Board Shorts Podcast

Applying for a Board role shouldn’t feel like sending your Board Resume into a black hole. If you’re receiving polite rejections or nothing at all, your experience likely isn't the problem; it’s how you are presenting it.

In this episode, I share the three most common visual and structural mistakes that can get your application sent straight to the rejection pile. Based on nearly 20 years of evaluating Board applications, I break down what gets reviewed in the first 10 seconds of scanning a Resume, and how you can position this strategic document to survive that initial cut.

In this episode, I cover:

• The three structural mistakes getting your Board Resume rejected (and why they send a poor signal about your governance capability).
• Why a long, operational CV is perceived as disrespectful to a Nominations Committee’s time.

• Four essential content principles to ensure your Resume is relevant, concise, and quantified.

• Why simplicity proves mastery and how to eliminate jargon that undermines your credibility.

Resources Mentioned:

• Free Masterclass: Crafting a Winning Board Resume: Move from a blank page to the shortlist. Register here.
• Build Your Board Resume (September Intake): Join the waitlist for the 8-week program providing online and live support to build a strategic Board Resume that gets you onto the shortlist. Join the waitlist.

Have you ever received feedback that you’re "too operational," "too niche," or "too specialised" for a Board role?

In a recent LinkedIn poll, 36% of respondents confirmed that being viewed solely as a specialist is the single biggest barrier keeping tech leaders out of the Boardroom.

Boards know they need deep domain insights, especially across fast-evolving areas like AI, cybersecurity, and digital transformation, but appointing Directors often struggle to define what tech governance actually requires. If you communicate in tactical jargon, they worry you won't operate at governance level.

In this episode, I share three practical shifts to translate your functional depth into high-value Board capability without losing your specialist edge.

Key Takeaways From This Episode:

• The Mindset Shift (Execution vs. Governance): Why moving from "How do we fix or build this?" to strategic, financial, and risk oversight is the key to elevating your perspective.
• The Board Capability Paradox: How to navigate situations where current Directors lack the technical baseline to evaluate specialist skills, and how to "educate to position" yourself as the solution.
• Technique 1: The 'So What?' Test: Shifting from operational mechanics to downstream impacts on revenue, brand reputation, compliance, and capital.
• Technique 2: Connect to Core Drivers: How to map your domain directly to standard Board agendas (Strategy, Risk, Capital Allocation) while tailoring your language for Advisory vs. Governance Boards.
• Technique 3: Strategic Inquiry in Networking & Interviews: Why asking high-level oversight questions proves your Board readiness faster than simply giving technical answers.
• Before & After Language Translations: Concrete examples of translating technical challenges into clear business growth and enterprise risk narratives (without relying on corporate buzzwords).

Actionable Homework:

Take your last major delivered project or key achievement and translate it into 3 clear bullet points for a non-specialist peer using three lenses:

1. Strategic Alignment
2. Risk Mitigation
3. Value Creation 

Resources & Links Mentioned:

• Build Your Board Resume Program (September 2026): Translate your executive achievements into a high-impact, governance-ready Board resume. Click here to join the September 2026 waitlist and secure priority access.

Are you rushing straight into writing your Board Resume without thinking deeply about its purpose, audience, and core message? In this episode, I sit down with executive communication strategist and author Davina Stanley (Clarity First) to explore how to synthesise decades of executive experience into a clear, compelling Boardroom value proposition.

Whether you’re preparing a two-page Board Resume or having positioning conversations with key decision-makers, Davina shares practical frameworks from her book Elevate to help you communicate with clarity, quality, and velocity.

Key Takeaways from This Episode:

• Thinking Before Executing: Why candidates fall into the "execution trap" of updating their old resume before defining what they want decision-makers to know, think, or do.
• Synthesis vs. Summary: How to move away from 16-page operational history dumps and synthesise your career into three top-line messages that highlight governance impact.
• Structuring for Velocity with SCORE: Applying Davina’s SCORE framework to ensure your Board Resume is visual, skimmable, structured, and instantly readable for time-poor Chairs.
• Iterating Your Value Proposition: How to socialise your messaging with trusted network contacts (using the 5 E's: Effort, Elevation, Evaluative Ability, Experience, Expertise) before finalising your documents.
• AI as an Assistant, Not an Author: How aspiring directors can effectively use AI tools for ideation and proofreading without losing their authentic voice.

