BSP 058: Earn Your Seat on a Corporate Board by Jill Griffin

Jill Griffin, author of Earn Your Seat on a Corporate Board – 7
Actions to Build Your Career, Elevate Your Leadership and Expand
Your Influence, talks about how to get on corporate boards, testing
one’s readiness and the importance of having more women serve on
corporate boards. Griffin says that being on a corporate board may
give someone an ‘elite status’ — as they have to be appointed. They
must also test their readiness before joining as it requires
approximately 250 hours a year to serve. She compares being on a
board to “getting an MBA every year” because she feels “I’m
surrounded by people smarter than I am.” Her book gives guided
steps on how to actively prepare if you’re thinking about joining a
corporate board. Griffin stresses that people need to do their
research to see which boards have (or may have) openings that are
relevant to one’s industry. She also talks about what women need to
do get themselves on corporate boards; and believes the problem is
the pipeline at the top. Since the pipeline doesn’t include many
women, Griffin’s advice to women is: go in early, stay late and
network because that’s where the most opportunities take place. The
more networking they do, the better their chances to be seen and,
eventually, appointed to corporate boards. Learn more about your ad
choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices