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Why You Need a Personal Board of Directors (and How to Build One)
I’ve spent my career working with lawyers, executives, recruiters, consultants and business owners. On the surface, their careers don’t look very similar. They work in different industries, have different goals and define success in different ways. Spend enough time around successful professionals, though, and a pattern starts to emerge. Very few of them make important career decisions in isolation.
A lawyer who is considering moving to another firm usually talks it through with someone they trust before accepting an offer. A business owner who is thinking about launching a new service often reaches out to people whose opinions they respect before making the investment. Executives considering leadership opportunities frequently ask former colleagues for advice. Recruiters compare notes with other recruiters about hiring trends, compensation and what they’re seeing in the market. Those conversations aren’t unusual. They’re part of how thoughtful professionals make decisions.
When people tell the story of a successful career, they usually talk about promotions, new jobs, clients they landed or businesses they built. The conversations that happened before those milestones are rarely part of the story, even though they often influenced what happened next. Someone made an introduction. Someone encouraged them to pursue an opportunity they hadn’t seriously considered. Someone asked a question that completely changed how they were looking at a situation. Someone else offered honest feedback that prevented a costly mistake.
Looking back at my own career, I can trace many opportunities to conversations with people whose judgment I trusted. Some introduced me to people who became clients or colleagues. Others shared advice that helped me make better decisions or look at a situation from another perspective. Those conversations didn’t guarantee success, but they almost always improved the quality of the decisions I was making.
That’s one of the reasons I encourage professionals to build what I call a personal board of directors. Most people already have the beginnings of one, even if they’ve never thought about it that way. They have a handful of people they call before making a major career move, launching a business, taking on a new leadership role or navigating a difficult situation. Giving that group a name encourages you to become more intentional about building it instead of letting it develop entirely by chance.
A personal board of directors is a small group of trusted advisors you rely on for perspective, guidance, introductions and honest feedback throughout your career. Unlike a corporate board, there are no meetings, titles or formal responsibilities. Every relationship is different, and every person brings something unique to the table.
Some members of your board may have decades of experience in your industry. Others may have expertise in areas where you’re still learning. One person may be exceptionally well connected and generous with introductions. Another may have an incredible ability to see opportunities and risks that other people miss. Someone else may simply know you well enough to recognize when you’re overthinking a decision or heading in the wrong direction.
A personal board of directors isn’t built around impressive titles or well-known names. It’s built around trust. The most valuable advisors aren’t always the most senior people you know. They’re the people who consistently give thoughtful advice, ask questions that make you stop and think and genuinely want to see you succeed. Sometimes those people are mentors who have known you for years. Sometimes they’re peers who understand exactly what you’re experiencing because they’re navigating similar challenges. Sometimes they’re people outside your industry whose different perspective helps you see possibilities that never would have occurred to you otherwise.
Building a personal board also changes the way you think about networking. Many people approach networking with a short-term objective. They attend conferences because they’re looking for clients. They reconnect with old contacts because they’re considering a job change. They become active on LinkedIn because they want more visibility. There’s nothing wrong with those goals, but relationships built only when you need something rarely become your strongest professional relationships.
The relationships that shape careers usually develop much more naturally. They grow through conversations after a conference session, regular lunches with former colleagues, introductions made without expecting anything in return, thoughtful comments on LinkedIn, occasional phone calls and years of staying in touch. By the time you need advice about an important decision, trust has already been established because the relationship has existed long before the decision itself.
Thinking about your network as a personal board of directors encourages you to invest in those relationships long before you need them. It also encourages you to be equally generous with your own time, experience and network. The strongest professional relationships are reciprocal. Everyone around the table contributes something valuable, and everyone benefits from the collective experience of the group.
The next question becomes much more interesting: who deserves a seat at your table? Not everyone plays the same role, and understanding those roles makes it much easier to build a board that genuinely helps you grow throughout your career.
