Alyceum

Igniting Leaders, Inspiring Revolutions

Alicia Curtis

One simple change to your development plan

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Want to shake up your professional development plan this year? I’ve got a strategy that can play a HUGE role in reframing your professional development.

Without even thinking, we are so conditioned to focus on our weaknesses and it makes sense, for the most part. We fill out our professional development plans with strategies to overcome the areas we are not good at. However, extraordinary leaders are not created by having no weaknesses, they are created by having built mastery around their strength areas. In fact, you have the most opportunity for growth in your areas of strength not your weaknesses.

Pop quiz time!

What do you think is a strength? Something you:
– Used to get an A for in school or university?
– Are born with?
– Can teach others?
– Can learn and master?

Nearly! Marcus Buckingham describes a strength as something that makes you feel STRONG. It’s partly something that you’re drawn to do, something that feels almost effortlessly simple to you and draws on your innate talents.

Buckingham explores the three elements of all strengths.

Talents – These are your innate abilities. Buckingham describes them as “naturally recurring patterns of thought, feeling or behaviour”.

Skills – Skills are the action steps of any activity. It’s a learned behaviour.

Knowledge – Knowledge is acquired too. It involves the information that you learn.

If you combine all these three elements, you get a strength! It’s a great reminder – you can’t rely on natural aptitude (your talents) alone to build your strength, it must be combined with learned knowledge and skills.

“The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work”
Emile Zola
 

Of course, there are some things that we are naturally good at but don’t give you that sense of energy and enthusiasm and therefore we are not drawn to build our knowledge and skills in that area – this is not our strengths.

A strength must fulfil you, give you energy and gives you that sense of flow. As Emile’s quote reflects, you must work at your natural talents to create them into an area of true strength for you.

Answer: Yes or No

Here’s an easy Yes or No quiz to get you thinking about harnessing your strengths and the strengths of others in your everyday life.

I can name my top strengths easily Yes / No
I use my top strengths daily Yes / No
I encourage others to use their top strengths Yes / No
I work on my strengths as much if not more than my weaknesses Yes / No
I focus on building mastery in my areas of strength Yes / No
I continually look for ways to use my strengths more Yes / No
I work with mentors who contribute to my strengths Yes / No
I do not let the fear of my weaknesses get in the way of my success Yes / No
I build my self confidence in my strengths Yes / No

The more ‘yes’’ answers you have, the more you are heading down the pathway of discovering and utilising your strengths every day.

If you got a few no answers – don’t stress!

We are taught to acknowledge our strengths and work hard on our weaknesses.
But what if this was switched? What if we lived in a world where we focused on mastering your strengths?

In one of Marcus Buckingham’s books, Go Put your Strengths to Work, he says that 61% of people believe you will grow the most in your areas of greatest weakness. Buckingham himself calls this a MYTH.

“You will learn the most, grow the most, and develop the most in your areas of greatest strength”
Buckingham
 

What are your preconceived thoughts about strengths and weaknesses? Do you have the mindset of focusing mastering and harnessing your strengths or focusing on fixing your weaknesses?

Do you struggle through trying to fix your weaknesses? Working on those areas that you find boring until you get it right. If so, it’s time to ask whether this strategy is serving you or not?

One exception – beware your fatal flaws!

In John Zenger’s book, The Extraordinary Leader, it does acknowledge that this notion of focusing on strengths and leaving your weaknesses works UNLESS you have a fatal flaw. A fatal flaw is a weakness that will impinge on your success and your use of your strengths.

In their research, they found that fatal flaws usually have three things in common:

• They are extremely obvious to everyone around you.
• They tend to be your inability to do something rather than your ability to do something.
• They tend to be areas of emotional intelligence rather than intellectual deficiencies.

Buckingham lists 5 ways to overcome your talent weaknesses:

1. Get just a little better at them
2. Design a support system to overcome the weaknesses
3. Use your strongest strengths to overwhelm your weaknesses
4. Find a partner who has a strength in your area of weaknesses
5. Just stop doing it (if you can).

So we can’t rest completely on our laurels about our weaknesses, as long as we manage them appropriately then we can focus on learning and development strategies on our strengths.

How do I focus on my strengths?

What are the simplest ways of identifying your strengths? Check out three different methods for discovering your own strengths.

