This marks my forty-seventh consecutive weekly post on board career building. When I started this blog in late January, I never imagined that it would become a favorite aspect of my week. It has prompted rich conversations with readers, created opportunities with new clients, and renewed my love of writing.
I think of this post as “our” best of 2015, because it highlights what this community has created together. I may initiate conversations each Monday morning, but it is you, the reader, who sustains and expands each idea. Thank you for commenting, sharing and e-mailing me your thoughts week after week.
Looking back on the year, a handful of posts rose to the top as reader favorites. I think the top five deserve a moment of reflection.
Introverted Leaders: Why Quiet is Magic in the Boardroom
On a quiet evening in early June, my phone started buzzing and didn’t stop. New York Times best-selling Wharton professor Adam Grant tweeted my blog post on the contributions of introverts to boardroom culture. Shortly thereafter, Susan Cain, TED talk star and author of Quiet, posted my article on her Facebook page. This serendipity brought many of you to this blog and I’m grateful for your continued engagement.
Pivoting: How to See Disappointment as an Opportunity
I’m surprisingly grateful for a setback that I experienced in the spring. A seemingly disastrous interview for a plum board position prompted me to seek a way out of the fog. The resulting cathartic blog post prompted countless readers to write me with stories of their own past challenges. I would later remind myself of my own advice that by allowing “a single rejection to discourage us, we are giving another party far too much power.”
How to Be Management’s Most Valued Director
Our success as directors lies not solely in the knowledge that we bring to a board, but in what we seek to understand. It’s not just a matter of what we know, but how we think. This post highlights seven helpful behaviours that encourage the kind of thinking that management teams value and trust.
Stay Humble, Hustle Hard: Motivation and Your Board Career and How to Get on Boards: Make Your Goal Known
A number of my posts reflect my experience that success comes when I make my ambition known. In The Alchemist, author Paulo Coelho suggests that “the universe conspires to help the dreamer.” Our willingness to disregard conventional wisdom and ask others to aspire with us is a powerful driver of board career success. Without consistent motivation, I wouldn’t do the work on boards that I do, nor would I have the privilege of connecting with you each week.
If these or other posts resonated with you this year, I would greatly appreciate your sharing a post or two with others. Your commenting on, sharing, and “liking” my posts boost their visibility and allow me to serve more bright leaders like you.
Thank you for all of your support and engagement in 2015. I can’t wait to see what we create next year and beyond.
