Developing a Personal Board

By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter

When I started to develop an interest in leadership within a nonprofit I was involved with, I was encouraged to choose four men to act as my “court (as an international men’s organization, we were encouraged to choose men for our court).”

The idea of a court comes from medieval times. A king would point Dukes and other Royals to be advisors to them.

As we’ve seen too often in movies and plays, being a royal court member carried a certain amount of intrigue as people jockeyed for position with the monarch.

In business, there is a Board of Directors who are external advisors to an organization’s leadership.

Although elected by shareholders, a committee controlled by the company’s president selects the individual board members. They then recommend them to the shareholders.

The board and the president will meet regularly to discuss recent decisions and other issues relevant to the organization’s health and success. They are paid a fee for their service.

You can establish a Board of Directors for yourself. These trusted advisors are there to serve you as outside supporters.

Support can be in the form of delivering complex messages to you.