Every personal board of directors is different because every career is different. The people who help a first-year associate navigate law firm life probably won’t be exactly the same people a managing partner, business owner or CEO relies on years later. As your career grows, the questions you ask become more complex, your responsibilities expand and you naturally begin looking to different people for guidance. Some relationships will last your entire career, while others become especially important during a particular stage of your professional life.
The strongest boards also include people with different perspectives. You don’t want everyone around the table to think the same way, have the same background or solve problems the same way. The value comes from hearing different opinions before making an important decision. Some people help you think bigger. Others help you slow down and consider risks you may have overlooked. Some open doors, while others help you decide which doors are worth walking through.
Most successful professionals can point to someone who made their career a little easier. It may have been a former boss who took the time to explain how the business really worked, a senior colleague who shared lessons they learned the hard way or someone who encouraged them to pursue an opportunity they weren’t sure they were ready for. Those conversations often become part of the foundation of a career, even though they rarely appear on a résumé.
A mentor brings the benefit of experience. They’ve already faced many of the situations you’re facing now and can often help you avoid mistakes that are easy to make when you’re figuring everything out on your own. They can also offer perspective when you’re frustrated, remind you that setbacks are part of every career and help you focus on the bigger picture when you’re caught up in a difficult moment.
Some mentoring relationships are formal, but many develop naturally over time. They grow out of working together, staying in touch after changing jobs, meeting through an industry association or simply having regular conversations with someone whose judgment you respect. The relationship doesn’t have to follow a schedule to be valuable. Sometimes one conversation at exactly the right time ends up influencing your career for years.
Sponsors are often discussed alongside mentors, but they play a very different role. Mentors help you grow. Sponsors help create opportunities.
Think about how many career opportunities begin because someone says, “You should talk to her,” or “I know exactly who would be great for this.” Those recommendations carry a tremendous amount of credibility because they’re based on trust. Every time someone recommends you for a client opportunity, a leadership role, a board position or a speaking engagement, they’re putting their own reputation behind that recommendation.
Sponsors don’t always have the highest titles. They might be a client, a former colleague, a recruiter, a business partner or someone you’ve collaborated with over the years. What they have in common is confidence in your abilities. They’ve seen your work, they trust your judgment and they’re comfortable putting your name forward because they know you’ll represent them well. Those relationships develop over time through consistently doing good work and making it easy for people to feel confident recommending you.
Every industry has people who seem to know everyone. They’re constantly introducing people, connecting ideas and bringing together individuals who would benefit from knowing each other. Some of them are natural extroverts, while others are simply generous with their networks. They understand that relationships create opportunities, and they genuinely enjoy helping good people connect.
I’ve always believed introductions are one of the most valuable gifts you can give another professional because you never know where they’ll lead. An introduction might result in a new client, a referral source, a business partnership, a speaking engagement or a friendship that lasts for years. Most of those opportunities begin with a simple conversation between two people who otherwise never would have met.
Connectors also remind us that networking isn’t measured by how many business cards you collect or how many LinkedIn connections you have. It’s measured by the quality of your relationships and your willingness to help other people build relationships of their own. The professionals with the strongest networks are often the ones who spend the most time helping other people succeed.
Every profession changes. New technology appears, regulations evolve, client expectations shift and competitors find new ways to differentiate themselves. Staying current has become part of remaining competitive, regardless of your industry.
Every personal board benefits from someone who pays close attention to those changes. This is often the person sending interesting articles, recommending books, sharing conference takeaways or introducing you to new ideas before everyone else is talking about them. They don’t know everything, but they’re genuinely interested in learning and naturally bring that curiosity into their conversations with other people.
Spending time with people like this has a way of expanding your own thinking. They challenge assumptions, introduce new perspectives and encourage you to continue learning throughout your career. Those conversations become increasingly valuable because they help you adapt as your profession continues to evolve.
Every professional knows someone who naturally looks several steps ahead. While everyone else is focused on solving today’s problem, they’re asking what happens next month, next year or five years from now. They have a remarkable ability to see patterns, connect ideas and evaluate decisions within a much broader context.