Links & Resources Mentioned:

• Connect with Davina Stanley: Clarity First Website | Davina's LinkedIn
• Davina’s Book: Elevate: Set up your team to help senior leaders and Boards make better decisions more quickly (Available here)
• Build Your Board Resume Program: Join the waitlist for the September cohort at Get on Board Australia.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating or review and share it with an aspiring Board Member in your network!

When transitioning from an executive role to the Boardroom, having decades of brilliant experience isn't enough - you have to know how to transmit that value to others.

In this episode, I sit down with international communications coach Helen von Dadelszen to unpack how aspiring Board Members can find their true "voice" and project authentic executive presence. 

Helen breaks down why your voice is a reflection ofyour judgment and values, how to avoid creating doubt in a listener's ear, and the practical ways to shift your habits to ensure your delivery matches your governance message.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Redefining Your "Voice": Why your voice is far more than just the sound you make; it’s how you transmit your judgment, values, and unique experience to the world.
• The Power of Congruence: How a monotone or nervous delivery accidentally creates frustration and doubt for Chairs and recruiters, and how to fix it.
• Breaking the Habit: Why the way you speak under pressure is simply a learned behaviour, and how you can intentionally shift those habits to support your message.
• Getting Out of Your Head: How to move past the natural, nervous self-consciousness ("How do I look? Are they judging me?") so you can focus entirely on how your message is being received on the other side of the table.
• Navigating High-Stakes Moments: Practical strategies for structuring your thoughts for casual coffee chats, networking, and formal Board interviews so you sound natural, credible, and authentic.

Links Mentioned

Get Helen’s Book

Visit Helen’s website, Present Potential

Connect with Helen on LinkedIn

Visit the Get on Board Australia website

Are you endlessly searching for the "seek.com.au" for Boards? In this episode, we are debunking the biggest myth aspiring directors fall for: that all vacancy advertisements are sitting in one hidden place just waiting to be found.

The reality of the Boardroom is that 90% or more of Board opportunities are never advertised. If you are only applying to the 10% that are made public, you’re fighting like a seagull over a single hot chip!

Tune in to learn the five other places you actually need to look to secure a seat, ranked from the most proactive to the most passive. It is time to step out of the seagull mentality, accept how the game is actually played, and start moving further and faster toward your Board goals. 

Key Takeaways

• Why the 90/10 rule dictates your success in the Board seat marketplace.
• The "seagull mentality" and why waiting for advertisements is a slow, frustrating, and lucky-dip strategy.
• The six specific places to find Board roles, including your network, search firms, approaching organisations directly, and LinkedIn.
• How Board registers function as databases where you can add your name to be notified of available positions.

Resources & Links Mentioned

• NEW E-GUIDE: 31 Days to Finding a Board Role. Stop waiting and start acting. This guide provides a structured 4-week approach to help you find a Board seat. You will spend Week 1 setting your foundation, Week 2 unlocking your network, Week 3 navigating firms and registers, and Week 4 building your digital presence and momentum. Grab your copy here for only $47 AUD.
• Episode 141: Understanding the mechanics and dynamics of the Board seat marketplace.
• Episode 143: How to network for a Board role.

Are you tired of waiting for the perfect advertisement to appear, or feeling unsure of where to even begin your search?

With over 90% of Board roles never seeing a public job board, mastering the hidden Board seat market through strategic networking is the ultimate key to your success.

If the thought of networking gives you the "heebie-jeebies," don't worry. In this episode, I strip away the traditional, exhausting idea of networking — no meaningless small talk or throwing business cards around like confetti required. 

