Securing Your Seat At The Table
Community service fosters connections, and hones your leadership and decision-making skills. Most importantly, it provides the humbling opportunity to contribute to inspiring missions.
Dear community,
Hope the summer is off to a great start! It’s a time to relax and reconnect. It’s also a time to pause and reflect on what and where you want to spend your time doing - in life and your career.
Over the last few weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to have candid conversations with leaders at several organizations about the power of purpose and how to foster it in workplaces and beyond.
Reflecting on my leadership journey and observing the careers of role models in action, I’ve seen the value of going beyond the traditional job to cultivate purpose.
Some of the best leaders I know, at all stages and ages in their careers, are folks who invest in themselves and their communities through community service and volunteerism. Some may refer to this as a ‘career portfolio’. It is the recognition that no one professional role can or should provide all the development one hopes for. A career portfolio can look like a mix of employment, grassroots advocacy, fellowships, volunteering on boards, and more.
Today, I want to dive deeper into board governance.
I was recently invited to participate in a panel on my journey as a board director. It’s not a question I often have the chance to reflect on in my speaking engagements so I treasured the opportunity to do so.
For me, contributing to a board has always been about community service. The words of American boxer and social activist Muhammad Ali ring so true and have been an underlying theme in my contributions: ‘Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth.’
‘Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth’ -Muhammad Ali
Thanks again Laura Desveaux, Karima Kanani, and Hayley Becker for the invite and all your wonderful work on the Women Who Lead in Governance Fellowship via Women Who Lead, Miller Thomson, and Mirams Becker. So lovely to share space with you Susannah Margison and Nicole Beben - enjoyed hearing your reflections and tips!
—
I was trying to remember when I first learned about being on a board.
It started with my Dad.
My family and I first immigrated to Canada back in 1997.
My Dad, a trained electrician with extensive work experience globally, found it hard to enter the workforce in Canada. Similar to the stories of many newcomers, his international credentials weren’t being recognized and he faced troubling barriers to employment.
After several trials and tribulations, my Dad was finally able to secure a job. But he never forgot the hardships and wanted to do his part so others didn’t need to experience those same challenges.
The next year, he joined his professional association, OACETT, and never looked back. My Dad served on its board in several capacities leveraging his lived experience and professional expertise to fuel his advocacy, fight for systemic change, and build community along the way.
My Dad started his community service journey in 1998. A few years ago, my Dad was recognized for his distinguished service and I see so clearly how his leadership in governance have shaped my trajectory and purpose for contributing as a board member.
Fast forward about 15 years later after my Dad joined a Board - at the age of 22, I became a Board Director with the Council of Agencies Serving South Asians (CASSA), a vital organization advancing the political, economic, social, and cultural rights of the South Asian community in Canada. Similar to my Dad, CASSA was a space where I could give back and do my part on issues that sadly still are a concern all these years later like the recognition of international credentials, immigrant wellbeing, and newcomer integration.
Ten years since I’ve started - I’ve had the honour of serving on 5 non-profit and charitable boards throughout my career and participating in over 15 advisory tables for local, regional, national, and global initiatives in academia, civil society, government, media, and the private sector.
It also is very special and a full circle moment that I get to be part of the team that supports the next Youth Board Director between the ages of 18 to 24 to participate on Plan International Canada’s Board of Directors.
After over a decade of experience as a governor and strategic advisor, I wanted to share my 5 tips to help you secure your seat at the table:
Understand Why and How You Want to Serve - Being on a board is hard work requiring considerable time and energy so it’s important to understand how exactly you want to give back and why.
For me, my board work has always been a complement to give back to missions I don’t get to engage with as much daily. For example, right now my board work is focused on domestic policy issues like child care, community health and health care for marginalized populations and waste reduction ensuring Toronto and the GTA is a more equitable, just, and fair place to be. While I engage in global development and humanitarian policy advocacy in my 9-5, my board contributions allow me to stay rooted in the city that raised me!
Board work also looks different based on the governance model (grassroots vs. working board vs. policy governance board), the unit of analysis/action (local, regional, national, global), and depending on which pillar of society it is based in (academic, corporate, charitable/non-profit, professional association, public sector). Depending on the Board, your time commitment and what you do as a board member will look slightly different so when considering opportunities, ask what types of activities board members typically engage in to get a sense if this is how you imagine spending your time. One key principle in policy governance board work is ‘noses in, fingers out’ meaning focusing more on strategy and fiduciary oversight functions than operations and management responsibilities. If you want to be more hands-on in your voluntary contributions, a working board may be more of interest than a policy governance board.
Let Your Community Know - When I reflect on each of the Board Director roles I’ve committed to, I usually found out about the position first through my network. Usually, someone reached out to me and asked me to consider putting my hat in the ring. Before that, I had likely shared in passing my goals for the year and how board service was part of what I wanted to do.