The first technique is personally reflecting and identifying your strengths. The two other techniques are psychological tools you can use.

1. Personal Assessment – Think, Reflect and Journal

No surveys, quizzes or research – just your own feelings and reflection. But how do you do it? Here are three ways to identify your own personal strengths:

Journalling – take the time to write and reflect on the times in your life that you’ve felt most alive. What activities make you feel strong, empowered and feel effortlessly simple to you? Write down the activities that you feel constantly drawn to.
Ask the people around you – mentors, friends and family, ask them what they see in you. They can highlight your good blind-spots!
Examine your history – look for the themes and patterns in your life. What keeps popping up as your strength areas?

2. Strengths Finder Test

Strengths Finder lists 34 of the most common natural talents through their research. Add to these talents, your skills and knowledge and you have your strengths.

You can complete the Strengths Finder test online here or when you buy the book. It will take about 30 minutes to complete. The book details the 34 talents and give ideas for action for each. Heads up – this is a paid assessment.

3. Virtues in Action Character Strengths Survey

Ok, let’s face it, there are many online tools out there to identify your strengths, but the Authentic Happiness website is coordinated by Dr Martin Seligman, who is one of the founders of positive psychology movement and also the Director of the Positive Psychology Centre at the University of Pennsylvania.

You can complete the (free) VIA (Virtues in Action) Character Strengths survey to help you explore your character strengths and consider how to put them to work. The VIA classification is the result of many years research about people’s strengths and how they are used to improve your life. What they discovered was six universal virtues of which 24 character strengths stem from – get to know yours!

Get to know your strengths

I would recommend you try all three methodologies above. Do your personal assessment first, then do the Strengths Finder test and Character Strengths survey. List your talents and strengths and consider which ones really resonate with you. Think about how you can use them more everyday and build your knowledge, experience and skills in these areas.

Go live your very best strengths every single day.

Now over to you: What are your top strengths? How do you use them? Let’s continue the conversation here!

What's your value proposition for a board?

POSITION YOURSELF AS AN ASSET
THE ALYCEUM BOARD RESUME TEMPLATE
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How Strong are the Relationships you are Building?

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According to a recent Lifeline report, 60% of Australians report feeling lonely, 82% think loneliness is increasing and 33% don’t have anyone to confide in. This is a big problem when building strong mutually beneficial relationships is one of the key components to building a successful team and career.

Three Types of Relationships to Cultivate

1. Mates

Watching my daughter in the playground the other day, what strikes me as interesting is how easy it is for kids to form friendships. It would seem that as you get older, it may be harder to strike up strong friendships. So what does it really take to form a friendship? In the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, Jeffrey Hall, professor of Communication Studies, suggested that it’s all about time we invest. His results showed that it takes 40 to 60 hours to form a casual friendship, 80 to 100 hours to be upgraded to being a friend, and about 200 hours to become “good friends”. It makes you think about what time you are investing in relationships both personally and professionally, doesn’t it?

ACTION: Consider how to make friendships a priority. Who do you know currently that you could cultivate a stronger friendship with just by putting aside some time to intentionally connect?

2. Masterminds

A mastermind is a group of people who commit to meeting on a regular basis to share their challenges and brainstorm solutions. It’s like a peer mentoring group. You help each other, promote each other, keep each other accountable, push each other to greater heights and share your journeys together.Perfect mastermind buddies are those at the same level as you, they display similar ambitions as well as character qualities e.g. reliable, motivated and dedicated.

ACTION: Host a gathering of people who are at similar levels in their career and brainstorm ways that you might be able to support each other to succeed.

3. Mentors

These are the people who you admire, who have walked the path that you’re keen to take and who can share their experience and wisdom. Mentoring is one of the best professional development strategies you can implement. Do you make the most of mentoring?

Naomi Simson, founder of Red Balloon shared a technique she uses with mentors. Instead of asking the question ‘what should I do about..?’, she asks ‘tell me about a time when you had to…?’. Mentors are not there to solve your problems but a sounding board to talk through the issues and solutions until you reach the best pathway for you.

ACTION: Who could you reach out to? Consider your approach.

