July 23, 2011

Who’s Got Your Back?

Caroline Dowd-Higgins Career Wisdom board of directors, goals, lifeline, plans, team, tribe

My Huffington Post article on developing your personal Board of Directors has gotten a lot of traction and positive feedback. I am thrilled that people are tapping into this amazing resource to help them move forward. Your personal village is there to help – but you need to mobilize them.

I just finished reading Keith Ferrazzi’s book: Who’s Got Your Back which illustrates a similar philosophy of lifeline relationships and why they are essential. As you consider people for your personal Board, check out why Ferrazzi believes that these lifeline relationships will benefit you.

To help us identify what success truly means for us, including our long-term career plans.
To help us figure out the most robust plan possible to get there, through short-term goals and strategies that would tie us into knots if we tried to go it alone.
To help us identify what we need to stop doing to move forward in our lives. (Referring to the things we all do that hold us back from achieving the success we deserve.)
To have people around us committed to ensuring that we sustain change so that we can transform our lives from good to great.

Ferrazzi goes on to say that a lifeline relationship can be between equals, peers, intellectual sparring partners, and confidants. You must choose who will serve you the best. And remember to pay-it-forward and serve on someone else’s Board – it may give you some valuable perspective.

I recently tapped one of my lifeline resources on my personal Board of Directors for advice and counsel about a career question of my own. She helped clarify my situation and asked compelling questions I needed to address in order to move forward with my situation. After our discussion, I can say with conviction that I am fortunate to know that she has my back!

Asking for the help of others isn’t about changing who you are but enlisting others to help you become who you can be. Keith Ferrazzi’s book is a great read – I highly recommend it. This is a resource you will highlight and refer to for years to come.