Joelle K. Jay

If you’ve been on this journey from the beginning, you know that the road to a board seat has at least six stops: 1 – The Journey Planning Strategy 2 – Your Executive Board Package 3 – Voice and Presence 4 – Thought Leadership and Presentation 5 – Personal Positioning and PR Strategy 6 – Network Leverage and Enhancement. We’ve talked about all of those steps, and you may be working on them as you move down this path. It really is a journey; it takes time, and you don’t have to do it alone. Remember the Athena Alliance is there to guide you. Their processes are uniquely designed to help you be successful. You can explore membership opportunities here: www.AthenaAlliance.org

As an accomplished business leader, you have spent a career developing relationships. So it might come as a surprise to learn that when it comes time to pursue a board seat, you may not have the network you need.

That’s because the kinds of people who will support you in getting that board position are not necessarily the ones who supported you in your career. To date, your network may be filled with executives, clients, and colleagues – but now, you’ll need to round out your network with board members, investors, governance influencers, and CEOs. And, some of your current network may include these targets, but you may need to stretch to get connected if this is a new arena for you.

Fortunately, you’re ready.

When you are focused on advancing yourself as a leader, including when you’re interested in elevating yourself to a board position, it’s not just who you are that matters. It’s how others see you. We want to be sure those two things are aligned.