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Making the Leap: Why Should I Consider Board Service?
Posted by wblfoundation
This excerpt is from “Expand Your Leadership: Join a Corporate Board,” which was published as part of the Washington Post’s “On Leadership” feature.
By Lynn Shapiro Snyder
Founder and President of WBL
As the global economy continues to tailspin and corporations adjust, seats around boardroom tables are opening up. Organizations are hungry for new leadership, strong leadership-maybe your leadership.
Networking, professional development, expanding your understanding of other organizations, gaining broader perspective, new connections for your company, the opportunity for growth and new leadership roles without leaving your own company-there are many professional reasons for serving on a board.
For senior executives looking to advance their careers to the next level, the timing could not be better. For those who already have achieved senior management status, serving on a corporate board is the next logical step. After all, the corporate boardroom is where real decisions are made, including hiring and firing the CEO.
But, for senior executive women in particular, how do you get there when you are on the outside looking in and there is no easy access-not a glass ceiling, but a “glass boardroom door” that women can’t simply walk through? Statistics show that women are drastically underrepresented both in C-suites and on corporate boards. Yet statistics also show that gender diversity in the boardroom strengthens decision making. Startlingly, women hold only 15.2 percent of the board seats at Fortune 500 companies—yet half of all American consumers are women.
The current economic shakeup just may offer the entry through which smart and capable women can emerge and gain momentum for board opportunities.
Not sure how to discuss the opportunities with others in your company? WBL has created a slate of resources to help you navigate this part of your board journey. For example, as you investigate whether your company has a policy relating to executives’ service on corporate boards, have WBL’s talking points handy, which outline the business benefits of your service on another company’s board.
Does your company have an unwritten policy that isn’t giving clear guidance to anyone on this topic? WBL has a sample policy and even a form that can be helpful with this.
WBL also will host sessions at the 2010 WBL Summit in Dallas, Texas, (March 17-19, 2010) featuring women who have cleared the way at their own companies to serve other companies’ boards. Board service is the next great professional development opportunity, and it is worth your time to consider how you can contribute.