February 25, 2025 • 18 mins
"Have people that you can trust to receive their honest opinion and advice, while keeping space for you to make your own decisions, without them trying to micromanage or direct you"
A personal board of directors can transform careers and lives. Like many, I hadn't been deliberate in setting up my own personal board. Yet, I unknowingly have a network of trusted advisors shaping my path. Katie compared it to the eclectic cast of the show The Big Bang Theory, where each person brings their unique flair and insights to the table.
A personal board is not just about having people you trust or people that are from similar professions. A well balanced board has a dynamic mix of diverse perspectives to guide and even challenge you. This board isn’t about holding meetings with agendas though. It is about leaning on the people you trust for professional or even personal guidance.
As you think about your own board, be aware of how you may play a key role on someone else's board. Think of it as a dance of advice and encouragement. Setting up a personal board can provide that critical support and validation. Those are the people that can help you through changes in your organization or give you the nudge to continue pursuing your dream job even when the path gets rocky.
Offer value to your mentors, as they do for you. Recognize their guidance, implement their advice, and maintain a reciprocal relationship. In the world of career growth, the mutual respect with your personal board of directors has a way of turning advice into inspiration.
Notable Moments
01:01 Pursuing Dreams Requires Perseverance
05:01 Forming a Personal Advisory Board
09:41 Choosing Board Members
11:51 Mentorship and Networking Benefits
15:04 The Value of Personal Advisory Boards
18:05 The Importance of Deliberate Relationships
Connect with Tim and his team:
Website: https://bestculturesolutions.ca/
LinkedIn: Best Culture Solutions, Inc
Instagram: @best.culture.solutions
Email: tim@bestculturesolutions.ca
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:07):
Welcome to the World at Work podcast, where business leaders and job
seekers come together to create winning cultures and fulfilling careers.
I'm your host, Katie Kearns, and I am here with Tim Dick, founder of
Best Culture Solutions. Tim, I am a little
bit envious of you and Rob having the chance to record
together. How are you? How was that time getting to actually
(00:29):
be with him? That was awesome. And Rob is
somebody that, you know, I get to see every so often when I'm in Florida,
but Rob has done some pretty remarkable things in his career. And it was great
to chat with him about that just because, you know,
he we help people, right, with finding the right career and fulfilling
careers. And Rob is somebody that we worked with. And so, it was great just
(00:51):
to be able to chat with him and learn
more about what he went through and how
other people can expect for it to go through too, and they're going after something
that they really want. And so, it was just good. It's always good.
He's such a good person, great to see him. And it was just so much
fun to be able to do that. And not only just because the
(01:11):
conversation, but the location. I mean, you took my
virtual call from Walt Disney World, and you said, you know what? I'm just
gonna go record with somebody that I've been able to help
really create that experience, that professional change that
we always talk about. And so it was just a really neat perspective. And
I, I appreciate that Rob's transparency and his
(01:34):
experience, especially around the length of time.
Because to the point of the conversation around creating
that dream career, it doesn't happen overnight, especially
if it's something or an organization that is highly regarded
or has a small staff, and there's very limited
opportunities. So it's just very powerful hearing firsthand
(01:56):
and especially kudos to you for the fact that you
didn't just come in and help him one time. You were along for the ride.
You were able to give that consistent guidance. So
I I think it's a huge testament to the work that
your team does with Best Culture Solutions because if it were a quick
overnight thing, you wouldn't have the team that you do. You know? You really
(02:18):
are dedicated to the work. So I just wanted to give you a
big kudos for that one. People need to hear it. Well, thanks.
