Creating your board value proposition is an essential step on your path to becoming a successful board member. A well-crafted board value proposition distinguishes you from other candidates, highlighting the unique attributes and skills you can contribute to the board.
To craft your board value proposition, you must clearly express how your unique skills, expertise, knowledge, influence, and leadership can positively contribute to a board’s mission and goals. Here’s how to position yours effectively.
1. Identify Core Strengths
Evaluate your key skills, areas of expertise, and knowledge. Pay attention to what makes you unique, such as industry-specific experience, strategic thinking, problem-solving abilities, or leadership qualities. Then, determine the specific needs and goals of the board you aim to join. Match your skills and expertise to those needs to demonstrate how you can contribute.
2. Diversity of Skills and Experience
A board benefits from a wide range of skills and backgrounds. Outline your strengths in key areas such as finance, marketing, technology, or any other field relevant to the board’s requirements and describe the industries or sectors you have worked in that align with the board’s purpose. Consider also including your cultural and social attributes, as boards are increasingly seeking members who bring cultural, gender, ethnic, and age diversity.
3. Highlight Leadership Qualities
Clearly explain how your leadership has a positive impact, whether through effective decision-making, conflict resolution, or fostering teamwork. Illustrate your leadership capabilities with specific examples. For instance, you could demonstrate your visionary leadership by providing an example of your ability to lead strategically and inspire others. Similarly, you could showcase your influential communication by illustrating how you effectively communicate and influence others at the board level.
4. Amplify Your Expertise
Highlight any specialized knowledge or skills that are especially relevant to the board’s areas of focus, such as finance, legal, marketing, technology, sustainability, risk management, cybersecurity, regulatory and compliance, governance, or stakeholder engagement. Emphasize the specific expertise you possess that the board may currently lack. For example, are you a technology expert in a traditionally non-tech industry? Do you have financial skills that could guide the company toward stronger fiscal health?
5. Build On and Leverage Your Influence
Leverage your network and influence to support the board. Examples might include opening doors to new opportunities, establishing partnerships, or gathering valuable insights from industry leaders.
6. Communicate Clearly
Articulate your board value proposition with clarity and confidence. Ensure your written and spoken communications highlight how your unique skills will support the board’s success.
7. Use Real-World Examples
Offer clear examples of past achievements and results. When possible, provide quantifiable metrics that demonstrate your effectiveness. Whether you’ve guided a company through a transformation or led a successful project, real-world examples showcase the value you bring to a board.
8. Network and Mentor
Build your network by engaging with boardroom peers and acting as a mentor for less experienced board members. Networking and mentorship establish your leadership presence on a board and demonstrates a willingness to share knowledge.
9. Continuous Learning
Stay current on industry trends and developments. A commitment to learning shows adaptability, engagement, and proactive attitude, all of which are valuable to a board.
10. Solicit Feedback
Regularly ask peers and colleagues for their assessment of your contributions. Soliciting feedback helps you understand how you are perceived and identify areas for improvement to further enhance your value.
By strategically positioning yourself, showcasing your skills, expertise, knowledge, influence, and leadership, you can effectively communicate the value you bring to a board, gaining respect and trust from your fellow board members and stakeholders.
