“There’s cash to be made, but don’t go in it just to make the money. You need to figure out why you’re wanting to serve on a corporate board. I always say that our members are life learners because they have no desire to one day just retire and do full-time gardening.” – Sheila Ronning
Are you an executive woman who believes strongly that she has something important to offer an outside organization? Maybe you’ve considered pursuing a corporate board role, but you just weren’t sure how to do this, or where to even begin? Today’s Finding Brave guest walks us through everything we need to know about sitting on a corporate board, and why this is something all women executives should consider.
A leadership and networking expert and board strategist, Sheila Ronning is a trailblazer in working toward gender equality in the boardroom. In 2002 she founded Women in the Boardroom with a revolutionary vision to create an environment where women could assist other women in achieving their leadership and corporate board service goals. In a little more than 15 years, she has scaled Women in the Boardroom from concept to membership organization with global reach across multiple industries, and influence in private and public boardrooms, including Fortune 100 companies.
Not only does Sheila provide a realistic and helpful framework for pursuing corporate board opportunities in this episode, but she reveals how to determine which ones we should be focusing on, the common mistakes made in pursuing board roles, how this process differs from a job search, and much more.
Highlights from this Episode:
- What is board service, and why it’s so important for executive women to engage in [3:43]
- Where to find the compensation plans for sitting on any publicly-owned company board, and how private company boards will differ [5:20]
- How the desired skill sets for board members has shifted [11:18]
- How to approach landing a board role and where Sheila sees women going wrong with this [15:03]
- A sample elevator pitch you can use if you are interested in serving on a board of a publicly-owned company [25:24]
- Why networking and introductions, are so powerful [27:56]
- How to determine if a role is the right one for you and if you’re the right fit for the company [30:34]
- The reasons that organizational leaders should be advocating for their female executives to apply for board positions, and how they can facilitate this [31:50]
For More Information:
https://womenintheboardroom.com
https://twitter.com/boardroomwomen
https://twitter.com/RonningSheila
https://www.instagram.com/womenintheboardroom/
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/147283
https://www.facebook.com/womenintheboardroom
Resources Mentioned:
Sheila’s Recorded Webinar, Serving on a Corporate Board
Kathy’s Forbes Blog with Sheila, Why Companies Need To Advocate For Their Female Executives To Join Boards
Kathy’s 6 Dominant Action Styles Quiz
QUOTES:
“I focus on helping women get paid for their time. Women do not need to come to me to help volunteer themselves.” [4:55]
“Serving on a corporate board is also giving back because you are helping a company get from one level to the next.” [8:44]
“It takes more than a credit card. We can’t just join an organization and all of the sudden get onto a board. We have to do the work.” [15:03]
“Know what your value add is and know what they’re looking for because your network is most likely going to be how you’ll accomplish getting on a corporate board.” [26:30]
“You want to make sure it’s the right fit for you too. It’s not just all about them. If it’s not the right fit for you, you’re not going to do your best.” [30:11]
Sponsor Highlight!
I’m thrilled to share that Audible.com is a sponsor of Finding Brave! Take advantage of their great special offer of one FREE book of your choice with a 30-day FREE membership trial! And feel free to keep the book even if you cancel the membership. Click here to sign up for your free book! http://www.audibletrial.com/FindingBrave
Watch the video of this episode!
Now you can experience each Finding Brave episode in both audio and video formats! Check out new and recent episodes on my Youtube channel at YouTube.com/kathycaprino. And please leave us a comment and a thumbs up if you like the show!
0 Comments
Trackbacks/Pingbacks