No. And I think too, like, I mean, when it comes back to, like, the
issue, right, of of going after your dream job or whether or not, like, it's
just a lot of people, they think they want to go after it. And after
they get, you know, one piece of bad news, that's when they stop. And it's
(02:39):
like, hey, I get that this thing is not easy and it's not meant to
be. But, you know, just so you know, if it was worth going for, it's
going to take some work, right? And a lot of times though too, I mean,
there's always those questions around, well, when is the right time? Like, is there a
right time to stop, right? Or anything like that? And the answer is
different for everybody. I mean, if it was really something that meant that
(03:00):
much to you, then you probably would not ever feel like there was a right
time to stop. But you also have to manage your expectations in that and be
really, really smart too about making sure that you
do have multiple paths to fulfillment, right? That's something that Jeff Noll challenged me
on five or six years ago, right? If one path doesn't work, what
else, what are the traits of that path that you
(03:21):
like that you can find elsewhere? And what are those things that you could find
and that would bring those forward? And that's, to be honest, that's how this business
got started. So, because it was there were three or four different
things that I thought that I could do at the time that would provide me
with that career fulfillment or what I was looking for in my career and this
was one of them. And so I think that was an important part of the
conversation too is to have more than one potential path, right, to
(03:44):
happiness. And in order to really guide
yourself and others around that, you two hit on something that
is one of my favorite, really lessons
my in my own career in the personal
board of directors. And we talk so often
about businesses. Well, we don't personally talk, but out in the
(04:06):
world, we often talk about board of directors with
regard to business. I worked in education
for years, and there is often an educational board
that is made up of community members or leaders that help
guide the schools, the direction that
they think the community was. They're that liaison. And
(04:28):
I realized in my own journey that
there's really big value in the people that we're surrounding
ourselves with. And it sounds like a silly because
certainly we are a product of those who are around, but it makes a
difference when they're people that bring a unique
perspective to help give us the
(04:50):
encouragement and the challenge that we need when we're facing
something like a career move. So what when Rob mentioned the board
of directors, where did your brain go right away? Yeah. Well, that
was a good question. I think, you know, it was a new or I mentioned
this in the podcast, is like, you know, I've heard of people having these before
and I know people who've had one, but it's something that I've actually never personally
(05:12):
taken the opportunity to do. And that is probably not because it's not a
good thing to do. It's probably because I just haven't been deliberate in that area
of my life. But my takeaway on that was, you know, I have sat on
governance boards before that oversee organizations.
And so, when I heard that from Rob, you know, my impression was, you know,
this is a group of people that you can trust, that you would be
(05:34):
able to talk about overall direction on things and where you want to go
with your life and get their feedback on it and their advice on how to
achieve that. And so, the more I think about it, the
more I think that you need a diverse group of people that know you at
different levels or different degrees so that way you can bounce things
off of them, but where you may or may not want to go with your
(05:55):
career or your life that you can trust, right?
To give you that advice or that insight or that
encouragement that you need when you need it. I think it's important though not to
have people that would try to overtake your
direction, if that makes sense. Try to tell you what your direction should be,
but to give oversight, right? And oversight is very different
(06:17):
than directly directing, for lack of a better term. You know,
in this case, I think it's people that ask you questions that guide you towards
the answers that you want, and then can also then point out maybe what are
some of the harder things to do over that path or the advice you need
to get there or the eyes wide open pieces about going that way.
But I think, you know, you're looking for a group of people that know you
(06:38):
in varying degrees and levels and ways, right, to give
you that, that you can go to and say, Hey, you know, this is where
I want to go or this is where I'm thinking of going. What do you
think? And just give you eyes wide open advice that
also leaves it open for you to set your own path of direction. What do
you think? Well, when I picture a board my own
board, it's very diverse, and it changes.
(07:02):
It changes and not because, you know, friendships end
or I don't talk to somebody anymore, but there's
an ebb and flow of the connections
that sometimes are needed. I mean, I look at
my board as people that who might bring humor. I'm
a big I love humor. I love irony. I love
(07:24):
just that dry. And sometimes I need that. Sometimes I need the person that can
point out the humor or the irony in life. On the flip
side, I also need somebody that will hold me
accountable. I struggle with crossing
the finish line and it's not because I don't want to. I just
question everything when I get there. So I love having
(07:47):
somebody in my personal circle, in my group of connections
that I can speak a vision or a plan to, and they will
hold me accountable to it. So there's I think that
circle I'm gonna are you familiar with the show, The Big Bang
Theory? Hey. Look. I I know what it is. Have I ever watched it?
No. And don't judge me for that. I am not gonna judge you too much.
