A lot has been written about the need to onboard new managers. The same applies to new members of an advisory board or a board of directors. Orientation will shorten the learning curve and speed-up how soon you receive invaluable advice about issues facing your organization.
Here are six steps to help onboard a new advisor.
- Assign them a buddy. It can be another advisor or a member of your staff. Someone they can go to in addition to the CEO to have their questions answered.
- Have them visit your operation. This can happen early in the recruitment process once they’ve signed a confidentiality agreement. Even if the prospective advisor declines joining your advisory board he now has good information to help you identify others and may change his mind at a later date.
- Provide recommendations on trade shows & seminars to attend. As a consultant on the formation and facilitation of advisory boards I recommend to my clients the need to constantly educate their existing advisory board. For a new advisor, learning more about the industry you are in and the companies you serve early in their tenure is invaluable.
- Provide a list of books & publications relevant to the industry and the issues facing your organization.
- Provide a briefing book. The briefing book should include all the information an advisor may need to refer to from time to time. Don’t assume the information provided during the recruiting process has been retained or organized in one place. In a future post I will discuss what information should go in the briefing book.
- Host a reception to introduce the new advisor to the other members and key staff. This gets the relationship off to a good start and once again will speed up how soon you will receive invaluable advice.
If you have served on an advisory board or board of directors, how were you oriented? What type of orientation would you like to see upon joining an advisory board or board of directors?
Interested in establishing an advisory board? Find out what you need to do, purchase the Advisory Board Kit: A Comprehensive Guide to Establishing an Advisory Board. You can have your advisory board up and running in 90-120 days if you follow the steps laid out in the Advisory Board Kit.
