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August 2024

In the August 2024 Newsletter
Get on a Board / Events

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Board Meeting

So, You Want to Get on a Board

Many leaders aspire to participate in the highest level of decision-making of an organization — the Board of Directors. How do you get on a Board and why would you want to serve?

What Exactly is a Board?

Board directors with a fiduciary role approve strategic plans, hire and manage the CEO, approve the budget, and set strategic direction.

As explained in Investopedia, "A board of directors, or board, is a group of people who oversee a company's management and operations to ensure the company's long-term success. They act independently of company management and day-to-day operations, and are responsible for making major decisions and providing strategic guidance."

Why Serve on a Board?

It is a means to make a meaningful difference in the world. It's an opportunity to meet and work with good people. You can utilize your talents and continue to learn. And it can be the next part of your career journey, providing credibility and pay.

Seven Tips for Starting a Board Journey

1.	START EARLY. Set a goal of 'getting on the right board' early in your career and then take action toward this end along the way. It's a process that can take time.
2.	BE THE BEST YOU CAN BE. Get clear on your values and live by them. Continue to do your job well. Build your level of experience and expertise. Step up to leadership roles. Do more than asked. Impress your peers, bosses, and competitors. Make connections with your co-workers and keep in touch over time. That engineer, sales rep, or project manager you worked with early on, may become the CEO of an organization that will need your talents and want to bring you on to her board.
3.	GET SUPPORT. Join an organization such as the Private Directors Association, which provides education, certifications, connections to others who serve on boards and to those who aspire to serve on a board. Meet others who have been successful on this journey.
4.	LEARN. Learn as much as you can from seasoned Board Directors. Who do you know that has been down this path? Ask for their advice. Look at their board materials. Board seats come from connections, more than online applications.
5.	PRESENT YOURSELF. Get clear on who you are and what you can offer to a Board of Directors. Boards look for certain skills and talents to fill a gap in their Board Skills Matrix. Draft a powerful biography as well as a board resume.
6.	SERVE AND CONTRIBUTE. Start by volunteering to serve on a local non-profit organization's board and expand from there to government, higher education, and for-profit corporate boards. Where is your passion? Where is your expertise? Learn how a board functions. Contribute. There are many board directors who found their first corporate board seat from a connection made on a non-profit board.
7.	GET CERTIFIED. There is a lot to learn to be a good board director. Take a course and earn a certification such as the Certificate for Private Company Governance from the Private Directors Association or the Directorship Certificate from the National Association of Corporate Directors.

My Journey

I set my goal decades ago to contribute at the highest level of decision-making on corporate boards. Throughout my career journey, I let that goal be known and I stayed open to the possibilities. Non-profit organizations asked me to serve and I said yes. I contributed, learned, made contacts, and showed others the value I bring. Then I co-founded my first entrepreneurial telecommunications firm, Radish Communications Systems, Inc. (aka Radish 1.0). One way to get on a corporate board is to start the business! This venture-backed firm grew and we found an exit six years later.

With two other tech start-ups behind me now, the latest Radish Systems, LLC (aka Radish 2.0) having just been acquired by NLX.ai, I have served on three corporate boards. When the Governor of the State of Colorado asked me to be his first Chief Information Officer and serve on his cabinet, I took a 2-year break from Radish 2.0 and did a tour of duty in the public sector. This led to serving on a government board as the Chairperson of the Statewide Internet Portal Authority and serving as a member of the Governor's Blockchain Advisory Board. And then the Governor appointed me to a Higher Education board, Western Colorado University, on which I currently serve.

Times change and my journey continues as I seek new corporate board opportunities. Along the way, I'm honored to have been selected as one of the '50 Women to Watch for Boards' from 50/50 Women on Boards. And I currently serve as a board member and co-chair of Membership for the Private Directors Association of Colorado.

Summary

What about you? Begin your journey to serve on boards now. Don't do it alone. Be the best you can be, get support, learn, present, serve, and get certified. Put in the time and effort. You will find the right Board of Directors on which to serve and make a meaningful difference.

Selected Events

August 20, 2024. The Private Directors Association of Colorado is having a July Social. 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM MT in Denver. Register now and learn how this group can help you in your board journey. Members and guests are welcome. Register here.

September 9-10, 2024. Are you available to meet in NYC on September 9th? The next day is the 50/50 Global Summit in NYC sponsored by 50/50 Women on Boards. Leaders come together to spark meaningful discussions on the influential role women play in the boardroom and beyond, shaping global agendas and catalyzing positive change. Register by July 31 for early bird rate.

September 19-21, 2024. Join me in Gunnison, CO for the Western Colorado University board meetings and homecoming events. Register now.

September 23, 2024. SIPA (Statewide Internet Portal Authority) User Conference in Denver. Join me and learn more.

September 26, 2024. 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM MT. "How to Turn your Transition into a Transformation!" Join me at this free Boulder Business and Professional Women event. It will feature Donna Roe Daniell, author of A Midlife Voyage to Transformation, a memoir about her midlife and a guidebook for midlife women. At Boulder Rural Fire Rescue, 6230 Lookout Road, Boulder. Register now.

Theresa M. Szczurek, Ph.D.
C-Level Executive, Certified Corporate Director, Certified Management Consultant®, Executive Coach, Speaker, and Colorado CIO of the Year

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Theresa M. Szczurek, Ph.D.

Technology and Management Solutions

303.443.8674 Phone
303.496.0088 Fax
tms@tmsworld.com

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