Seven key steps on getting to the Inner Circle

It can seem an almost impossible task to be offered a seat at board level but often candidates can find it a smoother transition with investment in some key steps covered in advance, before even applying for board-level leadership. Here are seven considerations you may find useful for ascending to Executive Committee level:  

1. Foster a strategic mindset

Define your long-term career goals using strategic thinking and develop a clear vision for your pathway to board-level leadership, aligning your aspirations with your values, expertise and areas of interest. 

2. Enhance financial and corporate governance understanding

Acquire and refine a diverse set of skills and experiences within finance, including strategy, risk management and corporate governance (especially ethical, legal, compliance, accountability and responsibility) to understand how the leader is a catalyst to building an energised organisation and helping increase your contribution and effectiveness at board-level. 

 3. Develop industry insight and expertise

Stay informed about emerging trends, best practices and regulatory developments shaping your industry sector and the broader business landscape, acquiring a depth of understanding to help you remain adaptable and agile in response to evolving challenges and opportunities. 

4. Cultivate a broad network

Build meaningful relationships with diverse connections such as mentors, sponsors, peers and industry experts who can offer guidance, support and opportunities for growth, expanding your professional network within and beyond your organisation. 

5. Enhance your visibility

Anticipate board-level recruitment opportunities by boosting your presence, credibility and readiness as a candidate, leveraging your network, looking for support via sponsors, collaboration with mentors and actively pursuing board positions aligned with your strengths, values and interests. Use every interaction as a practice to learn more and ask questions so you are fully prepared, such as the candidate below who moved from a ‘Head of’ role to CEO within 8 months of starting his job and explained that mentoring support had been crucial to his success, saying:  

"I have learned more about myself, especially my thinking and behaviour, with reference to the strengths-based tools we incorporated. My set of beliefs have become clearer and I’ve been able to understand what I do well and how to leverage those skills, which in turn has led to me being able to understand and collaborate effectively with others"

6. Refine communication abilities and prepare with precision

Take a keen interest in the way the marketing communications are run and develop your own tone of voice and clear messaging that aligns with the business proposition, company ethos, values and purpose. Take every opportunity to speak, present and share information to hone your communication skills and develop a clear and accessible point of view. 

7. Acquire boardroom expertise

Proactively seek out leadership opportunities within your current role and community, potentially NED roles to demonstrate your ability to drive results, energise and lead teams, influence positive change, showcasing your leadership impact and potential for a board-level role. 

Mentoring support can really help to find the source of your personal energy and road test some of these key considerations, using an understanding of your strengths, validating your credibility by refining your point of view and helping you conduct yourself professionally and with empathy across the organisation to deliver a more robust framework for a board level role. 

Author: Mark Cheshire

Photo by zhang kaiyv on Unsplash