Having a personal board of directors would be amazing. I’m on a few boards with other organizations, but it’d be neat to have my own — I could just have a group of people to call on to answer questions and help me work through things.
As it turns out, I have one!
Most of them don’t know they’re on it, and some are no longer even living, but I have a great group of people I can turn to for help.
Shane Parrish explains his board in his book “Clear Thinking“, when he says :
Put all of your exemplars on your “personal board of directors,” a concept that originates with author Jim Collins: Back in the early ’80s, I made Bill Lazier the honorary chairman of my personal board of directors. And when I chose members . . . they were not chosen for their success. They were chosen for their values and their character. . . . They’re the sorts of people I wouldn’t want to let down.
He unpacks “exemplars” a bit more, saying:
One of my exemplars is Charlie Munger, the billionaire business partner of Warren Buffett. He raised my standard for holding an opinion. One night at dinner, he commented, “I never allow myself to have an opinion on anything unless I know the other side’s argument better than they do.”
My board of directors
It got me thinking about who might be on my board, and they come from various walks of life.
Some are people that I don’t really know but I read quite a lot, such as:
- Charlie Munger
- Seth Godin
- Blair Enns
- Gary Vaynerchuk
Others are people I know personally and talk to often, including:
Both lists could go on quite a bit further, but these are all people that I think about when making decisions. Would Charlie think this is a wise financial move? Would Gary think I’m holding myself back? Would Ali agree with the ethical ramifications of it?
It’s awesome to have my own board of directors, and I’ll bet you have one too. Who is on yours?
Love the concept that I’ve also heard of as “distant mentors.” The Munger quote on opinions is a definite keeper that I need to revisit often.
Interesting concept. Never considered having a personal board of directors, but will definitely put some thought into it. I imagine that I have an informal one (people / authors / speakers that I naturally gravitate too) but would be good to formalize it.