6 Reasons You Should Become A Board Member

In a previous article, I covered the most common questions I get asked when it comes to starting a board career, but there is a bigger question to answer. Why become a board member in the first place?

Here are six reasons why.

Make An Impact

Being a board member puts you in one of the most influential positions within an organisation. This means you can directly impact things such as the experience of employees or customers. Depending on the nature of the organisation, this impact may also expand into the wider society.

Build Your Network

Being a board member is an excellent way to build your network. You will find that the other board members come from a range of industries and backgrounds; working with them regularly makes it natural for new and unexpected opportunities to present themselves.

Additional Income Stream

Many paying board roles are available, ranging from ￡2,000 – ￡250,000+ per year. As board roles are not full-time work, these can often be done in combination with a full-time job or running your own business.

Sharpen Your Executive and Leadership Skills

As a board member, you will be responsible for high-level leadership within an organisation. In doing so, you have the opportunity to learn, master and apply strategic and leadership skills regularly. Developing these skills will make you more effective in your current or future leadership roles.

Learn From The Best

When working in the boardroom environment, you often work with world-class talent. This can be other board members, other leaders within your organisation or external specialist. As the nature of being a board member requires you to understand a range of topics relevant to the organisation, you will learn about these areas from the people who surround you. The quality of the insights you acquire will likely be worth more than formal education.

Build Your Profile

Being a board member can play a significant role in boosting your profile. Not only is it an indication of your senior leadership and executive ability, but it also shows that an external organisation has recognised these skills.

Conclusion

Starting my career has easily been one of the best choices for my career as a whole. I may have mentioned in passing already, but I am creating a project which will help you build and develop your board career. So if you're interested, keep following this space!