4 Steps To Creating Your Personal Board Of Advisors

4 Steps To Creating Your Personal Board Of Advisors4 Steps To Creating Your Personal Board Of Advisors My path to entrepreneurship started when, while pregnant with my second child, I welches laid off from my job as a producer for MTV. I was upset, sure. But I also felt like I was being given an opportunity to finally find my true dream job one where no one else would dictate what I did, whether my position was secure, or how much I was paid. So, instead of applying for new positions, I turned my attention to building a full-service public relations agency based in Philadelphia. Enter Skai Blue Media .It took five years of feverishly building out my geschftliches miteinander plan, knocking on doors, creating a network, and cultivating my brand (on my own dime no less). Today, Im proud to say Ive created one of the leading PR firms in Philly and were changing the future of public relations.But I didnt get here alone. I owe a large part of my success to my advisory bo ard of friendtors. My friendtors are a group of friends and mentors who have supported me as Ive built my business. They are more than just pals or business acquaintances. They are my professional peers, whose guidance, wisdom, and care is invaluable to me.My personal board of friendtors includes Mary Doughertry, who leads public relations for the fashion designer Nicole Miller shes taught me so much about achieving an appropriate work-life balance within our industry. I lean on Fox 29 producer Berlinda Garnett to always tell it like it is. Finance executive Payne Brown has helped me to determine whether a persons imagination is in line with mine (and whether he or she is capable of executing it). Last but not least, my husband Bram Reynolds whos also Skai Blues chief operations officer is, among other things, an incredible friendtor. He recognizes where I can do better and keeps me honest and moving forward. I wouldnt be the boss and business owner I am today without this group.I encourage everyone I meet to establish his or her own friendtor board. Heres howTaking the leap to change careers, ask for that raise, or become an entrepreneur can require a lot of planning. You may have graduated from a great school with a dual-degree, but youre still only one person with a lens thats limited to what you know. That means you have implicit biases, strengths, and weaknesses. Consider these when selecting your friendtors. Instead of picking a handful of cheerleaders who have the saatkorn background and work experience as you, recruit people who are at various stages of different careers. Im careful to tap friendtors at varying life stages, since these people can offer diverse perspectives on everything from balancing your personal and professional lives to managing people effectively and creating company culture. You want to have people who arent afraid to tell you no, and who dont see themselves as being in direct competition with you.We so often think that in orde r for someone to help and mentor us, they need to be a big-shot vice president or have 20-plus years of professional experience. Thats simply not true. Dont discount the people around you who have a host of wisdom, guidance, and skills to offer. My husband, for example, never gets caught in the gray areas of decision-making like I do. Hes the first person to tell me, Youre doing great, but you handled that inappropriately and youre not putting your foot down. His strengths complement my weaknesses.My friendtors have helped me with everything from being an impactful manager to making difficult business decisions. And, like in any successful relationship, its important to reciprocate. Sometimes this simply means being open to receiving peoples advice and guidance (moving past defensiveness, which is often our first instinct). Its also about offering support in any way you can. Find out what they think could make them more successful in their career and then work with your friendtors i n a way that makes sense for them and their goals. Also make a point to meet people where they are literally. If you know someone hates lunch meetings but loves the outdoors, for example, maybe you suggest going on a hike to discuss a topic of interest. Dont forget to show your friendtors your appreciation, both when they help you and also just generally. Whether its with a thank-you note or a quick email update keeping them abreast of the successes to which they directly contributed, theres no downside to being gracious.Even the fruchtwein successful professionals struggle (and fail). Much like a good friend, a good friendtor should support you no matter the circumstances. So its all the more important to surround yourself with people who will help you develop into the professional you want to be people who believe in your purpose and plan. These same people should let you cry on their shoulders during the low points. My friendtors helped me through a particularly rough period, w hen I was blindsided by an ex-partner who stole money from our account and disappeared without a trace. You dont have to hide your challenges (or triumphs) from your friendtors. Stay honest with them and know that theyll be there to help you plan your next steps.This article originally appeared on The Well , Jopwells digital magazine. The Well is the digital magazine of Jopwell, the career advancement platform for Black, Latino/Hispanic, and Native American professionals and students. Subscribe to receive weekly stories and advice in your inbox.