Tools: Onboard Intentionally

Now that you have found the best candidate for your board, the real work begins! Recruitment is the gateway, but onboarding is when the board member learns about board nuance, culture, and how things work behind-the-scenes. The onboarding process is not a one-time occurence, rather, it is ongoing and dynamic. The checklist below will guide you through one potential onboarding process to support your new board member (you can adjust the checklist as needed to fit your particular board). 

New Board Member Onboarding Checklist

The responsibility of getting up to speed in the boardroom is often shouldered by the new director; yet, the company and existing board members can (and should) provide the insights and tools to make the process more efficient, productive and rewarding. These steps are meant to highlight the obstacles and offer straight-forward strategies to help onboard new board members. This is not a one-time task: follow these strategies for a minimum of one fiscal year. 

1. Provide context. Brief the new member on the company strategy and the legal and administrative duties and responsibilities before their first board meeting. Give them access to prior board materials. Brief them on current focus areas, especially for the committees to which they are assigned. 

Why it matters: Even though the new board member is an expert in their field, they need to be set up for success in this context.

2. Make strategic committee assignments. Assign the new director to a committee where they will connect with the most influential board members and bring their unique insights to support the future success of the company.

Why it matters: People from historically marginalized groups often get assigned² to the least influential roles. So, it's important to provide channels to connect to longer-term committee members and create opportunities for them to learn about and influence the work of the board.

3. Assign a mentor or board buddy. Focus on the board culture, dynamics, and informal processes. This can include protocols for making requests and establish context such as personalities, how directors interact with one another, and expectations. The mentor can also act as an ally and amplify the new director’s voice in discussions when others inadvertently ignore, interrupt³ or unduly criticize⁴ them, as can happen when someone is new to the group.

Why it matters: Just as in any community, the corporate board has its own culture. The new director may be new to board service and have fewer existing relationships⁵ to board members, thus having fewer insights into these less apparent but important dynamics and expectations. In addition, due to implicit associations of leadership, we tend to overlook expertise from people from historically marginalized groups. This can block their expertise from contributing fully to the group.

4. Create social activities and opportunities to form a bond. Consider ice-breaker exercises, board dinners, and other ways to on-ramp the new director and help all to build bonds with one another. Check in with the new board member to ensure the activities make them feel included; they may have religious, dietary or preferential concerns that make some activities difficult to join.

Why it matters: Social bonds⁶ are more difficult to make and maintain across differences; so intentionally creating opportunities where these connections can form can help overcome gaps in relationships.

5. Create norms to make room for their insights and feedback. Focus on strong facilitation of group discussions to ensure there is room for all to contribute to the conversation. 

Why it matters: Women experts, and those from historically marginalized groups, are more frequently interrupted and talked over in meetings. This can limit their ability to have the intended impact⁷ on the board’s success. Establishing inclusive norms⁸ will help them to contribute without fighting against these dynamics.

6. Check in and give feedback. Periodically ask, “How else can I help you be most effective?” Give them clear, specific feedback on what they are doing well. And suggest ways they can become more effective, including ongoing education such as seminars, email lists to join or books to read, how to listen and observe patterns, and ways to better contribute in conversations.

Why it matters: Women often receive feedback that does not help them advance⁹. It is often vague (not focused on outcomes), about their personalities not skills, and overly focused on how they communicate, rather than the substance or aim of their communication.

References

¹ Sneader K. and Yee L. (2019) One is the loneliest number. McKinsey. 

² Macke, E., Rosa, G.G., Gilmartin, S., Simard, C. (2022). Assignments are Critical Tools to Achieve Workplace Gender Equity. Sloan MIT.

³ Ibarra, H. (2016). Building effective networks: nurturing strategic relationships, especially for women.

⁴ Jacobi, T. and Schweers, D. (2017). Female Supreme Court Justices Are Interrupted More by Male Justices and Advocates.

⁵ Steinpreis, R. E., Anders, K. A., & Ritzke, D. (1999). The impact of gender on the review of the curricula vitae of job applicants and tenure candidates: A national empirical study. Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, 41(7-8), 509–528. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018839203698

⁶ King, M., Kovács, B. (2021). Research: We’re Losing Touch with Our Networks. HBR. 

⁷ Smith-Doerr, L., Alegria, S.N., Sacco, T. (2017). How Diversity Matters in the US Science and Engineering Workforce: A Critical Review Considering Integration in Teams, Fields, and Organizational Contexts. https://estsjournal.org/index.php/ests/article/view/142 

⁸ re:Work. Guide: Understand Team Effectiveness. Google.

⁹ Correll, S.J., Simard, C. (2016). Research: Vague Feedback Is Holding Women Back. HBR