There were rigorous recruitment processes often requiring submitting an application package such as a resume and cover letter, references, and participation in an interview or two. Some Boards may also leverage executive search firms so I suggest keeping your LinkedIn profile updated and checking your inboxes regularly because recruiters may reach out to you directly for Board roles.
Sign up for newsletters of organizations that are focused on supporting underrepresented communities in governance like Fora: Network for Change’s Rise on Boards program, Women Who Lead in Governance by Women Who Lead, Miller Thomson LLB, and Mirams Becker, and CivicAction’s BoardShift. Check out opportunity platforms like CharityVillage, Volunteer Toronto, and public appointment sites like for the City of Toronto, the Government of Ontario, and the Government of Canada. Job boards by executive search firms are another great resource.
Prepare, Learn, & Connect - Once you get on a Board, take the time to truly prepare for every single meeting. Read your board packages in full. Note the strategic questions you want to ask. Understand what is being asked of the board when it comes to different agenda items - is it more for updates, discussions, or decisions?
Participate in learning sessions offered by your Board and organization including during onboarding. Continue professional education in board governance through organizations like CivicAction’s BoardShift, Institute of Corporate Directors, Volunteer Toronto, and Blumbergs Canadian Charity Law to name a few.
Make it a point to connect with your Board colleagues one-on-one. Some boards may pair incoming board members with established ones (and if not, ask if that is possible). Build rapport with your board peers so you can make effective decisions once you are sitting across from each other in the board room.
Get Feedback and Grow
This next tip is perhaps the most difficult to implement. It’s not easy to be vulnerable, ask for advice, and understand where you can step it up. Feedback is a gift. I would encourage you to build the muscle and ask for it regularly, through different means - anonymous surveys, from trusted mentors, fellow board members, folks you would consider as members of your own personal board of directors, and more. This is how you can grow as a board member.
A note though - one source of feedback won’t provide you a holistic overview. Integrate it with multiple data points, consider the source and vantage point. Depending on the Board, you may have an annual board self-evaluation. Sometimes these may be about collective group performance, though sometimes it can also shed light on individual impact. If you don’t have a regular evaluation process, that can be a productive idea you can provide to the Board to consider for the future. Evidence suggests ongoing assessments are a valuable tool in driving group and individual performance on boards.
Scale (and Step Back) Your Contributions As You Can
When you are first starting on a board, really take the time to learn the ropes - understand your role and play your part well. Unpack the opportunities and challenges the organization is facing and how it can prepare for longer-term issues on the horizon. What investments need to be made in its capabilities? How can it be future-proofed?
Once you have a handle on your board contribution, think about how you want to grow your impact. Do you want to join a committee? Perhaps you want to take on a leadership role such as chairing a committee, joining the executive (think Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, etc.), and maybe even putting your name forward as a Chair? All are valuable ways to take your governance experience to the next level.
It’s also ok to think about when you want to step back in your contributions. The key is to proactively communicate it so your board colleagues can plan accordingly for recruitment and nominations to committees. Maybe a recent promotion or increase in responsibilities at work or change in a career means you can no longer serve on the executive of the board or chair a committee? Or you are coming up to the end of your first or second term on the board and decided that you don’t want to renew for an additional term? That is totally ok - let your board colleagues know and they will appreciate all the service you have been able to provide so far.
I’ve also seen when a new season of life is coming up, such as a move or a parental leave, board work keeps folks feeling connected and grounded so they want to invest more time. It all depends on the individual and what they need and can give at the time. At the end of the day, you chart your board journey so give back, when you can and as much as you want, with no obligation other than to stay true to what you committed to and keeping folks informed if that contribution needs to reduce or look different.
I have truly benefitted on a personal and professional level through board service - met some of my dearest mentors and friends, honed my strategic thinking skills, and found so much joy and enrichment, including staying connected to the city that made me!
Ready to step up and give back?
Be sure to check out these 2 opportunities to contribute locally and globally to children’s rights, youth leadership, and social impact:
Plan International Canada - Youth Board Director (For Young People Between the Ages of 18-24) - Deadline July 15, 2024
The world needs your talents and expertise! I hope this post has demystified Board work and allowed you to more deeply consider volunteering as a Board Director. You will be enriched by the experience and get to learn more about the biggest challenges of our time - at a local, national, and global level.
Thank you for reading! If you found this useful, drop me a note and let me know! Till next time!
With heart + determination,
Anjum
PS: If you want me to circulate jobs, professional development opportunities, and events in future newsletters, please get in touch with me at anjumsultana.mph@gmail.com.
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Opportunities to stretch + grow
Volunteer for One Young World Summit in Montreal | Rolling applications
2024 State of the Sector Survey | Ontario Nonprofit Network | July 5, 2024
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Youth Policy-Makers Hub Member | Ontario Council for International Cooperation | July 19, 2024
ONE Global Activist | July 31, 2024
Become a Mentee/Mentor | Mentornet Program by Canadian Association for Global Health | August 18, 2024
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