Creating a Personal Advisory Board

by Linda Gravett, Ph.D., SPHR

As Human Resource professionals, we often find ourselves in the position of advising others in their careers. Our unofficial job titles include counselor, parent, cheerleader, and seeker of truth. We’re busy doing this for others, but who is doing this for us? That’s where a Personal Advisory Board is helpful. Why Have a Personal Advisory Board?
Each of us has unique competencies and talents that we summon up during our career to move us forward and contribute to professional and volunteer organizations. Most of us, however, have at least one or two areas in which our expertise and experience isn’t as rich as we would like. This is the reason for creating a Personal Advisory Board, so that we can round out our competencies and learn from advisors during the course of our career. The relationship that’s built with well-selected personal advisors can be very fulfilling: a gift that gives back all of our lives.

When Should I Establish a Personal Advisory Board?
I recommend that you create a Personal Advisory Board now; it’s not too soon. I developed my first group of advisors when I was 22, fresh out of undergraduate school, and transplanted to a supervisory position on an Air Force base in Japan. As a supervisor from a different culture and age group than most of my native Japanese staff, I needed guidance on being a woman – and a young one at that – supervising mostly men in a culture that did not support women working outside the home. My advisory board consisted of a Japanese neighbor, a man who had just retired from working for an American company in Japan; a female ex-pat working for an American company in Japan; and a person in my field at the time (accounting) who worked in the same organization as myself. This team moved me along as a work-in-progress and kept me calm as I navigated a new world of work.

I believe that you’ll want different skills and talents represented on your Personal Advisory Board over the years. Have an eye to the future in terms of how you want your life to unfold, personally, spiritually, and in your career. Look around you (further than your back yard) and learn who has “been there, done that”…a person from whom you can learn. I’ve found, by the way, that my advisors are often younger than myself these days. They may have fewer years on the planet, but they have rich life experiences that inform my life.

Who Should I Invite to Participate on My Advisory Board?
For my advisors, I want people who will be brutally honest and straightforward with me, whether I’m asking about investments or adding a professional certification. That means that I don’t usually ask close friends to be on my Personal Advisory Board, although my advisors may evolve into friends over time. I look for skills and competencies I lack, to serve as a complement to my experiences and perspectives. Over the years, many GCHRA members have been on my Personal Advisory Board, and I appreciate them all.

Setting Expectations
So that the experience is positive and productive for both yourself and your advisors, I recommend that you set expectations up front, as you ask individuals to join your Personal Advisory Board. Be prepared to answer questions such as:

1. How much time do you expect me to devote to being an advisor?
2. What kind of help are you looking for from me?
3. How long do you want me to be on your Personal Advisory Board?

A Personal Advisory Board is not typically compensated by salary. However, there are creative ways you can compensate advisors. I refer my advisors to paying clients if they are consultants or have a product to sell. I offer my consulting services for free in exchange for their assistance. I bake them cookies!

How Often Should a Personal Advisory Board Meet?
I recommend that you meet three times a year, for 1 – 2 hours, as a group. Bringing everyone together creates a synergy and produces brainstorming that can leave you energized and motivated to move forward. I also meet with individual advisors, by phone or in person, once a month to touch base, and I seek out their counsel prior to making a major personal or professional decision. Of course, I pay for the lunch or dinner or have the meetings at my home and serve a meal.

Whether you’re at the Vice President level or just entering the Human Resources field, I believe an advisory board could benefit you. Please feel free to contact me if you’d like more information or suggestions about creating a Personal Advisory Board: Linda@gravett.com.