(08:09):
But nothing. So I it's the entire cast
is such a unique blend of people.
You've got the person that is very
direct and to the point. They don't do the fluff. They're not the
warm and fuzzy. You have the one that's a little more on the
personal side. You have the quirky girl. You have the you have this
(08:32):
blend of unique perspectives. To me, that is
a dream team personal board of directors. Maybe not
the exact characters, but the fact that they
are all coming together with something different. And it's
the notion opposites attract. Sometimes it it works out. Sometimes
you're you're not gonna be on the same page, which is why it's good to
(08:54):
have another person on your board, somebody that can bring different perspective. And we
have talked about this, Tim, where it's nice to have conversations
where somebody might see something different than you or they've
experienced things differently. And, you know, you're
in Canada, I'm in The US, and we have
different experiences of life. I've never sat and had a dog pull
(09:16):
me around. Well, other than on a leash. So, you know, I don't
your perspective is very different based on the
world you live, and there's value in that. Yeah. A %. So, I mean,
so let's break that down. So, you know, I mean and don't get me wrong.
I don't think that when you have, like, your personal board of directors, you're gonna
have, like, you know, meetings with agendas. I mean, maybe. Right. But I think that
(09:37):
I think it's just the people that you look at that you can ask for
advice. Right? And Yes. As you're going through this stuff. So let's break that
down a little bit. So let's think about people that we might
want on our board of directors, right? Like what do we think about when we
invite those people on? I think one thing for sure is that, I I mean,
I think it's obvious there needs to be a high level of trust, right, in
(09:58):
the person that, you know, there's that you can rely on their discretion, but you
can also rely on them to give you an honest opinion and
advice while keeping space for you to make your own
decisions, right, without trying to micromanage or direct your decisions. But
I think apart from that, you know, like, when you might look
at the types of people that are on your board, what would you
(10:20):
think about? I have some ideas. So for
myself, again, that accountability piece. The and there it
there are times I want it. And then on the flip, there are times I
need somebody that's gonna give me the validation because I
might have somebody that's like, holding me accountable. Like, hey, I'm
checking in. Did you finish this? I need that balanced with
(10:42):
somebody and it might be the same person. It doesn't always have to be a
different, but I also need that validation that
I am moving the direction I should. I am continuing.
Also balancing that with the person that's gonna challenge the
ideas. That's gonna say, are you sure about that? And not
in a roadblock way. I have some and
(11:05):
this might be an interesting perspective that you could bring. I find
for myself going through entrepreneurial ventures
or having creative work, sometimes the people that I've
grown up with, not just family, but sometimes that
close circle of friends, I love them dearly, but they don't
see me the same way or they don't they're almost
(11:27):
protected. They will not latch into the ideas. They
won't promote it because they're like, well, we wanna make sure, like, are you
sure you're comfortable? You're in a good space. It's like, but I need that
person that's gonna say Yeah. Yes, and so it's that
balance in the creatives. They're hits all over. It depends on need, but I
definitely would say the validation, the perspective, and accountability are big
(11:50):
ones for me. Yeah. I agree. I think too it's really good to
have somebody that has gone down the
same road before as well. Like, so, you know, like, let's say you want
to aspire to be a leader in a certain industry. Well, what you
know, you could form a relationship with somebody who has been a leader in that
industry, right? Let's say you want to be an entrepreneur, maybe you can find somebody.
(12:11):
And sometimes these people, they reveal themselves in conversation,
right, without even realizing it, right? Like I know that when I
started my business, so okay, I just mentioned I don't really have a board of
directors, but man, I have lots of people who have helped me along the way
and I can go for advice. So maybe I do. But I mean, even
to the point where I had a company that might be, or an
(12:32):
organization that might be considered a competitor to mine in a
different city, they were kind enough to share information with me
and form a partnership with me. And so, I mean, then they ended
up helping me a lot with understanding my products and how
to position them and then form that partnership. And they were massively
helpful to me and they ended up kind of being part of like a board
(12:54):
of directors in a way, I guess, in a very de facto way.
