board members contribute their experience and overview from other companies to the work. Several companies have board work as an active part of their leadership development programs and encourage top-level executives to seek board experience, thereby strengthening their navigation skills and strategic outlook. If you are part of such an organization, it is straightforward to argue for your desires. But in other types of companies, you may need to outline the good arguments for your choice.