When most people think about growing in their careers, they focus on developing technical skills and leadership traits.
This makes sense because at the beginning of your career, it’s all about developing your skills and expertise. And as you move into leadership, you have a new skillset to learn.
Even as you look to step into senior leadership, self-development plays a role. I talk a lot about how to shift perceptions to position yourself as VP-ready. Without that, many people stay stuck.
But at a certain level, focusing on developing yourself is no longer what moves you forward.
What accelerates your growth the most is who you have around you.
This is something I’ve experienced firsthand, both as an executive and now as an entrepreneur. Because the right people don’t just support you – they change how you think, make decisions, and how quickly you grow.
I’m guessing that most of you do not have this type of network today, and because of that, you’re at a disadvantage compared to your male peers. Not only that, but without the right support, leadership gets lonely really fast. A few months back, I ran a poll on LinkedIn where I asked women at the VP and C-level about their network. The top response was, “I’m on an island here.”
Meaning… the majority of these women do not feel as though they have a peer network at all!
And ladies, this matters. Both to your happiness and to your career progression.
So in today’s newsletter, I’m going to talk about the idea of intentionally building your own personal board of directors. I think this is important for all leaders, but even more so for women, because we often don’t have these networks organically.
Let’s dive in…
What do I mean by personal BOD?
Your BOD is a small group of people who understand your level, your challenges, and your world.
These are people who are invested in your growth. People who will tell you the truth, call out your blind spots and push your thinking.
I’ll admit that I was only introduced to this concept after becoming an entrepreneur. And that’s such a shame, because when I think back on my time as a leader and executive, I needed this so badly!
I can remember when I was in my Director role, feeling completely stuck…
I wasn’t getting ahead as quickly as I wanted to. I wasn’t being seen as ready for the next level. And I had no idea what I was doing ‘wrong’. But what made it even harder was that I didn’t have people I could talk to about it to help me solve this huge challenge.
I couldn’t talk to my team because that wouldn’t have been appropriate (or fair to them).
I couldn’t share this with my boss because he was part of what I needed help with!
And although I had support in my personal life, most of my friends didn’t understand my job well enough to help.
I remember reaching out to a couple of women/friends I knew in leadership at the time and suggesting we meet once a month to talk through what we were dealing with as leaders. I knew I needed something like this in my life.
And they both said they weren’t interested. (ouch)
Looking back, I can see exactly what I was trying to create: A group of people who could help me think through challenges, give me honest feedback, and ultimately help me level up. i.e. My personal board of directors.
I just didn’t have a name for it at the time.
Discovering the power of these groups
Fast forward a few years, and I finally experienced this in a real way.
When I was an EVP, I joined a peer group as part of an accelerator program that my company was chosen for. We met once a month for 2-3 hours, and it was one of the most valuable experiences I had in my career. Not kidding.
- We would share the good, the bad, and the ugly in work and in life.
- We would challenge each other and call out what we were seeing.
- We would help each other see things we were missing and give real advice.
Pretty much every time we met, I would show up unsure about something… and walk out with clarity and next steps.
And I can honestly say it accelerated my growth in a way that nothing else had.
The only thing missing was that I was the only woman in the group. So although I genuinely valued these relationships, there were experiences and dynamics they simply couldn’t relate to.
And this experience made me realize two very important things:
- This kind of support was invaluable, and it shouldn’t be something you stumble into at the executive level. These groups should exist much earlier.
- If I got this much value from meeting with a group of men, how amazing would it be if I could create groups of women at these same levels?
Your network is a strategic advantage
The fact is, if you’re a woman in leadership, and especially in senior leadership, you are at a disadvantage if you don’t have a group like this.
At this level, you need a space where you can be honest, think out loud, and be challenged – without it impacting how you’re perceived in your role. This last part is really important because too many people look for this support within their organization, and don’t realize that it’s actually hurting them in the long run.
And the truth is, the more senior you get, the harder it is to find rooms where you can be fully honest.
You can’t vent down. You can’t share this with your boss. And at this level, you’re expected to have the answers.
What happens is this: As you move up and have to make bigger decisions… You also have fewer places to process them. And over time, that slows you down. Not because you’re not capable or that you don’t belong in this role, but because you’re doing it alone.
When you have the right people around you, your learning curve compresses dramatically. Instead of second-guessing and figuring everything out on your own, you get:
- New perspective
- Stronger decisions
- More confidence in how you move forward
I see this in my own life now as an entrepreneur. After experiencing the magic of my peer group as an EVP, one of the first things I did when I started my business was intentionally begin building this kind of group for myself. This time, I built it with women entrepreneurs.
And I can honestly say, it’s one of the most valuable things I’ve invested in.
There have been moments where I’ve felt completely stuck… and after a short conversation left with clarity I never would have found on my own.
Even recently, I had someone in my circle call me out on a bias I didn’t realize I had. And she was right! That single conversation shifted how I was making decisions in my business.
That’s the power of being in the right room.
So how can you find this?
There are really 2 options if you want to experience this: You can join something that already exists, or you can create your own. But either way, the key is to be intentional.
If you want to create your own group, here are some considerations to get started:
- Find people at a similar level
- Prioritize trust over size
- Make the meeting cadence and structure consistent
Importantly, as you’re choosing the members, here’s who shouldn’t be on the list:
- Your manager – you want to bring ideas to them after passing it through this group! They are deciding your next promotion.
- Your direct reports – even if you are friends with your direct reports, this is not appropriate or even fair to them IMO.
- Your friends who don’t understand your work – they may want to support you, but they won’t be able to provide the type of advice you need
And what’s equally important is creating a structured meeting cadence and format. I know this because I’ve tried doing this in a way that was unstructured, and it just never sticks.
A group that meets once or twice a year or gets sidetracked with irrelevant topics won’t create the kind of impact I’m talking about here. It works best when it becomes part of how you operate.
If you take one thing from this, let it be this:
The best leaders are not doing it alone. They are intentionally surrounding themselves with people who make them better.
And if you’re already at the VP or C-level, you probably feel this more than anyone else.
The isolation is real. The stakes are higher. And the need for the right support becomes even more critical.
Which is exactly why I created the Women’s Executive Mastermind.
It’s essentially your personal board of directors, made up of women operating at your level, navigating similar challenges, in a space where you can be fully vulnerable and honest.
We kicked off in February, and I’m opening up 2 spots this month – so DM me on LinkedIn to learn more if you’re interested.
Because you don’t have to figure this out on your own. And at this level, you probably shouldn’t. You have more power than you think in who you surround yourself with.
The question is whether you’re being intentional about it.
Until next time friends… ✌️💜
Katy
