The Do’s and Don’t’s of Becoming a Board Member

More chief information officers are expressing an interest in serving on corporate or non-profit boards, and doing so is a “plus” for anyone’s resume. Yet, being a board member is not the same as being a CIO. This can be a hard lesson for CIOs to learn, so here are some Do’s and Don’t’s of board membership:

DO: Understand why you have been chosen. There are many reasons why individuals get elected to boards. Some are elected because they have access to monetary funding that a company needs, or they are highly influential in a field that is important to the company’s products. In other cases, they might be recruited because they have the ability to attract new and important accounts that the company couldn't on its own. Then, there are organizations that have trouble filling their open board positions, and they just need someone. There are also board members who are elected or appointed to boards because the board or the CEO already know they will be favorably disposed to the company's direction.

Whatever the reason, it’s important that you know that reason if you’re elected as a board member. If you’re expected to bring in a valuable customer account based on your relationships with that account, know that this is the reason, and that you are expected to fulfill it. If there is just an open board position that an organization is struggling to fill, understand that, too.
CIOs usually get elected or appointed to boards because of their technology knowledge, and most serve in a technology advisory capacity.

Related:Corporate Board Members Struggling With Digital Transformation

DO: Get to know management and the other board members. There are politics in companies and politics on boards, too. Therefore, before accepting a board position, it is prudent to get to know the members of the management team and the board you’ll be working with. You want to know that this will be a cohesive and compatible group. It’s also a good idea to investigate how much board turnover there has been in recent years, and the reason for that turnover. You want to be in a productive and fulfilling situation.

DO: Understand board meeting rules. When I was a corporate CIO in a for-profit company, our board meetings were straightforward, substantive, and didn’t differ significantly from the types of meetings we had internally.

However, when I accepted a board position with a not-for-profit organization, all that changed. The not-for-profit board meetings followed Robert’s Rules of Order, a handbook on parliamentary procedure, which I personally found laborious since I was coming from a for-profit environment. At times, I struggled to stay attentive in these meetings, which seemed to include as much decorum and formality as substance.

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I know people who have said just the opposite.  They grew up in not-for-profit organizations and are quite comfortable with the additional formality. The bottom line is, know what your style as a board member is so you can find the best fit.

DON’T: Micro-manage. In your everyday job as CIO, you’re engaged in both strategic and tactical work, and you’re keenly focused on projects and execution. As a board member, your role in the organization is strictly strategic.

While it might be tempting to do that, do everything in your power to avoid micro-managing or stepping into the tactical shoes of the CEO and other business executives of the company. They are not asking you how to implement virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) on the cloud. They are asking whether it is strategically advisable for the company to outsource their desktop management to the cloud and trust a third party with their security.

DON'T: Be afraid to speak up. You are elected to a board to provide value. Much of this value will be through the input you provide.

If you feel your input is value-added, even if you’re a new board member and still finding your way, don’t be afraid to speak if you have questions, concerns, an opinion, or a new idea. Too often, board members (especially new ones) fail to do this, and they establish themselves as “least value” board members because they never have much to say.

Related:Is Self-Promotion a Viable Path to CIO?

DON'T: Come to meetings unprepared. Regularly missing board meetings, coming into board meetings late, or not being thoroughly familiar with the items in a board packet that is provided to you in advance of the meeting are all indicators that you are somewhat lackadaisical and unconcerned about the organization, and that, perhaps, you are miscast as a board member. You don’t want to acquire this reputation.

Summary
Serving on a board can provide CIOs with a broadened perspective of companies, and can help CIO careers. The board member experience gives you an opportunity to look at an organization as a strategist or an investor would. By taking this new perspective back into your regular CIO job, you can become more effective as a CIO.

That said, it’s equally important to ask yourself why you want to be a board member. Is it just to build your resume? Or do you feel you can make important contributions?

We all want enhanced resumes, but the best possible outcome for both a board and its members is a board member who genuinely cares about the organization, its mission, and its people.