Becoming a Board Member

A board position seems very attractive, looks prestigious and the ultimate of importance in our club. No doubt being a director is a wonderful position to hold. It is, however, one that should not be entered into without a high regard for the responsibilities, accountability, and enormity that comes with the territory. The logical question that people who have a desire or are being encouraged to enter the boardroom is ‘how do I know when I’m ready to join the board?’ There are no hard and fast rules or legal requirements to getting on the board (only those of being over 18 years of age and not a bankrupt). Our Constitution sets out the guidelines for eligibility and the nomination process, however, there are some considerations that you need to make from a personal perspective (the business perspective is another post entirely!). Some of these are ‘must haves’ and some of these are ‘helpful to have’.

Must Haves

• Ideally directors should possess experience in one or more of the following areas:
  • Business Operation
  • Management
  • Public Administration
  • Marketing
  • Accounting
  • Law
• A desire to contribute beyond your day job.
  • Often referred to as having a “desire to give back”. This usually comes from wanting to contribute to an organisation that has given you a fantastic experience, or to utilise your expertise in a meaningful way.
  • The time commitment required from directors varies across the board and director roles. You need to be conscious that you will have to invest your time over-and-above physically attending the regular board meeting.
  • You need to make time to read board reports, participate on a board committee or two, stay abreast of the industry, keep yourself updated with changes and trends across the legislation and business landscapes, and maintain a working level of knowledge and skill in your area of expertise.
  • Make sure your schedule has the capacity for full commitment to a board before you join.
  • A connection to or passion for the organisation’s cause. Being a director involves investing of time and energy to the purpose and objectives of the organisation. You want to be incredibly aligned both in purpose and values with what the club is trying to achieve. This alignment helps to keep you engaged, focused, and energised with your director work.
• Apptitude for board work
  • Even though there is no minimum legal qualification for being on a board, you should have a strong working understanding of corporate governance. Previous Board experience is highly recommended.
  • A readiness to invest in growing your director and board knowledge and skills. Being a director requires ongoing education. Learning throughout your board career will be through a combination of formal, informal, and on-the-job training. It will benefit you to undertake formal director development prior to joining a board, or very shortly after you find yourself in the director seat.
  • Completion of the AICD Company Directors course is desireable to help in developing skills to facilitate sound decision making and imparting best governance practices.
  • A level of comfort congruent with the level of responsibility and accountability that comes with the position of director. As a Director, you open yourself up to liability.

Helpful to Have

In addition to the above must-haves, it helps you to have:

• A skillset needed on the board, or value to the organisation. Your expertise and professional experience will generally be the reason you join the board. It helps to know what skillset the board is looking for or requires. This is generally noted in the board vacancy advertisement or through some simple research looking at the existing board and senior organisational staff and the organisation’s strategic plan.
• A supportive network who can champion you on to boards and/or make the right introductions. You don’t need to have connections in order to get on the board; however, having a strong network who can enhance experience and knowledge is a great assistance to yourself and the Board.
• A supportive family and workplace that enables you to invest the time required on your board. Having the time to invest into a board will usually mean less time at work, at home, and/or with friends. Having people around you that support you will make your board journey and experience all the more rewarding. Board service is a sacrifice, so make sure it’s a sacrifice worth making.

We hope these considerations help you to answer the question ‘how do I know when I’m ready to join a board?’. As you can see, there’s not one simple answer for everybody; but there are certainly considerations that everybody should be making.