Last week I had a conversation with someone who is well-positioned to make a significant professional move and sought my advice. He is smart, articulate, poised, and deeply engaged in his field. But as we talked, it became clear that one thing might hold him back: his inability to make sense of the organizational politics that drive decision-making in our university and any other in which he might land.
I began to worry about this as he described his surprise at a colleague’s recent promotion and questioned the motivation behind it. His explanation was complicated and conspiratorial and it prompted me to respond, “I think you are overthinking this.” When he asked what I thought had happened, I responded with an explanation that was far less complex or sinister. I noted, of course, “That’s just my analysis; you should talk to others to confirm it.” This led to a conversation about the fact that he feels quite isolated in that regard. He has a lot of connections to people with technical expertise, but not many to those with strategic prowess.
I happen to know this guy has a mentor -- an outstanding mentor, actually. But the fact that he is so off base about our organizational dynamics suggests that he needs more than a mentor. He needs a full-fledged board of advisers. I’m not being dramatic about that; I’m serious. In fact, almost all of us could benefit from a dedicated braintrust to offer us advice, help us wrestle with ethical dilemmas, interpret events, share perspectives on our current challenges, critique our decisions, and position us to move forward with greater confidence.
So what is a personal board of advisers? It’s simply a collection of people who want you to be successful and are willing to provide you with guidance and insights from time to time. There are no formal meetings and no published membership rosters. It’s not necessary to ask for formal participation. The group forms a collective in your life, not in all of theirs. A simple, “I really appreciate the way you think; would you be willing to let me run ideas by you from time to time?” can be a low-key way of establishing your relationship as something official.
The mechanics of establishing a personal board of advisers are not that hard to master. The tougher challenge is deciding on the membership. There is no template that works for everyone, as we all need a different mix of people. But I will describe a few members of my own personal board. They include:
- The packager: can make even a small idea seem like a well-established national model by giving it a compelling name and producing a flyer and a one-page website.
- The political strategist: works with real-life politicians every day and helps me envision the potential ramifications of my actions. And then, afterward, reminds me that my desire to imagine the world as a fair and just place is charming, but completely impractical.
- The insider: knows and sees all, and serves as an important translator of decisions and resource allocations.
- The pop culture expert: alerts me to memes, movies, TV trends, and celebrity news that I can incorporate into cocktail party conversations, writing, and presentations.
- The technologist: keeps me up-to-date on social media, software programs, and emerging technologies.
- The scanner: is a consultant adept at noticing higher-education trends before anyone else does.
- The business guru: has deep expertise in corporate life and is my go-to source on ethical dilemmas.
- The connector: knows everyone in my city and is always willing to make an introduction.
- The career coach: is a search firm consultant who knows what it takes to be successful in higher education.
- The Zen master: has an established mindfulness practice and keen sense of discipline. I have neither so I pay close attention, hoping some of his inner strength will rub off on me.
There are others, of course, but perhaps these examples might help you imagine the kinds of people you might want on your board. I would be interested in your thoughts on this. Perhaps we could work together to develop a menu of potential board member profiles that might help others.
