Transitioning into a non-executive director (NED) role
Transitioning into a non-executive director (NED) role can be difficult and complicated but it doesn’t need to be according to GetBoardwise founder John Hall. In this blog he offers some advice in getting started with your first role.
It starts with mindset
One of the biggest hurdles to overcome is your own mindset. It’s easy to procrastinate, to assess the risks and believe the possible outcomes to be more negative than positive. We often suffer more in our own minds than we do in reality as we spend time pondering whether we should go for it or not.
Making a concerted and consistent effort is the first step to becoming a non-executive director. As much as we’d like everything to fall in our laps it doesn’t. We tend to look at others who are doing what we want to be doing and consider them an overnight success. That’s not the case, the only difference between them and you is that they set a target and made a consistent effort to reach it. To become a NED, start taking action; here’s how.
Build your network
Start building your network. On our platform we have a wide range of people all with different experience, from different sectors. Start messaging and connecting with people. Join our groups and engage on our forums. Share your successes.
Consider your strengths
Have a think about what you can bring to the table. What can you offer a board? Have there been any career defining moments where you’ve delivered a project that had phenomenal results? How did you manage it and how can you replicate it for another company?
Be clear on the type of work you want. Do you want to stay in the same indusry or do you have transferrable skills that you could bring to another sector? Fundamentally, what do you enjoy doing? Is is closing deals, creating marketing strategies, financial modelling?
Application process
List all of these strengths and examples of your successes and begin to formulate your NED CV. With our CV writing support programme we can help you tailor your CV based on the type of opportunities you’re apply for.
Now that you’ve taken all of these actions, you’re ready to start applying. So head over to our jobs portal where you’ll find a range of jobs across many sectors. You’ve done all the hard part, jumped all the hurdles, been consistent. Now it’s time to secure that NED opportunity.
