GETTNG ON BOARD

I recently had dinner with an entrepreneur I have admired for a while now. One of topics that we discussed was about him being asked to be part of an inclusion board.

I shared that I have witnessed a number of medium to large organisations wishing to get more underrepresented people on their boards but at best it can come across as quite tokenistic. That niggling feeling one gets as a person of colour, a women, or any other underrepresented cohort missing from most boards, when you KNOW you have been chosen more for optics than the skillset you have.

I am very clear to organisations that if I am offered a board role for a company that my preferences are are either as chair or as a non executive/trustee, and that my contribution to the board should lean into my skills and guidance around leadership and governance, or financial planning.

As such I would extend this advice to those from underrepresented backgrounds who are asked to be on advisory or inclusion boards. I would suggest that you ask the question “What particular part of my existing roles or skillset do you think would be of benefit to the board?”

Who knows you might be so good they ask you to be an executive director, and yes, I have been asked that question.

It can be very easy for boards when facing both internal and external pressure about representation to approach talent that ticks a box. However, if you are serious about really adding value to your organisation, it should be on the skillset being offered and not just window dressing.