In the past 3-5 years, I have seen huge growth in the interest of people wanting to join boards, both as non-executive and executive directors. There is only one relevant question. WHY?

To discover the ‘Why’ each aspiring director should exercise the simple ‘5 whys’ of root cause analysis. Start by asking yourself ‘Why do I want to be a director of a company I (now) know very little of?’ Then, ask why? to that answer and so on…5 times. This is basic due diligence and yet I regularly see people with questionable skills, experience and motivation pursuing a career that could be costly…

Is your hunger for risk so ravenous that you would consider losing your reputation, house or everything you have worked for to gain another title or notch on your CV? What is your risk tolerance? Are you one who lies awake at night worried about cashflow, reputation, your next source of business?

Let me put you out of your misery. A directorship is not for you.

If your motivation is to provide change, well good luck with that too. You are not the decision maker. You are one of many who will provide a view to an issue, challenge or opportunity.

Have you ever been in a meeting where you have heard a manager or colleague speak and thought to yourself; “what are they on?” or, ‘you must be kidding?’… welcome to a board.

I’m more than qualified to comment having answered directly to boards and having been a MD of a multinational company. Most of my colleagues and peers ‘suffer’interacting with their boards. So, I ask again…why?

It is well documented that the risk versus the reward for a board role is disproportionately high. Would I choose to be a director as ‘part’ of the board of a large private or NFP company again? Quite simply, NO! Not without conducting thorough due diligence and THEN appeasing my own risk appetite. Start by asking employees, former directors and customers of the company you are interested in joining.

It is not a title. It is complete and unforgiving accountability.

Your duty as a director is two-fold. A director is entrusted to undertake their duties legally and ethically to ensure the best outcome for the company and its shareholders.

Think about that and then reference the daily news; Ardent Leisure and the Dreamworld tragedy, the A$6 M Reckitt Benckiser Nurofen deception fine, the conflict of interest that the big 4 banks acting as custodians for superannuation and let’s not mention VW…

All of these decisions were agreed upon and brought forward by members of a board.

I have 30 years’ experience in seeing companies putting profits before people. Please don’t think that the Not for Profit sector is your salvation either. I’ve been dismissed by a NFP board for ‘non-performance’– just 60 days after receiving a salary increase for ‘commitment and productivity’…approved by that same board. (The only time I have ever been dismissed.)

It’s ALL about politics and as the saying goes: ‘If you don’t do Politics, Politics will do you.

If you can clearly and confidently state that your contribution will bring about positive change, you must understand that you will, at times, (most times) be a puppet. You must be comfortable with that. You also must be able to look someone in the eye, make a statement whilst withholding the underlying motivation for that statement. If that sits well, then Welcome to directorship! You can now sleep easy.

Far from being a corporate puppet, I lead from the front and not the top. I have transformed businesses to exceed sales and profit expectations through constantly challenging entrenched and redundant corporate thinking.

My Master’s Degree research paper into Corporate Governance, examined the existing support and induction methodology for company directors. It was afforded the grade of High Distinction.

I work with novice and aspiring directors to provide a pathway to compliance.