Instead, I walk you through a highly targeted "map and tap" framework designed to help you leverage your existing connections and strategically expand your reach to secure your ideal Board seat.

Whether you are seeking your very first seat at the table or looking to build out a paid portfolio career, this episode provides the roadmap you need to build, nurture, and leverage your network effectively.

Key Takeaways

• Establish your foundation first: Before reaching out to anyone, you must clearly define your target and articulate your Unique Board Value Proposition.
• Tap into your existing circle: Your current colleagues, mentors, clients, and even family friends already know, like, and trust you. Use them to calibrate your goals and gain honest feedback.
• Make highly specific requests: Vague asks like "keep me in mind" can actually damage your professional credibility. Always be specific about what you are looking for and how others can assist you.
• Expand your reach strategically: Grow your connections through warm introductions from your existing circle. If you choose to attend events, ensure you are fishing where the fish are.
• Nurture for the long term: Treat your connections as a two-way exchange of value. Share relevant resources, check in regularly, and consider tracking your outreach to maximise your return on investment.

Links & Resources Mentioned

Free Download: Grab your copy of the Networking for Board Success Workbook

Further Reading/Listening: Resources for setting your target and getting clear on your value proposition.

• Setting a Board Goal
  🎧 Break into the Boardroom Series: Set a Board Goal | Ep. 102
  📑 How to Set a Board Goal
  🎧 Setting and Calibrating your Board Goal | Ep. 49
  
• Unique Board Value Proposition
  🎧 Break into the Boardroom Series: Understanding your Unique Board Value Proposition | Ep. 103
  🎧 Answering the "Why You" Question: Mastering Your Board Story | Ep. 133
  🎧 The Ingredients of your Unique Board Value Proposition | Ep. 98
  📑 Your Board Search: Developing Your Unique Value Proposition
  📑 Yes, You Do Have Something to Offer a Board
  
• Building a Network
  🎧 Stop “Networking” and Start Building a Network | Ep. 135
  🎧 Strategic Networking to Unlock Board Opportunities | Ep. 104

Ready to get serious about your search? Explore resources, self-paced courses like Break into the Boardroom, and VIP programs designed to help you win at the boardroom game at getonboardaustralia.com.au

If you enjoyed this strategy session, please hit the Follow button so you never miss an episode!

You're working 50 hours a week, managing a team, and smashing your corporate KPIs. But you're also looking up at the Boardroom and thinking, 'I think I'm ready for that next strategic step.'

So, when is the right time to pull the trigger and start a Board Career?

This episode breaks down the why, the where, and the how of balancing Board service with a full-time career. Whether you're early in your professional life or mid-to-late stage and wondering what comes next after executive life, the reality is that the best time to start working on your governance goals is right now, even in the midst of life and work.

What You'll Learn:

• The Power of Compounding Experience: Why treating your governance journey like a savings account that builds interest over time puts you in a highly competitive position later in your Board Career.
• The Career Boost: How the exposure to strategic oversight, risk management, and macro-industry insights gained around a table directly enhances your day-to-day executive leadership.
• Finding Accessible Entry Points: How to identify realistic grassroots opportunities, such as local sports clubs, community groups, and small NFPs, that match your capacity and welcome first-time Board Members.
• The Vocation Mindset: Why you must approach every single position with the same rigor and dedication as a listed company role, rather than treating it like a casual side quest.
• Managing Conflicts of Interest: Practical strategies for aligning with your current employer, protecting transparency, and ensuring you have the full capacity to govern effectively.

Lisa's Time Management Playbook:

Balancing a demanding day job with governance requires ruthless organisation and discipline. Here are the practical tips shared in this episode to help you protect your time and your mental bandwidth:

• Plan Far Ahead: Ensure the entire year of Board Meetings is scheduled by September or October of the previous year so you can book preparation time well in advance.
• Enforce Pack Hygiene: Maintain strict rules around meeting pack distribution, ensuring all papers are sent out at least one week ahead of schedule.
• Protect Preparation Time: Set up dedicated blocks to review papers early enough to research, digest, and submit questions to relevant stakeholders before the meeting starts.
• Overestimate Needed Capacity: Give yourself a buffer for larger-than-usual packs, and leave yourself enough mental bandwidth to think clearly, stay effective, and enjoy proper downtime.

