Do You Have a Personal Board of Advisors?
One of the topics we're covering on Monday in my FIRE Circle program session is the idea of having a personal board of advisors or directors to help guide you in managing your life, personally and professionally. Do you have a group of trusted advisors that you look to when you're analyzing what's next in your career or navigating a challenging set of circumstances? I do, and it's really helpful to be able to get perspectives from people that you trust but who are looking at the situation with a different lens.
In identifying people for your board of advisors, you don't want people who will tell you what you want to hear. You need people you trust to give you both the cheerleader speech and the "it's time to regroup" messages.
In a recent Fast Company article, the authors highlighted these recommendations: "To create your board, seek relationships with different people who can provide insight based on their various skills and backgrounds. It’s similar to what a business would seek in their corporate board members. Remember, you’re creating an informal board. You won’t actually hold board meetings or officially invite people to join. Instead, you’ll cultivate your board by asking an individual what they think about a certain situation or problem you’re facing. Over time, your personal board of advisors will be a small handful of mentors, most of whom will fit in more than one of the following categories:
Industry expert
Strong supporter
Thoughtful critic
Networker."
How are you using the mentors in your life? Are their gaps in the perspectives you're getting as you're making decisions.
As you prepare for the year ahead, thinking about what's made 2023 a success and what you want 2024 to look like, make sure you're cultivating that sounding board of advisors who can help you think through the options.
One thing I've been thankful for is the ability to participate in programs like small group coaching or a business mastermind where I have found people outside of my regular network to be able to serve on my board of advisors as I'm considering what's next for my business and career.