These are incredibly valuable people to have around when you’re making important decisions because they help you slow down. They ask questions you haven’t considered, point out assumptions you’re making and encourage you to evaluate opportunities from several different angles before moving forward. Many significant career decisions benefit from that kind of conversation because it’s easy to become attached to an exciting opportunity without fully considering the long-term implications.
Strategic thinkers don’t necessarily give you the answer. They help you ask better questions, and better questions almost always lead to better decisions.
Most of us naturally gravitate toward people who support our ideas. It’s reassuring when someone agrees with our decisions or tells us we’re on the right track. Every once in a while, though, you need someone who is willing to say, “I don’t think you’re looking at this the right way,” or “Have you considered what could happen if this doesn’t work out?” Those conversations aren’t always enjoyable, but they can be some of the most valuable conversations you’ll ever have.
Every career has moments when emotions get in the way of good decision making. Maybe you’re frustrated with your job and ready to quit. Maybe you’re excited about a new opportunity and overlooking the downsides. Maybe you’ve become so invested in an idea that you’re no longer looking at it objectively. A truth teller helps bring you back to reality. They ask questions you may not have asked yourself, point out things you’ve overlooked and encourage you to slow down before making an important decision.
Honest feedback is a gift, especially as your career progresses. The more senior you become, the less likely people are to challenge you openly. Colleagues may hesitate because they don’t want to offend you. Friends may avoid difficult conversations because they care about your feelings. A trusted advisor who is willing to be candid becomes incredibly valuable because they’re focused on helping you make better decisions, not simply making you feel better about the decisions you’ve already made.
Some of the best professional conversations happen with people who are building their careers right alongside you. They understand the challenges you’re facing because they’re facing many of the same ones themselves. They’re trying new ideas, solving similar problems, navigating changes in the market and figuring out what works just like you are.
I always enjoy talking with other marketing and business development professionals because I almost always walk away with a new idea. Someone mentions a conference they attended, a tool they’re using, a client development strategy that’s working or a challenge they’re trying to solve. Those conversations are never about copying what someone else is doing. They’re about expanding your thinking and learning from people who are asking many of the same questions you are.
Peers also understand the ups and downs that come with building a career. They celebrate your successes because they know how much work went into achieving them. They understand setbacks because they’ve experienced their own. Those shared experiences create relationships that often last for decades, and many eventually become trusted advisors whose opinions carry just as much weight as people with much longer résumés.
This is the seat that many people leave empty, and I think it’s one of the most valuable. Spending all of your time with people in your own profession has a way of reinforcing the same ideas. Everyone reads the same publications, attends the same conferences and approaches problems from a similar perspective. Bringing someone from a completely different industry into the conversation often changes the discussion in ways you never expected.
I’ve learned a tremendous amount from entrepreneurs, recruiters, consultants, business owners and executives whose careers look nothing like mine. They ask different questions because they solve different problems every day. They often approach business development, leadership, hiring, marketing and relationship building from a completely different perspective, and that’s exactly what makes those conversations so valuable. More than once, an idea from someone outside legal has changed how I approached my own work.
Building relationships outside your industry also makes you a more creative thinker. Instead of looking at every challenge through the same lens, you begin borrowing ideas from different professions and adapting them to your own. Some of the best ideas don’t come from the people doing exactly what you do. They come from someone who looks at the same situation and sees possibilities you never considered because their experience has been completely different from your own.
Reading through these different roles, it’s easy to start making a mental list of people who already belong on your personal board of directors. You may have a mentor you’ve known for years, a colleague who always gives thoughtful advice or a client whose perspective you genuinely value. You may also realize there are a few seats that are still empty. That’s perfectly normal because most people don’t build a personal board all at once. It develops over time as your career develops.
