Succeeding in Your First 90 Days with Your Own Personal Board of Directors

Barbara A. F. Greene, CEO
CPI firm Greene and Associates, Inc.

Q: Do you have any special tips to help me (an executive) succeed in my first 90 days?

A: Appoint a personal board of directors. Many executives feel they should be self-sufficient and succeed completely on their own. However, the wisest individuals achieve success by benefiting from the advice of others. Your own personal board of directors can give you a huge boost in succeeding in your first 90 days on a new job and beyond.

When you look at any corporate board, you find a variety of talents and skills. Just as a company benefits from experts, so will you. Surround yourself with people who have skill sets and personalities different from yours.

You will experience many benefits from a personal board of directors.

Receive advice from individuals who have specialized knowledge and/or business experience you don't have.
Acquire perspectives of how they see you leading yourself and others.
Accelerate introductions to other key stakeholders in your development.
Gain encouragement, support, and feedback from other professionals who want to see you succeed.

Members of your board of directors will receive a different set of benefits.

Expand their relationships.
Expedite their knowledge of other areas within the organization or the community.
Improve their strategic and political acumen.
Fast-track another person in achieving their goals.

Choosing the right members of your board of directors and approaching them properly will lead to success.

Identify people you admire inside and outside your organization. These advisors are people with important connections and those who want to see you succeed.
Let the person know that you respect and admire them.
Explain what you would like the person to do to help you transition into your new position and to succeed in the job.
Use your board to provide guidance about professional image and presence, to expose you to valuable connections, and to introduce you to the corporate culture.
Manage the advisor-protégé relationship thoughtfully. Most advisors are happy to provide guidance to a protégé who is eager to learn and uses the advisor’s time well.
Express gratitude to your advisors and offer to reciprocate and help them any way you can.