This Week's Challenge:

Stop waiting for the perfect moment; it does not exist! Look around your local community, sport, or industry sector this week. Where can you raise your hand, step up, and offer your expertise and contribution to an organisation that genuinely needs your skills?

Links and Resources:

• Visit the Get on Board Australia website to discover tools and strategies to help you navigate the hidden market and win at the Board game.
• Explore entry-level governance advertisements and volunteer opportunities via GoVolunteer.com.au or LinkedIn.
• Connect with Lisa Cook on LinkedIn to receive insights on how you can secure your first, next, or paid Board role.

Are you tired of waiting for the perfect Board role to appear in an email alert? In this conversation, take a peek behind the corporate veil to understand the hidden mechanics of Board recruitment. Explore why the Board marketplace is a "buyer's market," the truth behind the tiny fraction of roles that are ever advertised, and why the process often takes months longer than a standard executive hire.

Key Takeaways

• The Math of Limited Opportunity: With the average ASX 300 Board consisting of just 6.2 members and utilising staggered terms, many Boards only have one vacancy per year. When an eligible incumbent stands for re-election, that 'open' seat often remains occupied, making the Board game a true numbers game.
• The "What" Before the "Who": A Board recruitment process starts long before a candidate is ever seen. Using the Board Skills Matrix, the Nominations Committee identifies specific gaps (e.g., a CPA with regional manufacturing experience). If you don't fit the "What" they've already decided on, your brilliance as a "Who" is secondary.
• The Deluge and the Gatekeeper: Most Boards avoid public advertisements to bypass the flood of unqualified applications. Instead, they rely on known quantities and search firms. In this ecosystem, a recruiter's primary job is risk mitigation; they are looking for reasons to say "no" so the Board only sees the final "yes" candidates.
• The 'Staging' Mandate in a Buyer's Market: Because the supply of talent far outweighs the demand for seats, Board holds all the leverage. To win, the candidate (the 'Seller') must spend significant energy on staging their professional 'product' by ensuring their Unique Board Value Proposition is undeniable.
• Substance vs. Charisma: There is a fundamental difference between member-elected roles (which often resemble a popularity contest) and skills-based appointments. Understanding which game you're playing dictates whether your campaign skills or your substantive governance value will do the heavy lifting.
• The Reality of the Two-Year Timeline: Securing a Board seat is a 'job to get a job'. Between the six-month recruitment cycles and the strategic positioning required, aspiring Board Members should prepare for a persistence-driven journey that can often take up to two years.

Episode Timeline

• [00:00] Intro: Moving beyond the 'advertisement' strategy and understanding the hidden market.
• [01:23] The Math of the 'One Seat' Renewal: Why the average Board size and incumbent re-elections limit total opportunities.
• [04:15] Excess Capacity: How to leverage non-traditional expertise (like AI Governance) to join a Board that isn't actively recruiting.
• [05:34] The 6-Month Delay: A look at the business-as-usual activities and internal crises that can push recruitment to the backburner.
• [10:14] Tip of the Iceberg: Why only 10% of roles reach the public and the truth behind 'legitimate' vs. 'required' advertisements.
• [14:52] Search Firms as Risk Managers: How search specialists vet databases for a 'perfect fit' before a role is ever advertised.
• [17:34] Appointments vs. Elections: Distinguishing between popularity contests and substance-driven appointments.
• [19:15] Closing: Why the Board game is a job to get a job, requiring patience and a 'staged' professional product.

Resources Mentioned

• Article: Developing your Unique Board Value Proposition
• Podcast: Understanding Your Unique Board Value Proposition
• Article: Positioning Yourself for a Board Role Using Your Board Resume
• Get on Board Australia: Explore resources and programs to help you secure your next seat.

