Branding yourself for a board role

Watch my interview with Women Get On Board

Are you looking to get on your first board or transition to a more prominent board seat?
 
I recently did a video interview with Women Get On Board’s CEO and founder, Deborah Rosati, on “The 3 C’s of Branding Yourself for a Board Role” – Contemplating, Committing and Campaigning. To view the video click here or read on for the written Q&A.

What is personal branding and why does it matter when looking for a board role?
 
Your personal brand is so much more than just an elevator pitch or social media profile. It is about knowing yourself and what you stand for – what makes you uniquely you.
 
When you are clear about your brand, then you can be deliberate about how you live that brand every day and how to articulate that brand in the marketplace whether it's through networking conversations, LinkedIn, or your Board CV.
 
This is important because you always want to be aligning the value you have to offer with the right board opportunities.
 
There’s a famous quote from Michelle Obama where she says: “If you don’t get out there and define yourself, you’ll be quickly and inaccurately defined by others.”
 
Being deliberate and being out there are key to landing a board role.
 
What are the steps women should take to start defining and articulating their brand?
 
A big part of my work with senior women is helping them to slow down and do the inner work needed to reconnect with what they care about, what they are really good at and what kind of environment they need to be successful.  
 
This requires getting curious about what truly differentiates them – I call this the contemplation stage.
 
It’s not always easy for us to articulate our values and our strengths so there are a few ways you can do this.
 
One exercise I use with clients is to have them make a list of their top achievements from across their whole career and why these were meaningful for them and I also ask them to write down what core skills and/or competencies contributed to these accomplishments.  
 
When they do this, they quickly start to see clear themes such as that they really value opportunities to stretch themselves, or to be creative and innovative, or to help others perform at their best.
 
And they uncover strengths such as their ability to transform culture, solve complex problems or lead significant company-wide change processes.
 
I also recommend they solicit feedback from peers, a boss or mentor so they are testing their brand from the outside in. This can do two things: reconfirm what they know about themselves and highlight additional strengths they may want to build on.
 
Once they start to understand their value proposition, they can start to see where it might align with the right board role.
 
What are the typical brand gaps that you believe may be holding women back from landing a board role?
 
Honestly, I think the biggest issue women often face is a fear of putting themselves out there. There’s a gap between what they know to be true about their value and their ability to position themselves confidently. They tell themselves they’re not good enough, they’re not ready, etc.
 
So, the first thing they need to do is acknowledge that it’s perfectly normal to feel uncomfortable when trying to do something new and when talking about themselves. And then they need to do it anyway!
 
I call this the committing stage.
 
So, where do you start? Just take one small step such as setting up a conversation with a warm contact in your network such as someone who is already on a board. Ask about their board experience and get some feedback on your messaging and then learn from this and reach out to the next person. Taking action is the antidote to fear.
 
The second big gap I see that holds women back is a lack of influence. Many of the senior women I coach have built a lot of credibility in their fields. They are known for their expertise and ability to do great work but they are lacking influence at the leadership table – a key ingredient for board work.
 
How do we build influence as leaders? We have to get out of the weeds of our day-to-day work (stop focusing on the “doing") and reallocate some of our time to activities that build our influence. These include looking for opportunities to add more strategic value, getting better at promoting ourselves with the right people and building strategic allies who will support our career goals.
 
Learning to self-advocate is key to building our influence and getting what we want.
 
You listed a third “C” earlier – you called it campaigning. Can you elaborate on this?
 
I see brand building as an ongoing sales and relationship-building campaign.
 
It’s no different than being a politician who is looking to get elected. It’s not enough to have a solid CV or to be active on LinkedIn. You have to be out there all the time, actively promoting your value as a leader and prospective board member through Zoom and in-person conversations.
 
Just like job hunting, you’ll want to commit to a certain number of reach outs a week or month. And you should also be attending networking events and participating in association or industry conferences.
 
This is how we build awareness of our brand, sharpen our story and continue to learn about what we really want next.
 
What do you think is the biggest misconception when it comes to building an executive brand?
 
Many senior women come to me hoping I will tell them what their brand is and how to best describe it but they don’t realize that they have these answers within them.
 
They are often blocked and just need help getting out of their own way. This is where a mentor, peer or coach can offer a helpful perspective.
 
If you could recommend one thing women can do to align their brand with the right board role, what would it be?
 
When we first start looking at board opportunities it can feel overwhelming to identify where we might fit.
 
This can throw us off.

In order to hone in on what’s right for us, we need to go big first.
 
There’s an exercise I use with my clients when they aren’t sure what kind of executive role they want next. I suggest they spend a couple of weeks pouring over job Ads across many functions and industries and paying attention to what piques their curiosity – and what kinds of roles they feel drawn to.
 
You can do the same with board roles and, usually, the ones that excite us are aligned with our passions and strengths.

Want to learn more about how to define your unique brand so you can increase your influence and impact? Book some time with me here.