Create A Board of Personal Advisors
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Most successful people will tell you their success was due, in some part to the people who mentored them along the way. Having trusted advisors in your life is the basis of what is known as your board of personal advisors. Newspaper columnist John Crosby describes the concept as “a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction”. Below are suggestions of how you can build your board of personal advisors.



Whom do you select to be on your board of personal advisors? Typically your board will consist of 3 to 6 individuals you choose who will serve as wise counselors. The advisors may all have different areas of expertise. One person may act your strategist- a resource who can help you problem solve at work, or perhaps someone who can assist you in mapping out your big picture career. Another advisor may serve as a connector- someone who can make introductions to people that could expand your professional network. Another person may act as an editor-helping you refine your communications such as your LinkedIn profile. Another mentor may be your accountability advisor, someone who holds you responsible for attaining your goals.



How do you approach a person to be an advisor? First, begin to imagine what the ideal board would be. Identify the roles that you desire, and who might be good choices for those roles. Then, think about how you would like to manage the process. Would you prefer to meet with your members individually or collectively? How often would like to meet- quarterly, monthly, or weekly?



Approach your chosen mentors by first letting them know why you respect them and then explaining why you would like them to serve as a mentor. Offer to reciprocate by helping the advisor in any way you can. If the person you ask can’t be an advisor, ask for a recommendation of others whom you can contact.



Tracking the value of mentoring- A study was conducted by Sun with Bellevue University’s Human Capital Lab and Capital Analytics to measure the efforts of mentoring in organizations. Findings showed those who were mentored were promoted five times more often than those who were not. Salary grades rose for 25% of those mentored, compared with 5% of employees who were not mentored. The study also measured the results of the mentors themselves. The findings showed that mentors were promoted six times more often than their counterparts who did not mentor.



Advisors encourage, guide, listen, challenge, and motivate you to succeed. Wise King Solomon once wrote “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisors, they succeed.”