And so, it's important I think to have people that have walked the road you
want to walk before, but I also think it's important to have people
that also understand the personal road that you want to walk outside of work,
right? And understand where you wanna go with your life personally, with your family
or the people you care about or outside of work or
(13:16):
and have walked that road too and can help you stay on
track, right? Yes. I would say there are
some folks that I've had come in and, you know, they'll they'll walk
that walk, but then all of a sudden, life gets heavy for them or
they need somebody. And it's a balance because I feel like we're talking a
lot about the way we depend on these people. And
(13:38):
I also wanna take pause and acknowledge that the best
balance in that personal board is recognizing when we can
also provide value to them. And this is one thing you and
Rob also talked about was making sure you're intentional with
your connections and not filling a board. And it's like me, me, me with the
neon light. Don't forget you're here for me. Remembering that you
(14:00):
are also very likely on somebody's board. We might not always know
it. I typically, Tim, don't hand out little acknowledgment letters and
certificates saying congratulations. You've been nominated. I
absolutely think that we should acknowledge those people in
our world and say, you know what? This isn't meant to be a burden to
you, but you really have helped give me perspective on things.
(14:22):
And I value that from you, and I would like you to keep
doing that. I would like you to continue to give me solutions when I hit
roadblocks. So acknowledging the people that are
serving on your board while also remembering that you're very
likely serving on somebody else's board and continue to
give in the same way that you like to receive from
(14:43):
others. So, yeah, I'd it that personal board concept has
been huge game changer for me. Again, acknowledging that just because
I maybe shift somebody from my board for a moment, it
doesn't mean that relationship is any less with them. It's just in the
moment that might not be the key person that's able to
fill that need that I have. Yeah. And it's funny because the more we talk
(15:05):
about it, the more I've come to realize that, you know, maybe I do have
one. Right? It's you know, because it's not necessarily about
having this formal structure and like you say, these letters of you
are on the board and it's not about that. It's about who
are the people and getting really deliberate about the people that you trust to give
you good advice, both professionally and personally, as you go through it. And I guess
(15:27):
I think too, like in Rob's case, as he was going through that journey of
getting that dream role that he'd always wanted, there's a lot of things that came
up for him, relocating, stuff like that And
having that good group of people that you could rely on just to be there
to talk through it was probably absolutely vital for him. And it's
not, and the more we talked about it, the more I realized that having that
(15:49):
board is not so much about, like we just mentioned, some crazy
meetings with filings and agendas. It's about having that group of people
that you trust and being really deliberate about who those people are and making sure
that you're seeking advice and having a good group of mentors. And I think too,
a lot of times when you go after or when you, I shouldn't say go
after, it's not what you're doing, but like when you seek these people out, I
(16:11):
think the reality is that, you know, people that you trust that have been down
the roads that you want to go down and you can trust them to give
you good advice about them, but that they are people
that you seek out as mentors as well. And when you do that, I think
it's as simple as just saying, Hey, look, I think that you have a
lot of experience that I would benefit from and do you have the advice for
me? Right? And then, and it's just like how you gain mentors, right? You try
(16:34):
to you just simply ask them for advice. You take the advice, you do the
work and you tell them you did the work and then they'll give you more
work to do. And as you're approaching those people, not everybody's going to want to
play ball and don't take that personally and don't force it. But I think that's
really what it boils down to. It's who's walked those roads before, who do you
trust to give you advice, and then simply ask them for advice.
And taking it and using it and letting them know that you've used it and
(16:56):
that you appreciated them for it. Yes. That's a break warning because you don't
wanna go take somebody and this is maybe gonna sound pretty
blunt, but you don't wanna take somebody's time and not respect
their guidance and support. So that is one of those ways
to almost strain an opportunity with a board
member, friend, mentor. So, yeah, I I
(17:19):
would challenge everybody to just take that pause and think, you know, who am
I leaning on? Because chances are you do have a
personal board. We just haven't really acknowledged the role that
they play and why we're drawn to certain people during certain
times. So I'd love the idea of a board. Thank you for
just having that conversation and working through what else that could look
(17:42):
like. And I would say that you may or may not realize how
many of those boards you serve on for people because,
again, that accountability, that solutions driven
piece, you are helping people that are likely in a
very vulnerable space looking for a job or a career change.
