Rusty O'Kelley
Appearances
Redefiners
Leadership Lounge: Boardroom Bound: How to Navigate Your Journey from Executive to Board Director
Thank you. I am happy to be here.
Redefiners
Leadership Lounge: Boardroom Bound: How to Navigate Your Journey from Executive to Board Director
There are three things that impact what a chair and a company is looking for at any moment in time. First, what industry are they in? Two is what is the strategy of the company? Where are they in the business cycle? Are they on an upturn? Are they on a downturn? Are they having an international expansion or are they having a technology transformation?
Redefiners
Leadership Lounge: Boardroom Bound: How to Navigate Your Journey from Executive to Board Director
All of those things are really important in terms of the skill sets that are needed. The third is what is the board matrix? Who's on the board? When are those people going to retire or leave the board? Because all of that influences the skills and experiences that are needed by the board in order to support the company's strategy and to provide help and oversight to management.
Redefiners
Leadership Lounge: Boardroom Bound: How to Navigate Your Journey from Executive to Board Director
Go early to the meetings. I know this seems obvious, but it's sometimes surprising how new board members don't take advantage of saying, hey, you know, I want to come in a few hours early. Is there someone I could have coffee with? Or, you know, as everyone's racing to a plane, ask, who can I ride in the car with? Are we on the same flight? Let's sit together.
Redefiners
Leadership Lounge: Boardroom Bound: How to Navigate Your Journey from Executive to Board Director
They may be small things, but they help to get to know you as people. Then more proactively throughout your first year, make sure around board meetings, you schedule a coffee or a drink or a meal before or after the formal board process or board meetings, because that allows you to, again, to get to know people, to get feedback, to give feedback in a really informal setting.