Gaining a Public Company Board Seat: Life is a Short Ride, So Your Best Horse First

A few of my LinkedIn followers have asked for a quick summary of what really separates those who gain a board seat from those who terminate their goal of becoming a director. It boils down to two approaches – active or reactive. 

Active approach: have a clear board-level value proposition, know who they need to meet with based on their directorship strategy, attend networking events to meet those targeted contacts in person, joins associations where those people hold memberships, and speaks at executive-level events hosted by the industry they have targeted in their strategy to gain a board seat.

Reactive approach: can’t clearly state their board-level value proposition, have a mud-on-the-wall approach with little to no directorship strategy, pay large sums of money for a board certificate that is not a requirement for U.S. public company directorship, and aren’t sure were to spend time and money for targeted, high-level networking.

Which are you?

For more information, see Becoming a Public Company Director (Amazon, Barnes, iBookstore $9.99)

Consultant to Boards, Author of Board Guru™ eBook Series and Previous Sitting Director

– Triple Crown Value Proposition

Tracy E. Houston, M.A. is the President of Board Resources Services, LLC. She is a refined specialist in board consulting and executive coaching with a heartfelt passion for rethinking performance, teams, and the boardroom. With a focus on leadership, strategy, and risk management, she consults primarily with directors, presidents, and senior officers to provide input on high level, sensitive, and complex issues. Sometimes called the Chief Potential Officer, Tracy has a background that includes sitting on a number of boards, board consulting, and coaching for potential. She develops unique insights into the vital role of human interaction and the inevitable fusion between barriers to growth and success. Extensively published, Tracy has written hundreds of blogs that are featured on numerous award-winning websites and has a monthly board column hosted by ColoradoBiz Magazine. She is the creator of the Board Guru™ eBooks - a corporate governance leadership series.

Her company, Board Resource Services, has a website at www.eboardmember.com and www.eboardguru.com. Follow Tracy on Twitter @BoardGuru. Headquartered in the Denver, Colorado area, Tracy is an avid hiker.