And so, yeah, you've been sitting on board you didn't even
(18:04):
know. Probably, and we all do. And I think, you know and it's so good
that we're talking about it because we can help people be more deliberate about those
relationships and forming them and having that self awareness and recognizing what they are and
what they've become. Right? Yep. And it's important to have absolutely important to have
them. I'm glad we talked about it. Me too. Well, thank you, Tim. I
am always grateful and I know others are because they can reach
(18:26):
out to you if they're looking for that support. So
bestculturesolutions.ca. Right? That's right. And we are
looking forward to helping anybody that needs help with it too. Excellent. Well, until next
time, Tim. Thank you so much. Thank you.
Welcome to the World at Work podcast, where business leaders and job
seekers come together to create winning cultures and fulfilling careers.
I'm your host, Katie Kearns, and I am here with Tim Dick, founder of
Best Culture Solutions. Tim, I am a little
bit envious of you and Rob having the chance to record
together. How are you? How was that time getting to actually
(00:29):
be with him? That was awesome. And Rob is
somebody that, you know, I get to see every so often when I'm in Florida,
but Rob has done some pretty remarkable things in his career. And it was great
to chat with him about that just because, you know,
he we help people, right, with finding the right career and fulfilling
careers. And Rob is somebody that we worked with. And so, it was great just
(00:51):
to be able to chat with him and learn
more about what he went through and how
other people can expect for it to go through too, and they're going after something
that they really want. And so, it was just good. It's always good.
He's such a good person, great to see him. And it was just so much
fun to be able to do that. And not only just because the
(01:11):
conversation, but the location. I mean, you took my
virtual call from Walt Disney World, and you said, you know what? I'm just
gonna go record with somebody that I've been able to help
really create that experience, that professional change that
we always talk about. And so it was just a really neat perspective. And
I, I appreciate that Rob's transparency and his
(01:34):
experience, especially around the length of time.
Because to the point of the conversation around creating
that dream career, it doesn't happen overnight, especially
if it's something or an organization that is highly regarded
or has a small staff, and there's very limited
opportunities. So it's just very powerful hearing firsthand
(01:56):
and especially kudos to you for the fact that you
didn't just come in and help him one time. You were along for the ride.
You were able to give that consistent guidance. So
I I think it's a huge testament to the work that
your team does with Best Culture Solutions because if it were a quick
overnight thing, you wouldn't have the team that you do. You know? You really
(02:18):
are dedicated to the work. So I just wanted to give you a
big kudos for that one. People need to hear it. Well, thanks.
No. And I think too, like, I mean, when it comes back to, like, the
issue, right, of of going after your dream job or whether or not, like, it's
just a lot of people, they think they want to go after it. And after
they get, you know, one piece of bad news, that's when they stop. And it's
(02:39):
like, hey, I get that this thing is not easy and it's not meant to
be. But, you know, just so you know, if it was worth going for, it's
going to take some work, right? And a lot of times though too, I mean,
there's always those questions around, well, when is the right time? Like, is there a
right time to stop, right? Or anything like that? And the answer is
different for everybody. I mean, if it was really something that meant that
(03:00):
much to you, then you probably would not ever feel like there was a right
time to stop. But you also have to manage your expectations in that and be
really, really smart too about making sure that you
do have multiple paths to fulfillment, right? That's something that Jeff Noll challenged me
on five or six years ago, right? If one path doesn't work, what
else, what are the traits of that path that you
(03:21):
like that you can find elsewhere? And what are those things that you could find
and that would bring those forward? And that's, to be honest, that's how this business
got started. So, because it was there were three or four different
things that I thought that I could do at the time that would provide me
with that career fulfillment or what I was looking for in my career and this
was one of them. And so I think that was an important part of the
conversation too is to have more than one potential path, right, to
(03:44):
happiness. And in order to really guide
yourself and others around that, you two hit on something that
is one of my favorite, really lessons
my in my own career in the personal
board of directors. And we talk so often
about businesses. Well, we don't personally talk, but out in the
(04:06):
world, we often talk about board of directors with
regard to business. I worked in education
for years, and there is often an educational board
that is made up of community members or leaders that help
guide the schools, the direction that
they think the community was. They're that liaison. And
(04:28):
I realized in my own journey that
there's really big value in the people that we're surrounding
ourselves with. And it sounds like a silly because
certainly we are a product of those who are around, but it makes a
difference when they're people that bring a unique
perspective to help give us the
(04:50):
encouragement and the challenge that we need when we're facing
something like a career move. So what when Rob mentioned the board
of directors, where did your brain go right away? Yeah. Well, that
was a good question. I think, you know, it was a new or I mentioned
this in the podcast, is like, you know, I've heard of people having these before
and I know people who've had one, but it's something that I've actually never personally
(05:12):
taken the opportunity to do. And that is probably not because it's not a
good thing to do. It's probably because I just haven't been deliberate in that area
of my life. But my takeaway on that was, you know, I have sat on
governance boards before that oversee organizations.
