Our own lives are often the most difficult to interpret.
Good companies, companies that last, have a Board of Directors and sometimes a Board of Advisors.
Directors give you mandated direction.
Advisors aid you in charting a course.
Last year, I formed a Personal Board of Advisors to aid me in the key decisions and directions of my life: personally, professionally and spiritually.
Hand picked
This Board of Advisors was constructed by personal invitation. These men are exceptional in their respective trades. They work in various different industries: Law, Publishing, High Tech, Ministry, Real Estate and Finance.
Mercenary and Missionary
Most of them have a unique perspective on the intersection of life and business. I like to term this convergence being a Mercenary with a Missionary heart.
I trust them personally.
They are selected because we have invested in each other’s lives personally and professionally. In order to yield to their insights, I want to know I can trust their motive for me.
I receive raw unfiltered scrutiny.
As a result we are able to skip past many layers of niceties or suspicion and get straight to the core issues. I trust their intentions and therefore their advice.
Group conference call
On a practical note, we have a group conference call one to two times a year. In addition, I reach out to them individually as things come up. The purpose of the group call is to huddle up on a particular topic or pending decision.
I prepare for this call just like I would a board or executive meeting. I provide a summary, some back-story and then the options or paths that I am considering.
Honestly it makes me nervous at times.
These guys have played in the big leagues for a long time. At times I feel like I’ve been playing for the farm team. I have to push past that nervous nudge and move forward trusting that the gain is greater than the pain.
Here is some of what I have to get past:
- You’re wasting their time.
- They have better things to be doing.
- They’re tired of me asking for help.
Sometimes I even tell them this is what I am struggling with.
As you’d expect they graciously say “that is non-sense”.
I thought I was the only beneficiary.
It turns out that they are grateful to be helping me. I accidentally modeled something for them that they wished they had in their own lives. As a result we all win. As they connect with other men who were strangers to them but all centered around the common goal of “help Aaron”, something good happens.
Humility is a pre-requisite.
You have to assume that you do not have all of the answers. If that is your posture, then go for it. If you are looking for a circle of people to just praise you without challenging you, don’t waste your time and theirs.
NY Times article.
I came across this article in the NY Times. It offers another perspective on this idea. See NY Times article about the purpose and approach behind a Board of Advisors-For Your Life.
Notice the distinction this draws between Advisers and Directors. This was an important definition for me as well.
Feel free to ask me more questions about this.
Good luck.
