Why it’s critical to have a "Board You Cannot Afford"
I was fortunate enough several years ago to be introduced to three interesting women in a very short time period – just at the point the Women on Boards discussion in the UK was hotting up with the publication of the Davies Review into the status of women on boards in the UK. And to the concept of A Board You Cannot Afford and why having one is critical in business and life.
My work at the time meant I had very few relatable female role models – working in a male leadership team. I realised that something wasn’t quite right. I was struggling to raise my visibility and progress my career at the same rate as many of my male peers. I gradually realised that, like many in the workplace, my networks were few, limited in depth, breadth and quite frankly focus – not helped by having very little time (I had just given birth to our daughter).
Around this time, I came across the work of Julia Hobsbawm that she was initiating at Cass Business School on relationships, networks and social health. Her thinking really influenced me then (and continues to now) in how I approach, build and manage relationships and networks. Her focus on connectedness in the Age of Overload that we inhabit and particularly how to identify, approach and manage networks effectively has been transformational for me.
Unlike most of the “thinking” out there which is either too academic to be practically applied or focuses predominantly on how to work a room, Julia gives you the theory and practical application. She focuses on the why, the how and the what of relationships and networks in a hugely relatable and manageable way. I am now much more conscious of why, who and how I connect both within my existing networks and also outside of my networks. The latter is equally important as the former, it feeds the ongoing need for diversity of thought within my network (this is particularly true at the moment!) and avoids inhabiting my own bubble/echo chamber. As well as committing sufficient time and consistency to it – planning and connecting with intent and care.
Julia was also instrumental in bringing together Zella King and I through an event she hosted. Zella’s work on Who is in your personal boardroom? really helped me to understand the need to have a personal boardroom made up of individuals who could help me navigate my career and next steps as I took them. Having a strong and focused network was important to help me deliver value to my employer and deliver, and added to my social capital – having a personal board room also helped me to navigate my career moves and difficult situations far more effectively. Critically, these individuals are not necessarily friends although they often do become ones. Their role is to support, champion and challenge you. There are no age or experience boundaries – they are as likely to be an octogenarian professional as a 20-something-year-old tech-savvy entrepreneur. Trust and reciprocity are the foundations of these relationships. My network and personal boardroom have come into their own even more now that I am running my own business.
These key concepts of relationships and networks in a career context are not taught to women – I’m not sure many men are taught either, but they do oftentimes have more readily available access by default. I witnessed this memorably at a dinner for investment bankers that I was invited to. The number of young men (sons, godsons, mentees, employees etc) who had been brought along by the predominantly male attendees compared to the number of young women (there were a few!) served as an example of how this plays out.
Critically, I was fortunate to be introduced to Joanne Hession. We had a long conversation in a Sainsbury’s car park of all places, and it was one of those conversations you remember (she was introduced to me by a member of my personal boardroom!). Joanne is based in Ireland and set up LIFT Ireland to improve the quality of leadership in public and private institutions in Ireland. She very generously shared with me the concept of A Board You Cannot Afford. For many years, Joanne has had such a board made up of other inspirational business professionals who spend quality time together away on retreats working through their challenges – work and personal – with no distinction. It has been transformational for them.
I feel strongly that every leader needs to aspire to A Board You Cannot Afford. In my executive coaching and business mentoring work with business founders and owners in particular, I often challenge them to identify and approach individuals to strive for the inspiration, to stretch their beliefs and build a truly inspiring group of individuals as their Board they cannot afford. I often find that aspiration can be very low with clients and by opening minds and entertaining the art of the possible – great things can happen! It really is possible to establish a mind-bogglingly impressive Board you cannot afford through clarity of purpose and impact!
Building targeted, well nurtured relationships and networks is such an essential activity and skill. I spend a great deal of my time when working with coachees and mentees on the issue of networks and networking – especially women – who once they grasp the framework mentioned above and requirements, frequently prove very effective at taking forward their networks and building successful careers and businesses.
A bit more about the author –
Rebecca Hill, founder at Wise Sherpa, is an experienced respected, trusted, sought after and award winning coach, consultant, facilitator and mentor.
Her passion is working with purpose led and impact focused leaders, professionals and organisations (including start ups and scale ups) in London and internationally in a thoughtful, collaborative and considered way guiding them to successfully realise their aspirations and achieve their goals. Rebecca’s approach is highly personalised and tailored to the needs of each client which is why clients report strong outcomes and she is considered one of the best leadership coaches and consultants.
Rebecca is also an author and speaker. She speaks on a range of issues including mid-life to later life transitions into fulfilling encores, navigating major life stages from a career perspective and women’s economic empowerment to name a few.
She holds an MSc in Coaching and Consulting from HEC Paris (in association with Said Business School, University of Oxford), as well as being a Chartered Marketer and qualified coach. She has lived and worked in several countries including France, US and Switzerland and speaks several languages. In her spare time, she also sits on a number of boards and committees.