And so, when I heard that from Rob, you know, my impression was, you know,
this is a group of people that you can trust, that you would be
(05:34):
able to talk about overall direction on things and where you want to go
with your life and get their feedback on it and their advice on how to
achieve that. And so, the more I think about it, the
more I think that you need a diverse group of people that know you at
different levels or different degrees so that way you can bounce things
off of them, but where you may or may not want to go with your
(05:55):
career or your life that you can trust, right?
To give you that advice or that insight or that
encouragement that you need when you need it. I think it's important though not to
have people that would try to overtake your
direction, if that makes sense. Try to tell you what your direction should be,
but to give oversight, right? And oversight is very different
(06:17):
than directly directing, for lack of a better term. You know,
in this case, I think it's people that ask you questions that guide you towards
the answers that you want, and then can also then point out maybe what are
some of the harder things to do over that path or the advice you need
to get there or the eyes wide open pieces about going that way.
But I think, you know, you're looking for a group of people that know you
(06:38):
in varying degrees and levels and ways, right, to give
you that, that you can go to and say, Hey, you know, this is where
I want to go or this is where I'm thinking of going. What do you
think? And just give you eyes wide open advice that
also leaves it open for you to set your own path of direction. What do
you think? Well, when I picture a board my own
board, it's very diverse, and it changes.
(07:02):
It changes and not because, you know, friendships end
or I don't talk to somebody anymore, but there's
an ebb and flow of the connections
that sometimes are needed. I mean, I look at
my board as people that who might bring humor. I'm
a big I love humor. I love irony. I love
(07:24):
just that dry. And sometimes I need that. Sometimes I need the person that can
point out the humor or the irony in life. On the flip
side, I also need somebody that will hold me
accountable. I struggle with crossing
the finish line and it's not because I don't want to. I just
question everything when I get there. So I love having
(07:47):
somebody in my personal circle, in my group of connections
that I can speak a vision or a plan to, and they will
hold me accountable to it. So there's I think that
circle I'm gonna are you familiar with the show, The Big Bang
Theory? Hey. Look. I I know what it is. Have I ever watched it?
No. And don't judge me for that. I am not gonna judge you too much.
(08:09):
But nothing. So I it's the entire cast
is such a unique blend of people.
You've got the person that is very
direct and to the point. They don't do the fluff. They're not the
warm and fuzzy. You have the one that's a little more on the
personal side. You have the quirky girl. You have the you have this
(08:32):
blend of unique perspectives. To me, that is
a dream team personal board of directors. Maybe not
the exact characters, but the fact that they
are all coming together with something different. And it's
the notion opposites attract. Sometimes it it works out. Sometimes
you're you're not gonna be on the same page, which is why it's good to
(08:54):
have another person on your board, somebody that can bring different perspective. And we
have talked about this, Tim, where it's nice to have conversations
where somebody might see something different than you or they've
experienced things differently. And, you know, you're
in Canada, I'm in The US, and we have
different experiences of life. I've never sat and had a dog pull
(09:16):
me around. Well, other than on a leash. So, you know, I don't
your perspective is very different based on the
world you live, and there's value in that. Yeah. A %. So, I mean,
so let's break that down. So, you know, I mean and don't get me wrong.
