I don’t know where I learned about a Personal Board of Directors (PBD), but convening a PBD twenty years ago was one of the best moves I made then, again four years ago, and once more this year. Yes, I’ve had three PBDs.
The first time I gathered a group of three people together as I navigated a career change. Four years ago I invited six people to be my PBD to help me discern next chapters in my life and career. In January of this year, I asked three people to make a one-year commitment as my PBD primarily to help me reach my annual goals.
Definition
A Personal Board of Directors is a small group of trustworthy individuals who—
- Come from different backgrounds, experiences, and careers.
- Possess wisdom and knowledge beyond your own.
- Know you and care about you as a person.
- Desire to see you succeed and be fulfilled.
- Commit to assisting you for a specified period of time and with a specific focus.
- Are not personally affected, positively or negatively. by your decisions.
Just as a board of directors of a for-impact (aka “nonprofit”) organization supports and holds the executive staff accountable to fulfill the organization’s mission, a PBD supports the individual to realize a vision and carry out a mission. That mission may be business-related, of a more personal matter, or holistic. In each of my cases, the PBD helped me navigate career transitions and personal goals.
My first PBD remained active for about 18 months, and my second one for six months. I’ve asked current PBD members to commit to a year. I met individually with members of my first PBD, as each one had specific and particular skills. Because the purpose of my second PBD was to help me discern next steps in my life, we met all together. My current PBD communicates and collaborates online, so while I have individual interactions with each member, everyone can see that communication.
So why have a PBD? In my experience, there are four good reasons.
Accountability
Accountability is the number one benefit I experience from a PBD. I’m someone who delights in thinking, feeling, imagining, researching, and planning. Putting all that planning to work is hard for me. In Enneagram language, my doing center is my repressed center.
My current PBD helps me to follow through on the work to which I’ve committed. Because I inform them of my goals and report on my activity weekly, I feel compelled to do what I say I’m going to do.
In the past I’ve set annual and quarterly goals. I was the only one who knew what they were. If I didn’t do anything to reach those goals, no one knew or cared except me.
This year, and with my current PBD, I’ve committed to six annual goals along with quarterly benchmarks. On a weekly basis I set and inform the PBD about my three big goals for the week. I also report on progress from the previous week. As a result, I am thoughtful about planning the upcoming week to make sure the three weekly goals advance the annual goals. More importantly, I feel compelled to follow through, because there are three people who give their time to pay attention to what I’m doing. I feel accountable to them.
Advice and Feedback
Another reason to gather a PBD is to benefit from their advice and feedback. I convened my first PBD when I decided to leave a salaried position and establish a consulting practice. I was inexperienced in market research and business planning, and knew I needed guidance and advice. One of the members of that PBD was a seasoned business and marketing executive. Another member had resigned her salaried position five years earlier and established a successful consulting practice.
I look to my current PBD for feedback about my priorities, goals, and action plans. “It looks like these first two goals will demand hefty time already. What would happen if you shifted this last goal to the third quarter?” or, “How does that activity further your quarterly goals?”
Affirmation
One way to barricade the imposter syndrome phantom is to acknowledge accomplishments, or as a Center for Creative Leadership article points out, “Focus on the facts,” and “Claim your strengths.” It’s difficult for me to acknowledge and celebrate my accomplishments—big or little. My PBD reminds me of my successes.
One member of my PBD wrote “Who-Hoo!” on an item from last week’s update. Another member noted, “Keep at it! You’re getting there,” followed by, “Should we set up a call to discuss where you are in meeting the rest of your Q1 goals?” That’s affirmation coupled with accountability.
Perspective and Reality Check
Because members of a PBD come from different backgrounds and experiences, each offers a unique perspective and provides reality checks along the way: “Does that really make sense?” and, “Is it reasonable that you can accomplish that this week?”
The primary purpose of my second PBD (the one four years ago) was to assist me in discerning my next chapter. As I explored possibilities, they asked questions like, “What do you need to achieve that?” and, “Who could help you learn more about that?” They asked visioning questions that provided other lenses from which to view opportunities and ideas. “What would that look like?” and “What is the ideal scenario?”
So What?
Consider gathering your own PBD. Set a clear purpose for its existence. Allow yourself to be vulnerable. Remain open to the different perspectives. Listen to the wisdom. Learn from the collective knowledge. And keep walking!