Written by: Eugene Boykins
President
Boykins Business Consulting
AABLI Board Member
Add the highest value to your board/commission experience: Use the professional skills of your personal brand.
As a certified, proud AABLI cohort member, you’ve gained valuable insights into how you can make significant contributions to your community and to current or future organizations. It’s time to consider a few thoughts on how to better leverage your service.
- Thoroughly understand the organization’s value proposition, services, products, and client
- Do a self-assessment listing your personal expertise, experiences, special talents and accomplishments. Write it all down.
- Do your skills/competencies, passions, participation goals and motivations match those of the board/commission you choose to serve?
- Be a “Branded” board service provider. How would you describe your brand value-added assets–features, advantages, benefits–to other board members?
- Develop your “Positioning Strategy” for service to the organization.
a. What resources, capabilities and talents can you offer?
b. How do you want the organization to perceive your value, strengths, contributions?
c. Think about how you can position your contributions in the minds of your fellow board members and clients. How do you add value?
i. Special expertise and knowledge
ii. Financial contributions, value of in-kind contributions
iii. Access to other resource requirements for the organization
- Know what role you intend to play. Are you an idea person or a good executor of plans?
- What is your optimum strategy for communicating your personal brand and positioning to the board and to your organization’s beneficiaries?
a. Consider a single-minded message reinforcing your personal brand positioning, actions and words.
b. What makes you different from your fellow board members, yet able to complement others’ skills on the board? For example:
i. Is what you offer meaningful to the organization’s mission?
ii. Do you offer your features and benefits in a concise manner?
iii. Do your contributions make a difference to the organization’s success?
Keep these thoughts in mind as you serve on boards now or in the future. Good luck, and enjoy.
This blog is not written by aabli.org or The African American Board Leadership Institute. The author is solely responsible for the content.