Board of Directors
Do you have a board of directors (BOD)? You know, a group of individuals to oversee operations, acting as a governing body, focusing on high-level strategic direction, fiduciary duties, and hiring senior management (thanks Google)? Ideally, a board is diverse in skills and perspective. Functions may include governance, oversight, and guidance
I know boards are designed for organizations, but don’t these sound like important functions in our personal lives as well? I suspect that each of us has some of this already, but intentionally surrounding ourselves with people that support, encourage, and challenge us can have enormous results in our lives. If we do have these important individuals in our lives, do we cultivate those relationships?
How do I know if I have a BOD’s? A BOD can be made up of family, friends, and professionals. Let’s start by considering each function. The first is high-level strategic direction. DoI have at least one person in my life that I count on for the hardest conversations about life, relationships, struggles, behavior, and faith? Ideally, I’d have a couple of people in this role. Maybe one person for giving advice and guidance where another is a better listener. Ideally, these individuals can be loving, honest, and challenging. These individuals aren’t cheerleaders, though having a few cheerleaders on the board is nice too!
Another role in the BOD is fiduciary duties. Do I have individuals in my life with expertise where needed? This may be in money management, investing, accounting, real estate, bookkeeping, etc. Our society is complex, and unless we have this expertise, it’s wise to have trusted assistance.
I don’t need to hire anyone but having people that support my social life matters so I should have people with which I enjoy spending time. Think of this category as people we share life with for joy and fun, but we don’t necessarily have them in our “inner circle.” British anthropologist Robin Dunbar explains that people can only manage 150 stable social relationships. A general rule of thumb is that quality beats quantity.
After I identify my personal board, how I want to cultivate these individuals with whom I experience life. I can treat them with the value they provide (whether they know it or not). Gratitude goes a long way! Showing curiosity for their lives, check in regularly, and be generous with compliments. Basically, I want to be present with the people that matter most. What a wonderful lesson to learn and live!!