Kindness is Key

Relationships built on trust, respect and kindness are so helpful to our teams, careers, wellbeing and happiness. It can be the simplest of things that can create that sense of warmth and involvement. Recently, I contributed to a leadership program by coming in and sharing my story. As I entered the room to conduct my presentation, everyone was milling around in their break. I took the opportunity to circle the room beforehand to introduce myself, shake hands and find out where people worked and how they were finding the leadership program. When I received feedback from the organisers, I was flabbergasted at how such a small gesture could mean so much to people.

“You were the first presenter to actively engage each group before you spoke which made for stronger connections with the audience when you spoke”.


“I thought Alicia built respect by trying to, literally, introduce herself to all of us, made her feel relatable”.

At the heart of leadership, people are searching to be seen, heard, appreciated and connected. We can do this in many wonderful ways and yet when we become busy or stressed, we can forget to cultivate these connections. I’ve definitely learnt this from the incredible leaders who I’ve had the opportunity to witness and learn from and in the end, this is the type of leader I want to be. It’s realising that despite our challenges we are all humans that deserve kindness and respect. Think about how you can be an exceptional friend, team mate, colleague or manager to others too.

Get this Free Guide: 6 POWERFUL SECRETS TO FIND YOUR HIGHEST PURPOSE IN LIFE

The world needs more purpose-driven people. But where do you start?

This inspiring guide will give you powerful insights to find and refine your own purpose in life.
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Finding the right board role for you

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I can’t tell you the joy you can get from finding the right board role for you. It can give you energy, new networks, new learning and understanding, the opportunity to connect to a higher purpose, not to mention the impact that you can create!

Board roles are also a long term commitment. Many board roles come with a 2 or 3 year commitment (check the terms of reference!) and it can be expected that you take on more than one term. So before you run into that long term commitment you might want to do some thinking about the right board position for you.

So where do you start? What should you think about? How do you find the right board position so you can make a difference in the world?

“To move forward, you have to give back”
Oprah Winfrey

There are many considerations to take into account when finding the right board role for you. These considerations can include your passions and interests, the time you have available, the skill set you can bring, the size and age of the organisation and the core business of the organisation.

Let’s explore these considerations further.

Passions and Interests

Ultimately it is useful if you have a passion for the NFP you are supporting. So what gets that fire in your belly? You may have this passion before you get involved or you may develop this passion from getting to know more about the cause. Consider the issues that affect you, your family, your local community or explore the issues that you see in the media. Most often board positions are a voluntary effort so it must be something you are willing to dedicate significant time and effort. Let’s explore what you’re passionate about!

What passions and interests do you have?

Time Available

It’s handy to do a personal audit of the time you have available to commit to a board role each month.. Some board roles may take 5 – 10 hours a month while others might need this per week. Understand the time required by the board. In the latest NFP Governance and Performance Study, the majority of board directors suggested time needed for their board role was 2 to 5 days a month (about 17 – 40 hours). Consider if you can be flexible and utilise some of your work week to do the board tasks necessary – this may be a conversation to have with your manager. Otherwise, what days/evenings do you have free to commit to meetings, events and board preparation?

What time do you have available for a board role?

Skill Set and Mix

Board composition is a key issue for many boards. Bringing together the right skills, demographics, diversity, networks and value. What value can you bring to a board and is it required for the organisation you are interested in? Some boards will require more traditional skills such as governance, legal or accounting whereas other boards might need more emerging skill sets such as entrepreneurship, marketing, culture and funding models. Check out the current board, chair and management team as these are the people you will be working closely with on your board journey. Consider if it is the right fit for you.

What value can you contribute?

Size and Age of the organisation

Smaller or start up organisations might require a more hands on director who might deliver on some operational tasks within the organisation such as running events or writing fundraising applications. Maybe you want to be involved in the evolution of a totally new organisation or perhaps you’d prefer an established organisation with a rich history and tradition. Depending on the age of the organisation can mean a very different experience at a board level. It can take a lot of personal insight to consider what the right organisation might be for you. Consider what experiences give you energy and think about the board to match that.

What organisation would suit you?

Core Business of the Organisation

Depending on your interests you may be best suited to different types of NFPs. There is such a range of organisations that you can volunteer for. Have you thought about service delivery organisations, business associations, fundraising, advocacy or industry peaks. You can contribute to organisations in your local area, state, national or even international organisations. There are a range of causes too – environmental, youth, elderly, disabilities, friendship, mental health, arts, sport just to name a few. There is such a depth and breadth of organisations out there – go and explore the diversity of the NFP sector! Read, network, connect and volunteer to gain insight and experience.