The strongest professional relationships rarely begin with the intention of becoming part of your inner circle. Most start with a simple conversation. You meet someone at a conference, work together on a project, reconnect through LinkedIn or get introduced by a mutual contact. You stay in touch, continue the conversation and gradually build trust. Months or years later, you realize they’re one of the first people you call when you need another perspective.
That’s one of the reasons I encourage people to approach networking differently. Too many professionals think about networking only when they’re looking for a job, trying to bring in business or preparing for an event. Relationship building works much better when it becomes part of your regular routine instead of something you do only when you need a specific outcome. Staying in touch with people, congratulating them on milestones, sharing an article they might enjoy or making an introduction simply because two people should know each other are all small actions that strengthen relationships over time.
LinkedIn has made building and maintaining those relationships easier than ever. Instead of waiting until the next conference or industry event, you can stay connected throughout the year. Commenting thoughtfully on someone’s post, congratulating them on a promotion, sharing their accomplishments or sending a quick message after reading something they wrote keeps the relationship active without feeling forced. Those interactions may seem small on their own, but they add up over time.
I’ve built many relationships that started with a comment on LinkedIn or a brief exchange after someone read one of my articles. Eventually we scheduled a Zoom call, met for coffee at a conference or collaborated on a project. Looking back, none of those relationships felt particularly significant when they started. They became meaningful because both people continued investing in the relationship long after the initial introduction.
It’s also worth remembering that every relationship doesn’t have to become part of your personal board of directors. You’ll meet hundreds or even thousands of people throughout your career. Some become acquaintances, others become friends and a small number become the people whose opinions consistently influence how you think. Those are the relationships worth investing in because they’re built on trust, mutual respect and a genuine interest in helping each other succeed.
Building a personal board also means being the kind of person other people want on theirs. The strongest professional relationships are reciprocal. If you’re always asking for advice but never offering help, making introductions or sharing your own perspective, the relationship eventually becomes one-sided. Every person has something valuable to contribute, regardless of where they are in their career. You may know someone who would make a great client for another person. You may introduce two people who end up doing business together. You may share an idea that helps someone solve a problem they’ve been wrestling with for months.
Generosity has a way of strengthening professional relationships because people remember those who consistently look for ways to help. Some of the strongest networks I’ve seen belong to people who freely share ideas, celebrate other people’s successes and make introductions without expecting anything in return. Over time, that generosity comes back in ways that are almost impossible to predict. A conversation leads to an opportunity. An introduction turns into a client. A relationship opens a door that you never even knew existed.
Building a personal board of directors isn’t something you cross off a list once it’s finished. As your career changes, your board should continue changing with it. New opportunities introduce you to new people. New responsibilities require different perspectives. Some relationships naturally become closer, while others become less active. That’s exactly what you would expect because your career isn’t standing still, and neither are the people around you.
Building a personal board of directors doesn’t happen overnight, and there isn’t a perfect formula for doing it. Every career is different, every relationship develops differently and every board will look a little different. At the same time, there are a few patterns I’ve seen over the years that are worth paying attention to because they can influence how valuable those relationships become.
Many people naturally gravitate toward people who think like they do. That’s human nature. We all enjoy having our ideas validated and spending time with people who see the world in similar ways. At the same time, some of the most helpful conversations come from people who ask a question you hadn’t considered or offer a perspective that hadn’t crossed your mind. Those conversations often lead to the best decisions because they help you look at a situation from more than one angle before moving forward.
It’s also easy to focus most of your attention on people who are further along in their careers. Experienced professionals have a tremendous amount to offer, but they aren’t the only people worth listening to. Peers often have fresh ideas because they’re solving many of the same challenges you are right now. People outside your industry may approach a problem in a way that’s completely different from what you’re used to seeing. Some of the most interesting conversations happen when people with different backgrounds and experiences share how they would handle the same situation.
Strong relationships also need a little attention over time. Most of us have every intention of staying in touch with people, but work gets busy, calendars fill up and before we know it another year has gone by. Staying connected doesn’t have to be complicated. Congratulating someone on a promotion, sending an article they might enjoy, reaching out after seeing them speak at a conference or grabbing coffee when you’re both in the same city are all simple ways to keep a relationship going. Those small touchpoints often matter much more than people realize.