I don't think that when you have, like, your personal board of directors, you're gonna
have, like, you know, meetings with agendas. I mean, maybe. Right. But I think that
(09:37):
I think it's just the people that you look at that you can ask for
advice. Right? And Yes. As you're going through this stuff. So let's break that
down a little bit. So let's think about people that we might
want on our board of directors, right? Like what do we think about when we
invite those people on? I think one thing for sure is that, I I mean,
I think it's obvious there needs to be a high level of trust, right, in
(09:58):
the person that, you know, there's that you can rely on their discretion, but you
can also rely on them to give you an honest opinion and
advice while keeping space for you to make your own
decisions, right, without trying to micromanage or direct your decisions. But
I think apart from that, you know, like, when you might look
at the types of people that are on your board, what would you
(10:20):
think about? I have some ideas. So for
myself, again, that accountability piece. The and there it
there are times I want it. And then on the flip, there are times I
need somebody that's gonna give me the validation because I
might have somebody that's like, holding me accountable. Like, hey, I'm
checking in. Did you finish this? I need that balanced with
(10:42):
somebody and it might be the same person. It doesn't always have to be a
different, but I also need that validation that
I am moving the direction I should. I am continuing.
Also balancing that with the person that's gonna challenge the
ideas. That's gonna say, are you sure about that? And not
in a roadblock way. I have some and
(11:05):
this might be an interesting perspective that you could bring. I find
for myself going through entrepreneurial ventures
or having creative work, sometimes the people that I've
grown up with, not just family, but sometimes that
close circle of friends, I love them dearly, but they don't
see me the same way or they don't they're almost
(11:27):
protected. They will not latch into the ideas. They
won't promote it because they're like, well, we wanna make sure, like, are you
sure you're comfortable? You're in a good space. It's like, but I need that
person that's gonna say Yeah. Yes, and so it's that
balance in the creatives. They're hits all over. It depends on need, but I
definitely would say the validation, the perspective, and accountability are big
(11:50):
ones for me. Yeah. I agree. I think too it's really good to
have somebody that has gone down the
same road before as well. Like, so, you know, like, let's say you want
to aspire to be a leader in a certain industry. Well, what you
know, you could form a relationship with somebody who has been a leader in that
industry, right? Let's say you want to be an entrepreneur, maybe you can find somebody.
(12:11):
And sometimes these people, they reveal themselves in conversation,
right, without even realizing it, right? Like I know that when I
started my business, so okay, I just mentioned I don't really have a board of
directors, but man, I have lots of people who have helped me along the way
and I can go for advice. So maybe I do. But I mean, even
to the point where I had a company that might be, or an
(12:32):
organization that might be considered a competitor to mine in a
different city, they were kind enough to share information with me
and form a partnership with me. And so, I mean, then they ended
up helping me a lot with understanding my products and how
to position them and then form that partnership. And they were massively
helpful to me and they ended up kind of being part of like a board
(12:54):
of directors in a way, I guess, in a very de facto way.
And so, it's important I think to have people that have walked the road you
want to walk before, but I also think it's important to have people
that also understand the personal road that you want to walk outside of work,
right? And understand where you wanna go with your life personally, with your family
or the people you care about or outside of work or
(13:16):
and have walked that road too and can help you stay on
track, right? Yes. I would say there are
some folks that I've had come in and, you know, they'll they'll walk
that walk, but then all of a sudden, life gets heavy for them or
they need somebody. And it's a balance because I feel like we're talking a
lot about the way we depend on these people. And
(13:38):
I also wanna take pause and acknowledge that the best
balance in that personal board is recognizing when we can
also provide value to them. And this is one thing you and
Rob also talked about was making sure you're intentional with
your connections and not filling a board. And it's like me, me, me with the
neon light. Don't forget you're here for me. Remembering that you
(14:00):
are also very likely on somebody's board. We might not always know
it. I typically, Tim, don't hand out little acknowledgment letters and
certificates saying congratulations. You've been nominated. I
absolutely think that we should acknowledge those people in
our world and say, you know what? This isn't meant to be a burden to
you, but you really have helped give me perspective on things.
