Throughout my career as a business owner, I have always been fortunate to have a number of mentors and peers to ask for advice when I need it. I can talk with them when I have a particular problem to solve, or glean ideas from them over lunch for how I can improve my landscaping company.
Their input has been and continues to be invaluable, but several years ago I found that I wanted and needed a more structured way to get regular feedback. So I formed a board of advisors, with the goal of formalizing relationships with a handful of business leaders whom I admired and who could help me move Grunder Landscaping Co. forward.
Through quarterly meetings, my board members hold me accountable, track my progress, and push me to grow as a leader. With their insight, I have learned more effective ways to resolve personnel issues, innovative marketing tactics, and improved operational processes. They have helped make Grunder Landscaping a better company and me a better CEO.
Finding the Right Advisors to Sit on Your Board
The first step to building an effective board is finding the right people to fill it. I made a list of questions to answer for each person I considered asking to join:
Do they have experience that could help me grow my business?
Are they strong in the areas where my skills are weak?
Do they have a general understanding of the green industry, or are they willing to learn about it?
Have they done something in their own industry that could be applied to my business?
Will they help me come up with fresh ideas that will make my company better?
Will they be candid but also constructive with their criticism?
Will they want to commit to joining my board?
That list helped me get the process started, and I go back to it each time I have an opening on my board that I need to fill.
Join Us for Our August Webinar
If you’re interested in setting up your own board or want to find out if it’s the right format for you, join me this week for our August webinar. I’ll be sitting down with Mark Thompson, an accomplished CEO and business advisor at Aileron, to share our experiences and walk you through the process, step by step. It should make for a great discussion.