What type of activity interests you?

It’s time for some serious reflection now!

Don’t run into the first position that’s offered your way if it’s not the right fit. Spending some time to find the right match will be better in the long run for you and the organisation.

Ready to step into your full leadership potential?

GET THE FREE GUIDE:
15 WAYS TO FIND AN NFP BOARD POSITION
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6 building blocks to developing a strong network

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Did you know that one of the most accurate ways to predict your success is how extensive your network is? Several peer-reviewed studies have found that who you know plays a more significant role in your career than how skilled you are, the strength of your resume, and other characteristics that we commonly think are responsible for our success.

Why does having a broad network matter more than job skills and knowledge?

  • People who are outside of your core circle of close friends can expose you to knowledge, people, and resources that you would not be able to access on your own. Often, it is the unexpected ideas and resources that people introduce you to that enable you to stand out.
  • Your network can inspire greater creativity and motivation. When you interact with people who are striving to reach big goals and approaching their work differently than you do, it will often inspire you to improve your own goals and routines.
  • It ensures improved emotional intelligence. The more you interact with people, the better you become at reading them and using that skill to best present yourself in critical social situations.

I have broken down the six building blocks for developing a strong network into three key areas to help you navigate different relationship phases.

1) Connect – Learn how to make initial connections with new contacts.
2) Create – Turn your connections into lasting relationships.
3) Credit – Add value to your network by showing people that you appreciate them.

Let’s get started!

CONNECT

Who you spend time with dramatically influences your behaviour and personal success. Research shows that we subconsciously mimic the people we know and consciously adopt some of their actions to better connect with them. Therefore, it is essential that you surround yourself with people who will bring out your best traits and enable you to be successful.

Additionally, your connections can play near as big of a role in your success as the work you are capable of doing. Human resources data from the last several years shows that employers are increasingly relying on referrals to make hiring decisions.

Making new connections is critical so let’s explore what types of people you should connect with and how.

Who – Mentors, Masterminds, and Mates

There are three types of relationships to consider and develop in your career:

1) Mentors. These are one-on-one relationships with people whom you admire and who have traveled a similar path to the one you want.

2) Masterminds. These are intense groups of people who are at the same level as you, have similar characteristics, and support you as you pursue your goals.

3) Mates. These are friends and colleagues you hang out with regularly. Having a group of mates in and out of work helps you relax, connect with people on a personal level, and ensure you have a balanced life outside of work.

Understanding these types of connections is important. Because how you approach people for each of those contexts is different.

With mentors, you have to be somewhat formal and very mindful not to demand much of their time. Masterminds are typically like a club with set meeting times. So while timing is not an issue, finding the right people to support you in this way is crucial. Perhaps start with an accountability partner and work up from there. With mates, informality and positivity are essential because most people do not want to spend their free time with someone who cannot relax.

Action step: Identify at least one person in each of those categories which you can make an initial connection with this week.

How – Networking Opportunities

Networking is time-consuming and, if you are an introvert, exhausting. To avoid burning out, you need to be strategic about choosing events with the highest potential for you to make quality connections.

There may be a range of factors you consider to choose the right networking events for you. Do you want to develop strong relationships within your industry association? Want to meet new people who are outside your comfort zone, different industry perhaps? Do you want to gain knowledge and skills while networking with others?

For example, if you are a project manager, attending events for project managers is a fantastic way to keep up-to-date on the latest changes in your field. However, people who are in your same position are unlikely to know or be willing to share information about exciting new opportunities. On the contrary, you are likely to make significant connections at events that target a variety of professionals in your industry.

It doesn’t always have to be the same old networking events. You are likely to meet meaningful connections if you step outside of professional groups. Look for ways to get involved with causes and activities related to your passions. Though you may not meet people who can immediately help your career, developing relationships based on shared passions can open up doors later on. They may be able to refer you to people who have relevant opportunities for you. If not, you will still benefit from forming new friendships.

Action Step: What event could help stretch your networks with people you would not normally meet?

CREATE

Meeting new people is the easy part of creating a secure network. People are extremely busy, so you need to prove to them that it is worth investing time to keep in touch with you. There are two primary ways to do this:

1) Be a great conversationalist, so people want to keep talking to you.