Your personal board will probably change as your career changes, and that’s a good thing. The people you relied on early in your career may always be important to you, but new opportunities often introduce you to people with different experiences and different perspectives. As your responsibilities grow, you’ll naturally have different questions, different goals and different challenges. It’s only natural that the people you turn to will evolve as well.
Another thing I’ve learned is that these relationships work best when they go both ways. Even if you’re early in your career, you still have something valuable to offer. You can make introductions, share ideas, recommend resources, celebrate someone else’s success or simply be a thoughtful sounding board when another person is working through a decision. The strongest professional relationships rarely feel one-sided because both people are invested in seeing the other succeed.
When I think about the opportunities that have shaped my own career, so many of them can be traced back to a conversation, an introduction or a relationship that had been developing for years. At the time, none of us knew where those conversations would eventually lead. That’s part of what makes relationship building so rewarding. You never know which coffee meeting, conference conversation, LinkedIn connection or introduction will become the beginning of something much bigger.
Your personal board of directors shouldn’t stay the same forever because your career won’t stay the same forever. The questions you have early in your career are very different from the questions you have after you’ve built a business, become a leader or started managing people. As your responsibilities grow, the people you turn to for advice will naturally change as well.
When I started my career, I wanted guidance from people who could help me understand how law firms worked, navigate office dynamics and become better at my job. Today, my conversations are much more likely to be about growing a business, evaluating consulting opportunities, building my brand, pricing an engagement or deciding where I want to invest my time. Some of the people who helped me early in my career are still part of my life, but I’ve also met people over the years whose experience is more relevant to the decisions I’m making today.
Many of those relationships developed gradually. We met through work, at a conference, through LinkedIn or because someone introduced us. We stayed in touch, shared ideas, met for coffee, caught up at industry events and continued the conversation over the years. At some point, they became people whose opinions I genuinely valued. They earned a seat at the table without either of us ever talking about it that way.
The same thing happens for almost everyone. A former colleague becomes someone you call whenever you’re considering a career move. A client becomes a trusted sounding board. Someone you met through LinkedIn becomes a friend whose opinion carries real weight. Relationships have a way of growing when you continue investing in them.
That’s one of the reasons I enjoy introducing people to each other. You never know where a single introduction will lead. Sometimes it turns into a friendship. Sometimes it becomes a referral source, a business partnership, a speaking opportunity or a new client. Sometimes nothing happens at all, and that’s perfectly fine. I’ve seen enough introductions grow into something meaningful that I never underestimate the value of connecting good people.
Your board will continue changing throughout your career, and that’s exactly what you want. New people will earn a seat at the table, others may become less involved as your careers move in different directions and the conversations themselves will continue evolving. The important part isn’t trying to build the perfect board. It’s continuing to build relationships with people whose judgment you respect and whose success matters to you just as much as your own.
A personal board of directors is a group of trusted people you turn to for advice, perspective, introductions and honest feedback throughout your career. Unlike a corporate board, there are no formal meetings or organizational charts. You choose who serves on your board based on their experience, judgment, expertise and willingness to help you grow. Some members may advise you for many years, while others become important during a particular stage of your career before new relationships naturally take their place.
No one builds a successful career entirely on their own. A personal board of directors gives you access to different perspectives, helps you think through important decisions, expands your network and provides guidance during periods of change. Whether you’re considering a new job, growing a business, preparing for a leadership role or navigating a difficult situation, having trusted advisors often leads to better decisions than trying to figure everything out yourself.
Every board looks different, but the strongest ones include people who bring different strengths and perspectives. That often includes a mentor, a sponsor, a connector, an industry expert, a strategic thinker, a truth teller, a trusted peer and someone outside your industry who can offer fresh ideas. The right combination depends on your career goals, your experience and the areas where you would benefit from additional guidance.