(14:22):
And I value that from you, and I would like you to keep
doing that. I would like you to continue to give me solutions when I hit
roadblocks. So acknowledging the people that are
serving on your board while also remembering that you're very
likely serving on somebody else's board and continue to
give in the same way that you like to receive from
(14:43):
others. So, yeah, I'd it that personal board concept has
been huge game changer for me. Again, acknowledging that just because
I maybe shift somebody from my board for a moment, it
doesn't mean that relationship is any less with them. It's just in the
moment that might not be the key person that's able to
fill that need that I have. Yeah. And it's funny because the more we talk
(15:05):
about it, the more I've come to realize that, you know, maybe I do have
one. Right? It's you know, because it's not necessarily about
having this formal structure and like you say, these letters of you
are on the board and it's not about that. It's about who
are the people and getting really deliberate about the people that you trust to give
you good advice, both professionally and personally, as you go through it. And I guess
(15:27):
I think too, like in Rob's case, as he was going through that journey of
getting that dream role that he'd always wanted, there's a lot of things that came
up for him, relocating, stuff like that And
having that good group of people that you could rely on just to be there
to talk through it was probably absolutely vital for him. And it's
not, and the more we talked about it, the more I realized that having that
(15:49):
board is not so much about, like we just mentioned, some crazy
meetings with filings and agendas. It's about having that group of people
that you trust and being really deliberate about who those people are and making sure
that you're seeking advice and having a good group of mentors. And I think too,
a lot of times when you go after or when you, I shouldn't say go
after, it's not what you're doing, but like when you seek these people out, I
(16:11):
think the reality is that, you know, people that you trust that have been down
the roads that you want to go down and you can trust them to give
you good advice about them, but that they are people
that you seek out as mentors as well. And when you do that, I think
it's as simple as just saying, Hey, look, I think that you have a
lot of experience that I would benefit from and do you have the advice for
me? Right? And then, and it's just like how you gain mentors, right? You try
(16:34):
to you just simply ask them for advice. You take the advice, you do the
work and you tell them you did the work and then they'll give you more
work to do. And as you're approaching those people, not everybody's going to want to
play ball and don't take that personally and don't force it. But I think that's
really what it boils down to. It's who's walked those roads before, who do you
trust to give you advice, and then simply ask them for advice.
And taking it and using it and letting them know that you've used it and
(16:56):
that you appreciated them for it. Yes. That's a break warning because you don't
wanna go take somebody and this is maybe gonna sound pretty
blunt, but you don't wanna take somebody's time and not respect
their guidance and support. So that is one of those ways
to almost strain an opportunity with a board
member, friend, mentor. So, yeah, I I
(17:19):
would challenge everybody to just take that pause and think, you know, who am
I leaning on? Because chances are you do have a
personal board. We just haven't really acknowledged the role that
they play and why we're drawn to certain people during certain
times. So I'd love the idea of a board. Thank you for
just having that conversation and working through what else that could look
(17:42):
like. And I would say that you may or may not realize how
many of those boards you serve on for people because,
again, that accountability, that solutions driven
piece, you are helping people that are likely in a
very vulnerable space looking for a job or a career change.
And so, yeah, you've been sitting on board you didn't even
(18:04):
know. Probably, and we all do. And I think, you know and it's so good
that we're talking about it because we can help people be more deliberate about those
relationships and forming them and having that self awareness and recognizing what they are and
what they've become. Right? Yep. And it's important to have absolutely important to have
them. I'm glad we talked about it. Me too. Well, thank you, Tim. I
am always grateful and I know others are because they can reach
(18:26):
out to you if they're looking for that support. So
bestculturesolutions.ca. Right? That's right. And we are
looking forward to helping anybody that needs help with it too. Excellent. Well, until next
time, Tim. Thank you so much. Thank you.
Popular Podcasts
United States of Kennedy
United States of Kennedy is a podcast about our cultural fascination with the Kennedy dynasty. Every week, hosts Lyra Smith and George Civeris go into one aspect of the Kennedy story.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com