2) Focus on building strong relationships rather than increasing your professional opportunities.

Here’s how:

Conversational Intelligence

According to ontological coaching expert, Alan Sieler, there are different types of conversations that foster productive work and networking relationships. Some of them include:

1) Stories and Assessments: To share views and form stronger bonds by sharing personal experiences.
2) Clarity: To gain a mutual understanding to move forward together.
3) Common Commitment: To ensure shared commitment to goals.
4) Possibility: To generate ideas & explore different possible futures.
5) Opportunity: To identify specific opportunities from possibilities.
6) Coordination of Action: To get things done.
7) Progress: To pause and monitor progress towards goals.
8) Accomplishment: To acknowledge achievements & successes.
9) Appreciation: To publicly share recognition, value, appreciation, and gratitude of others.
10) Accountability: To deal with a broken promise/commitment or, in a working relationship, improve communication to prevent lapses in accountability from occurring.

You likely already have these conversations on a regular basis. However, being aware of the types of discussions can help you reach out to people with the intent to focus on one or more of those areas. This will allow you utilize your time with people more efficiently.

Action Step: Before starting conversations with professional connections, identify what type of communication you need to have. Work on your conversation skills to engage others.

Relationship Building

According to Charles Green, leading leadership expert and author of the Trusted Advisor, trustworthiness can be broken down into an equation that you can improve upon to develop stronger connections:

Trustworthiness = Credibility + Reliability + Intimacy / Self Orientation.

Let’s break that down.

1) Credibility: What’s your area of competence? Being informed in the areas people expect you to makes your voice credible.

2) Reliability: Do your actions match your words? If you want people to trust you, you have to prove that you will follow through on your commitments.

3) Intimacy: Show that you genuinely care about people, so they feel comfortable sharing personal details with you.

Self-orientation is the extent to which you care about yourself more than others. It is the denominator because the more self-oriented you are perceived as, the fewer people trust you. This is because your actions and/or attitude show that you prioritize your own needs above all else.

A way to build all three of those elements of trust and reduce your perceived self-orientation is to create shared experiences with people.

Here are a couple of ideas:

+ Bring people together for an intimate lunch
+ Involve/share your networks in a charity event
+ Host your own mini networking events.

By being the person to plan events, you can focus them on situations that make you shine socially. This can make you appear more reliable, since you invested the effort to connect with people.

Action Step: Think about how you might be perceived at networking events and post-events. How can you improve your trustworthiness?

CREDIT

So far, we have focused on how developing a healthy network benefits you. Don’t forget that the people you develop professional relationships with expect you to offer them just as much value as you are receiving. The easiest way to show your connections that you value them is to help them and express your appreciation.

Good Work/Giving

Leadership expert, Brian Tracy, believes that “successful people are always looking for opportunities to help others.” Focusing on what you can give in relationships rather than what you receive makes people feel grateful for their relationship with you (so they are unlikely to do anything to jeopardize it). It also shows that you are a valuable connection and proves that you care about their wellbeing.

Continually ask yourself: “How can I be of value to others? The help that you offer does not have to be huge. Introduce people who would benefit from knowing one another. Pass on valuable information and offer resources to people struggling with stressful situations. It only takes a few minutes of your time and can dramatically improve your relationships.

Action Step: Offer to help at least one person in your network per week.

Appreciation and Recognition

Research shows that telling people that you appreciate them strengthens your relationships. The power of appreciation should come as no surprise. Everyone has an innate need to know that they are valued. And busy people, in particular, want to know that the effort they invest in helping other people is worthwhile.

Among professional relationships, one of the most influential ways to show appreciation is by writing thank you notes. Most people express their gratitude immediately after someone does something for them, but few people take the time to follow-up.

Here is how to write a meaningful thank you note:

1) After addressing their name, write what you feel. For example, “I wanted to let you know that I appreciate…” “ grateful…” “Thank you for…”

2) State what specifically you are thankful for. For example, “introducing me to [valuable person],” taking the time give feedback on [important project], “recommending [useful tool],” etc.

3) Explain the positive impact that it had on you. For example, “[Valuable person and I will be meeting up again soon to…” “I incorporated your advice into my project, and my boss loved it, or “I started using [the tool] and…”

4) Offer to help them whenever they need it. Letting people know that you are willing to reciprocate favors shows them that you are interested in having a mutually beneficial relationship.