Are you thinking about a Board career but feel you aren't quite ready to commit the time yet? You don't have to wait until you are ready to apply for roles to start building your Board profile.

In this episode, I discuss how you can leverage your current "professional career" (your day-to-day paid role) to develop the skills, networks, and reputation required to win at the Board game. These three proactive steps will enhance your professional growth today and your Board readiness for the future.

In this episode, I cover:

• 1. Developing Business Acumen: Moving beyond your specific job description to understand how your role helps the organisation achieve its strategic and financial objectives.
• 2. Building Your Financial Proficiency: Four practical ways to get "financially familiar" even without a finance background:
• Learning accounting basics (the "foundation of the house").
• Finding a financial mentor or shadowing your organisation's finance team.
• Asking the right questions during meetings to build comfort.
• Using "exposure therapy" via your own personal finances.
• 3. Investing in Your Network: The majority of Board roles are found in your network. Now is the time to build meaningful connections before you need them.
• 4. Designing Your Reputation Wake: Being proactive about the story your professional actions tell and how to consistently act in a way that reinforces your credibility.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

• TED Talk: The career advice you probably didn't get – Susan Colantuano shares why business, strategic, and financial acumen are the "missing pieces" for many leaders.
• Harvard Business Review (free to subscribe): How to Improve Your Finance Skills (Even if you Hate Numbers) – simple steps to build your financial understanding.
• Video Guide (scroll to the bottom of the page): Using your personal bank statement to understand organisation financials – A simple way to start your financial literacy journey at home.
• Accounting Basics: I recommend picking up a first-year university accounting textbook to master double-entry bookkeeping and the basic accounting equation. Here's the one (most up-to-date version) I used in my undergrad business degree.

Connect with Get on Board Australia:

• Follow Lisa Cook on LinkedIn: @lisamcook
• Visit the Get on Board Australia Website: Get on Board Australia

"Leadership manifests at every level of the organisation." Even if you're early in your journey, being a leader now ensures you are an attractive Board candidate later.

Are you tired of playing a reactive game, waiting for the perfect advertisement to appear before you even think about your Board Resume? In this episode, we dive deep into the concept of the Strategic Board Resume, a proactive marketing tool designed to move you from the operational "doing" of your executive life to the strategic oversight required in the Boardroom.

We move past the historical autobiography that often plagues the resumes of aspiring Board Members and focus on how to build a document that signals your readiness for a Board seat, whether it's your first appointment or a transition into a paid portfolio career.

Inside This Episode:

• Defining "Strategic": Why a Strategic Board Resume is a document planned and conceived to achieve one specific objective: securing your Board role.
• The Fit-For-Purpose Filter: How to ensure your document talks directly to your target audience and leaves the irrelevant waffle behind.
• Your Board Story: The three critical questions you must answer before you start writing: Who are you talking to? Why them? And, why you?
• The Marketer Mindset: Why treating your Board Resume as marketing collateral, rather than a reactive response, is the ultimate differentiator in a crowded market.
• Overcoming the "Tyranny of Knowledge": Tips for translating your deep professional expertise into a high-impact Board value proposition that anyone can understand.

Craft Your Winning Board Resume

If you are ready to stop agonizing over your experience and start building a document that commands respect, join me for my upcoming free webinar. This is the perfect "entrée" to the Build Your Board Resume 8-week implementation container.

What we'll cover together:

• A section-by-section breakdown of a winning Board Resume template.
• How to apply the Board Story framework to your specific goals.
• Practical strategies to move past "blank page" procrastination.

Webinar Dates:

• Tuesday, 7 April or Wednesday, 8 April 2026 (Australia time).
• Register here: getonboardaustralia.com.au/boardresumewebinar

Resources Mentioned:

• Episode 138: Five Ways to Use Your Board Resume Beyond Responding to Advertisements
• Episode 103: Understanding your Unique Board Value Proposition
• Episode 98: The Ingredients of your Unique Board Value Proposition
• Build Your Board Resume: Doors officially open on Thursday, 9 April 2026 (join the waitlist).