This is an archived blog from when I ran Conscious Public Relations Inc. from 2008-2018. Excuse the potential outdated-ness!
Thank you to our Board for catalyzing a new direction in our company
I cannot say in words how much gratitude I have for these three individuals.
As part of our points building to certify as a B Corp, I established a Board of Advisors who I would meet with twice a year and who would be responsible for ensuring that our company was completing our mission. I had our first Advisor meeting this past Thursday, and felt a new sense of energy for the company.
First, it is HUGELY helpful to have a Board because it allows them to see your company in a new way that you can’t because you’re in it. In preparation for the meeting, I sent them nine documents, from our financial statements to business plan and goals for the next three years. Even though I came with a few different challenges to present that I needed help with, there was one clear goal that I needed help with: growth.
I was typing furiously and asking and answering questions. In the future, I would plan for a 1.5 hour meeting instead of an hour (even though a lot can be done in an hour!). What was so awesome about our board is that they’ve all come from different backgrounds and so they were able to help bring a different puzzle piece to the picture of what makes a rocking company. Kaare (of a Cue Consulting) and Aaron (of Strategybox) were so awesome in asking how I FELT about all of the feedback. It’s one thing to make a to-do list and say that you’re going to complete it. But if you don’t FEEL in your soul that it’s what you should do, and that you CAN do it, it’s just a to-do list and I won’t be motivated to see the results or explore what I may be doing that is stopping me from achieving those results. It’s important to acknowledge the “Critical Christina” that exists in your own head and know that’s just your own BS voice telling you that it’s afraid.
This past year I asked for so much help with my business that the advice coming in was more like an avalanche rather than a guide map that made sense. It was confusing, conflicting, and I would feel defeated at the lack of indecision. So it was a very good sign that I felt a bit scared – but also super confident and energized – at the advice that was being given to me by our board. The most important piece of advice I’d give in establishing a board is that you MUST bring in people you trust. If you don’t trust them to give you the advice you need (not just the advice you want, either), you will feel misaligned with the advice, and therefore will not act on it with the right energy.
Whatever a board looks like for you – whether it’s an individual mentor, coach, or perhaps a peer or Mastermind group – I highly suggest you take yourself out of your company for just a few times out of the year, listen to people you trust, and be amazed at what might come of it.
Check out this great blog post on Advisory Boards by Junxion Strategy.