The power of appreciation

If you have an individual’s address or can slip a note into their office, using a physical notecard will make your token of appreciation stand out even more than it already does. Few people these days get handwritten cards. However, if giving a physical card is not possible, sending an email or text is still a great way to show your gratitude.

You should also develop a habit of recognizing people not for who they are but what they do for you. Positive psychologists have a theory called appreciative inquiry which explains that, particularly in professional relationships, focusing on what people do well and identifying ways to capitalize on their strengths enables people to form closer bonds and increase performance.

Regardless of whether you are celebrating a success with someone or working with them to overcome a challenge, acknowledging their positive attributes in dealing with the situation is likely to improve its outcome. It will also strengthen your relationship so that you continue to be someone that they want to share experiences with.

Action Step: Within the next twenty-four hours, send notes of gratitude and/or appreciation to at least three people. Moving forward, take a moment to recognize the contributions and/ or character of at least one person every week.

NEXT STEPS

Relationships are both integral to your career success and what makes life worth living. Remember, our professional relationships are not the only relationships worth cultivating in life. Our personal relationships need time and attention too.

I remember a comment from Professor Fiona Wood, a burns surgeon and researcher, saying in an interview that we must strive to save the best of ourselves for those we love the most. This has stuck with me when I’m tired at the end of the day to treat my loved ones with respect and compassion.

Cultivating strong personal and professional relationships make life worth living, spend the time to cultivate yours!

Ready to step into your full leadership potential?

GET THE FREE GUIDE:
15 WAYS TO FIND AN NFP BOARD POSITION
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10 questions to ask before joining a NFP board

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I know, I know, you’re eager to join a NFP board.

But before you say ‘yes’ straight away to the board that’s just offered you a position, have you done your due diligence?

What is due diligence?

The dictionary definitions go something like…
• Action that is considered reasonable for people to be expected to take in order to keep themselves, others or property safe.
• The details examination of a company and it’s financial records, done before becoming involved in a business arrangement with it.

You must ascertain whether the board role is going to be a great decision for you, the board and the organisation. Accepting a board role is a long term commitment so ensure you understand the expectations, role and people so it’s a good fit for you.

Here are 10 questions to ask a prospective board to help you understand whether the board position is a right fit for you.

Ready for it? Here we go.

1. What are you looking for in a director?

Does your knowledge, skills, networks and time available fit with what the board is looking for? You want to make sure this is a long term commitment and confirm you are not only a good match, but the perfect one!

2. What’s the commitment expected?

A board will have Terms of Reference or Board Charter which defines the roles, responsibilities and processes of the board. This might be a good place to start researching and ask any questions you may have. You may also want to see a copy of the constitution too. Think about the time involved, meetings and preparation, any networking or fundraising you need to commit to and get a sense of the annual cycle of activities.

3. Tell me about the current directors – what are their roles? How long have they been on the board?

You want to get a good sense of the culture of the board. Are the current board directors active, interested and involved? Do they turn up on time and prepared for the meeting? Are they open to new ideas? Are they people you respect and maybe even admire? You will be working pretty closely with your fellow board directors so check them out and make sure it’s a good fit.

4. Does the organisation have a strong vision for the future and a strategy to achieve it?

Does the organisation know where it’s headed? Does it have a clear picture of where it wants to be in 1, 5 or 10 years time? What’s the current strategy to get there? You may also want to see the minutes of previous meetings to see if the discussions at meetings are aligned with the organisation’s vision and strategy.

5. What’s the current financial position of the organisation?

You will want to see the financial statements to see the financial health of the organisation. You want to make sure the organisation is solvent, has stable income streams and a clear budget, and have processes in place to review the financials regularly. You may also want to confirm what checks and balances are in place to ensure the validity of the information that is being reported to you as a board director.

6. Does the organisation have the appropriate insurances?

This can include insurance for the organisation as well as insurance to cover you as a director including Directors liability insurance, professional indemnity or fraud insurance. Confirm what levels of insurance is offered to board directors and if you must contribute to helping pay for it.

7. What’s the relationship between board directors and their stakeholders?

Organisation employees, politicians, funding bodies and end users – there are many types of relationships that board directors might have with the stakeholders of the organisation. Who are the stakeholders and what are the expectations of each of these relationships?

