Build a Personal Board of Directors
For anyone who has relied on one mentor, or none, and wants a better circle of advice.
A personal board of directors is a small group of people you go to for advice and honest feedback, each bringing a different perspective. A strong board usually includes someone further ahead in your field, someone who will tell you hard truths, someone outside your industry, a peer who is growing alongside you and someone who knows you well personally. You do not need to call it a board or ask anyone to join. You just need to know who they are and keep those relationships active.
After my first leadership promotion, a leader I respected recommended leadership books to me. One of the first was John Maxwell’s The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. One idea from it changed how I saw my life: I was responsible for my world.
For about ten years, I have kept a running log of anything valuable I hear: an idea from a book, a line from a podcast, a story someone tells me.
Every so often, I sort it into categories so I can draw on it when I am writing or trying to help someone.
When I reached out to business owners, authors and leaders for perspective, some never responded. The conversations I had with the ones who did were game changers.
One mentor is rarely enough. Research by Monica Higgins and Kathy Kram on developmental networks found that people benefit from a range of mentors and advisers who offer different kinds of support, rather than relying on a single relationship.
No one person has all the answers. A good board covers what one mentor cannot.
How to build your personal board
Name the seats you need
A role model further ahead. A truth-teller. An outsider. A peer. Someone who knows you personally. Write down who could fill each seat today.
Fill the empty seats
Ask for a 20-minute conversation about one question. Most people are more willing to help than you expect, especially when the ask is specific.
Bring them real questions
Come prepared with a decision, a problem or a goal. Specific questions get specific advice.
Report back
Tell them what you did with their advice. It shows respect and makes them more invested in your growth.
Give as much as you take
Share useful ideas, make introductions and support their goals too. The best boards are two-way.
No one person has all the answers.
A good board covers what one mentor cannot.
The five seats on a personal board
- 1. Ahead of me: someone who has already done what you want to do
- 2. Truth-teller: someone who will tell you what you need to hear
- 3. Outsider: someone from a different industry or background who sees what you cannot
- 4. Peer: someone at your level who is growing alongside you
- 5. Knows me well: someone who understands your values, family and life outside work
Related reading: How to Find a Mentor, The Average of Five People: Myth vs Truth and People Who Tell You What You Need to Hear.
Common questions
What is a personal board of directors?
A personal board of directors is a small group of people you go to for advice and honest feedback, each offering a different perspective on your career and life.
Who should be on my personal board of directors?
Someone further ahead in your field, a truth-teller, an outsider from a different industry, a peer and someone who knows you well personally.
Do I need to tell people they are on my board?
No. Most personal boards are informal. What matters is that you know who they are and keep the relationships active.
Is one mentor enough?
Usually not. Research by Monica Higgins and Kathy Kram found people benefit from a network of mentors and advisers rather than a single relationship.
Name the seats, fill the empty ones with specific asks, bring real questions, report back and give as much as you take.
You Are Capable
of More.
Ten principles for becoming the person you know you are capable of being, built from real stories of people who doubted themselves and did it anyway. Winner of the How-To category at the 2026 Paris Book Festival.
When I’ve got something worth sending.
Just a story or an idea I picked up that I think will help you.
Sometimes that’s twice in a month. Sometimes it’s not for a while.