I am the President of Ted Hull Consulting. I get to make all the
decisions. Which clients will I serve? How much will I charge? And what
brightness of photocopy paper will I buy when I stand in the aisle at Staples?
I even get to decide how often and how well I clean the office. I am the
President. I don’t have to collaborate and I don’t even know how to spell concensus. I am a business person.
So when I sit on a board it can create some special challenges for me.
The board does not always benefit from my wisdom and years of experience. I
cannot issue an edict and expect it to be carried out. So there is the
temptation to wield whatever weight I can. “I’m not sure I want to put my money
behind that” or “I would be reluctant to encourage people to support this
initiative”.
A board needs to have a mix of gifts and perspectives. It should listen
to the risk concerns provided by an insurance broker, look through the detailed
eye of an accountant, use the wordsmithing capacities of a lawyer…and heed the
entrepreneurial experience of a business person. But in the end, a board must
be comprised of individuals who can collaborate and carefully consider the
input of others. A board member must not sulk, pout or bully when his/her input
is considered but not heeded.
If we all have the same view of an issue, all except one of us is
unnecessary.
The command to “consider others” can be particularly challenging for
those of us used to making all the decisions ourselves.
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