8. What’s the induction process for new board directors?

Ok, so you’re getting closer to making a decision, what’s the next steps look like? You will want access to all the board documentation, meet the staff and perhaps tour the facilities. If you’re a younger or less experienced director, you may want to be teamed up with a board mentor if possible to debrief board meetings to help expedite your learning journey.

9. Is there an evaluation process in place?

How do board directors evaluate their own performance and as a team? Is there a culture of learning and improvement? To be honest, some organisations might not have this in place, but it might be a great point to highlight in your discussions with them.

10. What resources are there to support me as a board director?

Training – formal or informal, ongoing mentoring, staff support or an honorarium may be offered to support board directors in their role. It’s a good idea to know what support is offered from the start and how it can be best used to support you in the role.

What other questions could you ask?

This list is a good starting point and definitely not an exhaustive list. You may have other questions depending on the organisation or the role. The point is not to take on a board role lightly, take your time and consider if it’s right for you. This will benefit you and the board in the long run.

Now over to you: Does it seem like the organisation is a fit? What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear them!

Ready to step into your full leadership potential?

GET THE FREE GUIDE:
15 WAYS TO FIND AN NFP BOARD POSITION
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Be an influencer for good

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Most change-makers I know are keen to have a positive impact on the world in some way. Traditionally you may have had to be a Prime Minister or wealthy CEO to influence and impact the world.

But the world has changed! You don’t need to be in a position of authority to have the power to positively influence those around you. Tools such as the internet have levelled the playing field and allowed everyday-people to have a voice, gather people together for a cause and create momentum. Think about Malala Yousafzai or the #Metoo movement.

What types of power increase your influence?

Social psychologists John French and Bertram Raven discovered that there are six types of influential power and, of those, there are two that everyone has the ability to harness regardless of their standing.

1. Expert Power – Having advanced levels of knowledge about a subject gives you power because people trust you as an expert in your subject area and look to you for guidance. Develop this power by taking courses, reading, attending conferences, finding mentors who challenge your assumptions and constantly stretch your knowledge and understanding.
2. Referent Power – This is the type of power that people wield when they are well-liked and respected. You have this power if you are well-known in your community. Earn this power by always leading with integrity, doing good work, building strong relationships and take bold actions.

As change-makers, we can work on developing these powers to influence our workplaces or communities. Challenge yourself to lead not through position, fear or demands but through something which is far stronger than these – shared values!

Shared values are guiding beliefs that groups and organisations rally around to inspire change and keep people committed to their causes. These are beliefs that excite, guide people’s actions and help define identities. Most importantly, they’re the emotionally-charged fuel that enables leaders to influence their followers.

Tap into Emotions and Get Personal

According to Harvard Business researcher Dr. John P. Kotter, most people fail to be influential because they try to influence others using logic, convinced that facts will make others listen to them.

However, research shows emotional appeals can be more persuasive. This is because the same part of your brain that you use to make decisions also controls emotions, causing the two to be intertwined. If you want to influence people to take action or adopt new ideas, you can’t just tell them why they should do it; you have to make them feel it so they will take action. So basically how you make people feel will impact your ability to influence and make change.

How do you make people feel?

Consider these avenues of power you can exert everyday

1. Speak up – consider how you communicate with those who you know – family, friends and colleagues. Can you raise awareness about an issue? Can you support an event through sharing it? Consider the ways you can share more – perhaps on social media, in your workplace or just with your friends.

2. Share your expertise – can you use your knowledge, networks and expertise to support a cause by sitting on a community organisation board?

3. Consumer power – every time you purchase something, you are supporting it. Choose carefully and support business and brands that contribute something to the world.

4. Philanthropy – philanthropy is just a fancy word for carefully considering how to give funds (or time) to have a positive impact in the world. You don’t have to be rich and famous to make a donation. Just start with a small goal of thoughtfully giving 1% of your earnings this year.

5. Resources – what resources do you have at your disposal? Can you influence your workplace to support a charity, offer a space to an event or meeting or use your profile to help build momentum for a cause?

I really do believe that people just don’t know how influential they can be. We have everything at our fingertips – access to knowledge, access to platforms to have a say, access to resources.

The real question is: Are you ready to step up?

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