Management expert Peter Drucker observed that, “What gets measured, gets managed.” Most leaders embrace this wisdom in their businesses, but we are less likely to measure elements of our own careers. This is especially true en route to board roles where we lack objective standards to assess our progress.
What if you could measure your board readiness in the areas that matter most — so you can improve? What if you could generate an overall score for your board career, take it to the next level, and launch out along the path you want?
Well, with the BoardScore™ Assessment, you can.
It’s a tool that I’ve developed to help clients quantify their readiness for boards and measure progress towards their goals.
I’m sharing the BoardScore™ Assessment as part of my new free video training series entitled, “Today, You Are Ready to Get on Board.” It’s based on a handful of key principles.
Board Readiness Principle #1: Readiness Is Multifaceted
Consider eight dimensions of board readiness:
- Operating experience
- Leadership & change
- Industry background
- Functional expertise
- Commitment to learning
- Governance experience
- Network & brand
- Motivation & values
Top performing directors are well-rounded athletes who show strengths across multiple dimensions.
Board Readiness Principle #2: Each Dimension Is Important
Your board offer is a seamless whole. For purposes of discussion, we can talk about dimensions. But this is an abstraction and we can’t compartmentalize so easily.
For example, our ability to lead amid change relies on the relationships we’ve nurtured and the values we demonstrate to others. Similarly, our commitment to learning may open doors to opportunities to gain operating experience or functional expertise.
Because these board readiness dimensions are interrelated, each is important. Each must receive the appropriate amount of attention for our current board career stage.
Board Readiness Principle #3: Clarity Enables Progress
I have to admit that I am directionally challenged. When people offer directions to a specific destination, I feel a low level of panic.
That’s why I never go anywhere without a GPS or navigation app. I was (literally) lost before this technology existed. Now, I really only need two pieces of information: where I am and where I want to go.
The problem with board career building is that we may not know where we are, let alone where we are going. We may understand our progress in our day jobs, but our current board prospects are fuzzy at best. And the path ahead is hardly ever clear.
Board Readiness Principle #4: We Can Improve Along Any Dimension
This is the good news. You really can get better and experience significant growth. You don’t have to settle for what is.
Seven years ago, I hadn’t even thought about becoming a director. After moving to a new city, however, I realized that non-profit board service would enhance my professional network.
After some setbacks, I joined the board of a hospital foundation raising funds for a new facility. Then, I joined the regional board of one of Canada’s largest membership associations. My big break came when a client asked me to stop consulting and join his board.
These experiences qualified me for the boards of a large credit union and $300 million national retailer. Within five years, I went from having no board career to making a living at incredibly fulfilling board work. All it took was clarity about my current board offer, the intention to make progress, and the effort to make it happen. (My new video series shows you how to do just that.)
Board Readiness Principle #5: You are Ready Right Now
People often think that professional directors are a specially anointed crowd. About themselves, they may say:
- Once I gain more experience, boards will take me seriously
- Once I grow my network, I’ll have the contacts I need to find a board role
- Once I retire, I’ll have time for board work
I understand this thinking, but it’s an unnecessary limitation based on stale wisdom. It needn’t apply to you. In fact, you could well be ready to get on board right now. It’s all a matter of assessing your readiness, identifying appropriate roles, and taking action.
That’s why I created the BoardScore™ Assessment. I wanted to help you determine exactly where you are, so you can pick a destination in the distance and begin taking action to get there.
How BoardScore™ Works
Like many assessments, this one is self-administered. It provides you with the opportunity to rate yourself on a scale of 1–12 in each of a director’s eight dimensions. You read a series of statements that describe specific situations and pick the one that most closely aligns with where you perceive yourself to be. Then you give yourself the appropriate numeric score
The tool tracks your scores for each dimension, adds them together, and gives you an overall BoardScore.™ The whole process takes less than ten minutes. It will give you the clarity you need to create the career you want.
Once you know your BoardScore,™ you can quickly see opportunities for growth and what is working well. If you take it periodically, you have a built-in way to measure your growth over time and stay motivated.
Best of all, the BoardScore™ Assessment is FREE — for a limited time.
I am offering it as part of my promotion for the Boardroom Blueprint training program, which launches in February. After that, the assessment will only be available as part of the course.
Don’t miss this opportunity to discover your BoardScore.™ It’s revealing. It’s free. And it will give you the clarity you need to start making progress in the areas of your board career that matter most.
Get Your BoardScore and related free training now!
Please feel free to share the BoardScore™ tool with other aspiring directors. You can click to tweet this blog post or direct your friends and colleagues to the related free video training series. Thank you!
[Tweet “You are ready to get on board. Get Your BoardScore and related free training now! #corpgov”]