There isn’t a magic number. Many professionals naturally build a board of six to ten people over time, although some prefer a smaller group while others rely on a larger network. It’s also common for one person to fill several roles. A mentor may also become a sponsor, or a peer may also be an excellent truth teller. Focus on the quality of the relationships rather than reaching a particular number.
Start by identifying the kinds of advice and expertise that would help you most. Then invest in building genuine relationships through conferences, networking events, LinkedIn, professional associations, volunteer work and introductions from people you already know. A personal board develops through trust and consistency rather than a single conversation. Staying in touch, offering help, sharing ideas and continuing the relationship over time are all part of the process.
No. Most personal boards never meet as a group. Instead, you reach out to different people depending on the situation. You may ask your mentor for career advice, your sponsor for guidance about an opportunity, your industry expert for insight into a market trend or your truth teller for candid feedback before making an important decision.
The frequency depends on the relationship, but consistency matters. Some advisors may become people you speak with every month, while others may only hear from you a few times a year. Staying connected before you need help helps strengthen the relationship and makes future conversations feel natural rather than transactional.
Although the terms are often used interchangeably, they serve different purposes. A mentor shares knowledge, advice and perspective based on experience. A sponsor actively advocates for you by recommending you for opportunities, making introductions and speaking positively about your work when you’re not present. Both relationships are valuable, and many professionals benefit from having both.
Absolutely. LinkedIn makes it easier to identify people whose expertise you admire, engage with their ideas, reconnect with former colleagues and begin conversations that may eventually develop into meaningful professional relationships. Many long-term professional relationships now begin with a thoughtful comment, a shared interest or a simple introduction on LinkedIn before moving to phone calls, Zoom meetings or in-person conversations.
Your board should evolve as your career evolves. Early in your career, you may rely heavily on mentors and peers who help you develop professionally. As you move into leadership positions, start a business or expand your responsibilities, you may add experienced executives, entrepreneurs, board members or specialists who bring different expertise. It’s perfectly normal for some relationships to become less active while new ones become more important.
Many professionals surround themselves with people who think exactly like they do, which limits the value of the advice they receive. Others focus only on senior executives and overlook peers or professionals outside their industry who may offer equally valuable perspectives. Some people allow relationships to fade because they only reach out when they need something. A strong personal board is built through ongoing relationship building, mutual respect and a willingness to contribute as much as you receive.
The strongest professional relationships are reciprocal. Share your expertise generously, make introductions when you can, celebrate other people’s accomplishments, offer thoughtful advice and look for opportunities to help without expecting an immediate return. Over time, people begin seeking out individuals who are knowledgeable, dependable and generous with their time and ideas. Becoming that kind of professional often leads to stronger relationships and a more valuable network.
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Stefanie Marrone helps law firms and legal service providers effectively tell their stories and find their unique voices. She has worked at some of the most prominent law firms in the world, developing and executing global revenue generating, business development, internal and external…
Stefanie Marrone helps law firms and legal service providers effectively tell their stories and find their unique voices. She has worked at some of the most prominent law firms in the world, developing and executing global revenue generating, business development, internal and external communications strategies, including media relations, branding, multi-channel content marketing and thought leadership campaigns. She has particular experience in helping B2B companies and their employees effectively utilize social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for business development, revenue generation and visibility.
Stefanie advises law firms of all sizes, professional service firms, B2B companies, recruiters and individuals on the full range of marketing and business development consulting services designed to enhance revenue, retain current clients and achieve greater brand recognition. She also serves as outsourced chief marketing officer/marketing department for small and mid-size law firms.
Over her 20-year legal marketing career, she has worked at and with a broad range of big law, mid-size and small firms, which has given her a valuable perspective of the legal industry.
Connect with her on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, sign up for her email list and follow her latest writing on JD Supra.
Stefanie Marrone advises law firms (of all sizes), professional service firms, legal tech and B2B companies, professional associations and individuals on the full range of marketing and business development consulting services