Do You Have a Personal Board of Directors?

This is a concept I had been mulling for years. Until one day, I realized I already had a personal board of directors. The light bulb went off when I read a WSJ article, on eight tips for setting up a network of mentors. The article draws from a concept called developmental networks.

For a better understanding of developmental networks, listen to this interview I did with one of the authors of the article, Dawn Chandler. The interview was originally posted on site for an online networking group that I run. (You'll hear me make references to principles of "networking naturally.")

While A Bigger Voice focuses on networking as a way to build your community, I hadn't realized the importance of networking for my own personal development until this last year. Networking has allowed me to find mentors to fill gaps that I have as an entrepreneur--e.g., finance, marketing, experience in starting up a company that required more than just me to run it. This past summer, as I was deep into the formation of My Alumni Link as a business, I was tapping into at least half a dozen mentors on different topics. We were meeting on a regular basis, on specific areas of expertise pertinent to that mentor and what I needed as an entrepreneur. Photo by Biology Big Brother.

One of the best ideas of developmental networks is that the sharing is mutual. I have something to give to my mentor as much as he/she has to give to me. I think of this as co-creating (one of those coaching terms that comes in handy to describe collaboration in a new way.)

Whether you are a traditional entrepreneur or a "wisdom entrepreneneur," having a personal board of directors helps. Who is on your personal board of directors? Start networking to find your board if you don't already have one.

And if networking is not your sweet spot, check out my Networking Naturally Program, which starts on Oct 27. Registration closes on Oct 25.