It's a mind-set thing. Securing non-executive director roles.

This article is a mixture of rant and information for those who are looking to expand their portfolio of non-executive director roles or start on the non-executive director career path. It struck me that with the growth of the "online" focus in this space, more and more NEDs are looking for a "get rich quick" approach to finding roles.

Here is some news for you - it won't happen!

Recently I spoke to someone I believed would make a great addition to the Virtualnonexecs platform. After various back-and-forths, the potential member (remember, building a profile on our network is 100% free and companies can search and hire for free also) asked "Is it worth me bothering?" WOW!

My answer was "If you have a negative mind-set, the answer is always 'No!'"

Finding a Board seat isn't easy and it can feel like you need to be a magician to find that illusive non-executive director role? You’re not alone!

For almost 15 years I worked in the headhunting space and appointed literally 100s of main board members as well as non-executive director and Chairs. My clients ranged from start up to significant SMEs to major PLCs. My focus was largely entrepreneur-led, private companies.

I have built and sold multiple businesses and have enjoyed lots of success in the boardroom, largely thanks to various non-executive mentors along the way. In recent years I have joined several boards as non-executive director including one business that was sold in 2018 to a trade acquirer.

If you have the mind-set of "Is it worth me bothering?" then it's better if you close the article right now.

Have the lazy arses left the room?

OK..... we shall continue by discussing how you should approach your non-executive director career search. Let’s start by considering what a Chair will look for in appointing a non-executive director. With 1000s of non-executive interviews under my belt, there are common traits that Chairs look for. Here are a small number:

• Governance experience
• Demonstrable passion for the business/sector
• Your network and connections
• Executive skills
• Cultural and personality fit with the management team

Out of all of the above, I would strongly argue that the most important of these (at least in the SME market) is your ability to utilise your connections and network for a commercial gain.

Closely following the value of your connections will be the cultural fit. A Board can be a fragile environment so fitting in well is absolutely essential. Not damaging the reputation of the business, the CEO or the Chair goes without saying but also being too relaxed in approach or even a “Yes Man” will be seen as a major negative and Chairs will look for non-executives who can and will challenge decisions and strategy.

By understanding the five components of the non-executive director hiring process, you will be able to fine tune your approach, CV and rhetoric. In many ways you are challenging the Board to take the risk of not appointing you.

How are non-executive directors hired?

There are several routes but most notably are:

• Personal connections
• Advertised job roles - I would argue that this is becoming almost impossible to get success from!
• Recruiters and head-hunters - A very small chance that this will work but it is always worth connecting.
• Doing your own due diligence and making approaches to companies directly. Make yourself the target of the approach!

It should come as no surprise that somewhere in the region of 65% of non-executive directors are appointed to a board via a “personal connection”. However, don’t be disheartened by that statistic because many of those “personal connections” are “arms length” or “weak” connections which means good and avid networkers are more likely than others to find non-executive director roles. It is here we can really see the value of being a part of a network like Linkedin, social groups in business or dedicated NED platforms such as VirtualNonExecs.com.

In summation, finding non-executive director roles is a mixture of networking, articulating WHY a company should appoint you, using job boards and actually telling everyone that you are looking to develop a portfolio of non-executive director positions.

Just this morning I personally introduced a senior figure in the London legal market to a North West firm looking for a non-executive director. Yes, this person is a member of Virtualnonexecs, yes they spent 10 minutes creating their profile and no, they didn't ask "Is it worth me even bothering?"

You get out what you put in.

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Start your non-executive director career HERE