As a current or former CEO, you may be ideally positioned for an independent board role for a private equity-backed company. Companies benefit from having their CEOs and other c-levels on external boards for a number of reasons: 

• Market visibility for the newly appointed CEO which opens business opportunities and negotiating power for joint ventures and other arrangements
• Industry competitiveness by gaining knowledge of other companies’ processes
• Garnering a different perspective in a particular vertical to spark innovation
• Relationship building with industry peers to develop thought leadership
• Attracting investors, especially after a corporate rebrand launch
• Philanthropic efforts
• Special interests, such as lobbying and collaborating with industry leaders 

According to friend and colleague, Beverly Behan, author of New CEOs’ and Boards, money is typically not the motivation for taking on board roles. She says that board directors motivated primarily by money are often the weakest members of the board. 

Many active CEOs serve on boards to genuinely help while helping themselves work with their own boards more effectively. 

From our interview with director candidate, Jonathan Bennett (now a board member of two privately held boards): 

How do you recommend others to prepare for a board interview? 

“Figure out the problem they are trying to solve with this Board position. What gap do they have? What business problem are they facing? Position yourself as the solution to it. This is your value proposition. It needs to be framed concretely for them—it’s not about you. Join the dots, explicitly, between their problem(s) and your experience. Don’t leave it up to them to do that work—they might get it wrong. Make those connections clear and, frankly, blunt.” 

In our latest article, we share further insights around landing a board opportunity, including a before vs. after board resume (what to do and what not to do). We lend some insights around board compensation and included a board resume checklist for your use. 

Access it here.

Here is our client, Christina, enjoying the wonders of the beautiful Pacific Ocean. Not only is Christina a successful corporate executive, but she is also an avid Yogi, nutrition expert, and kayak enthusiast. She believes in work-life harmony, and the payoff of her hard work is reflected in her adventurous hobbies.

How have you been balancing your work-life harmony this summer? 

Also, get market-ready this summer to prepare for your new role in September.

Designed for business leaders seeking a board of director’s seat, a new investor, or a key opportunity in a new organization. Now in its 12th year, the 90-Day Brand helps high-profile leaders, entrepreneurs, and high-potential executives stand out in their targeted markets.

To learn more, reply to this email (it is 100% confidential and I monitor it exclusively).

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Maureen is a performance optimization coach and personal branding strategist for next-level executives and board nominees.

Westgate Executive Branding and Career Consulting Inc. would like to acknowledge that we are located in Mi'kma'ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi'kmaq People. We are all Treaty people.