Course Snapshot

Outside Boards Program

If you’re considering creating a board of advisors or board of directors, you no doubt have many questions. You might even be struggling with using a board since you might have made it this far on your own or because you believe others won’t understand your company and its goals. Perhaps you think boards are only for large companies.

When asked how important outside boards were, Clay Mathile, Aileron’s founder and former chairman of Iams Corporation, said, “If you’re willing to work and to subject yourself to the scrutiny of others [creating a board] is the best investment you’ll ever make in your life.”

This full day program is designed for business owners, CEOs, or presidents of privately held companies who want to learn what it takes to effectively create and use an outside board to help drive company growth and change.

The session includes the following components:

Panel discussion (90 minutes): A panel of business owners will discuss how they successfully created a board to take their business to the next level. You’ll learn about their experiences, the challenges they faced, how they overcame those challenges, and what their board helped them accomplish that they never thought possible.

Mock board exercise (90 minutes): If you’re not familiar with the inner workings of a board, you might not know what to expect. This mock exercise offers perspective into how a board operates, so you’ll know what to expect when working with a board in the real world. You’ll experience firsthand the value a board can offer to a business owner regardless of industry, size, or state of business.

Business advisor consultation: How do you know whether you’re ready for an outside board? You have the option to meet one-on-one with an Aileron Business Advisor who can help you determine the next steps in your personal board creation plan. This advisor can help you evaluate your readiness for an outside board, develop a profile of the board members needed, and identify potential board members, among other important steps.

The main program will focus on several key areas, including:

• Outside board myths. There are several reasons why business owners shy away from boards. The course will describe the common arguments about outside boards and dispel these arguments as myths, not facts.
• The various types of advisors and boards. Several different types of advisors can be valuable to an organization, but a board of advisors and board of directors are the only types of advisors that directly influence the success or failure of a business. The course will describe the characteristics and involvement of each type.
• The value of outside boards. There are many benefits to using an outside board. The course will explore how boards can help achieve a company’s direction, mission, and goals; focus on vision and strategy; help the business stay on track; add skills, insights, and new ideas; and step up in a time of crisis.
• How to recruit, evaluate, and start a board. The individuals on a board can determine its (and an organization’s) success or failure. The course will explain the best way to find the right people and set up a board that is customized to suite your needs and those of your organization.
• Responsibilities of the board and the CEO and the working relationship between the two. With too many cooks in the kitchen responsibilities can get muddled. The course will define the roles of the organization’s leaders, including the CEO, so that the role of the board is clear. It will also offer best practices for management, executives, and board members to work together.
• Differences between a board of advisors and a board of directors. The course will describe the similarities and differences between these boards, so you can decide which type of board is best for you and your company based on your current needs.

Once you have completed the Outside Board Program, the next step is the Creating an Outside Board Service. To learn more about these services, you can check out these FAQ’s.

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If our current schedule does not fit your needs, click here to be notified by email the next time the class is offered.

More information:

For more information about this program please call us at (937) 669-6500 or e-mail an Aileron representative.