Let’s talk board governance.
If you followed the recent OpenAI drama, you know that board governance is essential.
4 years ago, I was working for a company who sponsored board governance training. One of the best leaders I ever worked with is the board chair for Capacity Canada.
My last job was director level and the company actively campaigned for directors to get involved with the community and serve on boards. One day, I got an email offering free board governance training in partnership with Capacity Canada. I paid attention because it came from Joanna.
I did the training and even interviewed for a board position with Southlake Hospital, my local hospital where my girls were born, my mother-in-law died and the place that helped me care for my mom before she died. Realistically, the restructuring of my job undermined my chances of getting a board position because I lost sponsorship. I let go of it because I got busy with trying to get my consulting business off the ground.
Yesterday, I got an email from Cindy Gallop - I subscribe to her newsletter.
It was called:
“I’m a woman. How do I get on a board?”
https://lnkd.in/gJxV-Nn3
‘Put ‘board director’ on your LinkedIn profile, your resume, your social media bios generally. Make people see you as a board director. You are a board director - in waiting. You just haven’t been snapped up by the right company board lucky enough to have found you, yet.’
It reminded me that there are very good reasons to do board work.
“Enforcing rules around minimum office attendance leads to lower job satisfaction and does not significantly improve firm performance in the short term, an analysis of S&P 500 firms has found.
The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh in the US, also found firms were more likely to introduce a return to the office mandate if their chief executive was male or the firm had endured a prior period of poor sharemarket performance.”
https://lnkd.in/gCBMzMDn
In addition, pushback on workplace flexibility is having a remarkable detrimental affect on women, caregivers and diversity and inclusion.
If RTO mandates impact performance, diversity, equity and inclusion, employer branding and reputation then these are absolutely topics that should be discussed and supported at the board level.
In anticipation of #IW2024 & the theme of inclusion, let’s actively search out opportunities to get on a board.
I have 2 decades worth of experience in financial services, a certified financial planner certificate, expertise in operational excellence and a top leadership podcast with 80 episodes proving I know how to ask questions.
As Cindy wrote:
“Women directors come to board meetings well-prepared and concerned with accountability. The result is that women come into board meetings armed with questions that shape decisions.”