(A decade ago, I wrote about the power of a personal advisory board, and the insights are just as relevant today. I’ve updated the piece, but the core message remains the same: surrounding yourself with the right people is a game-changer. Would love to hear your thoughts!)

Advisory boards aren’t just for companies. They’re extremely helpful for individuals, whether you’re exploring a dream job, launching a business, advancing your career, or bracing for a potential layoff in these uncertain times.

A company’s advisory board:

• Develops an understanding of the business, market, and industry trends
• Provides “wise counsel” and unbiased insights and ideas from a third point-of-view
• Encourages and supports the exploration of new business ideas
• Acts as a resource for executives
• Imposes challenges that could improve the business

Companies benefit greatly from having an advisory board, so why not receive similar counsel for your individual career?

Here’s an exercise I’ve done with clients over the years:

To establish your personal advisory board, surround yourself with friends, colleagues, mentors, previous managers, trusted clients, and people from your world outside of work. Shoot for a group of 8-10 people.

Ask your advisory board to meet (usually 2 hours). You want them in a room (or on Zoom) together so they can play off of each other. The information will be far richer than if you had reached out to them individually. Entice them with a meal, either in-person or have it delivered 😉

Once they’re gathered, ask them the following:

1. What does she (this is you) do (and no cheating by looking on Google)?
2. What are her strengths personally and professionally?
3. What should she be doing (pie in the sky, no limits)?
4. How should she do it?
5. What are her obstacles and how does she get around them?

Have someone capture the feedback on a whiteboard (Zoom and others have whiteboard features) so you can focus on listening. THE KEY is for you to remain silent while they’re discussing the question. Just hear them out, even if they’re going down a path you’re hesitant about or haven’t thought of. This can be where the magic happens! Offer your feedback ONLY AFTER everyone has added their piece. You’ll be able to react to what they said, and they can help you fully explore your impressions.

If you want to gather even more information, email those 5 questions to another 10-20 people and ask if they would give you feedback.

What will this exercise do for you?

• Open your eyes to new paths or validate the one you’re choosing.
• Uncover what might stand in your way and how to work around it.
• Provide encouragement to grow and take chances.
• And another tremendous benefit.…you now have a built-in sales force! These people have been discussing you for a couple of hours. Ask them who could benefit from knowing you and have them go out and sell you to the world. If you decide to move on to a different company, industry, etc., these people can help you get there.

Once you’ve completed this exercise, determine who was most helpful and ask them to continue to sit on your personal advisory board. Keep the board informal, perhaps meeting with each person quarterly and getting the group together every 1-2 years depending on your needs.

And don’t be afraid to ask people to participate. Most will gladly do it and wish they had their own personal advisory board too!