Who is on your Personal Board of Directors?
“Ask your team; they know the answer.” — Chuck Carlson
That’s great advice — if you have a team. And I’ll bet you do…you just might not have thought about it that way. I think of my team as my Personal Board of Directors.
Non-profit corporation law states that the Board of Directors has three primary duties: Duty of Care, Duty of Loyalty, and Duty of Obedience.
Duty of Care: A board member has the duty to exercise reasonable care when he or she makes a decision for the organization. Reasonable care is what an “ordinarily prudent” person in a similar situation would do.
In your personal life, who would you trust to make good decisions with you, or even for you, if need be? Who would regard your well-being as highly as her or his own? Is it mutual?
Duty of Loyalty: A board member must always act in the best interests of the organization, and never use information gained through his/her position for personal gain.
In your personal life, who acts in your best interest? Who is loyal to you in your absence? Who’s got your back?
Duty of Obedience: A board member must act in a way that is consistent and aligned with the goals of the organization, and be faithful to its mission. The board member is also trusted with fiduciary management aimed at fulfilling the organization’s mission.
In your personal life, who suppports you in developing in your own unique direction? Who gives you room to grow and well as acts as a touchstone for your core personal values? Who would call you on your BS — or step if if he or she saw you going down a path that might take you away from yourself? And who would you trust with your most personal information — health decisions, financial data, etc.?
Take a few minutes to think about it. Who is on your Personal Board of Directors? Why? And have you told them?
I guess there’s nothing wrong with blogging for board recruitment, right?
Hey, Wendy…can I officially recruit you to my Personal Board of Directors?
Deb
