How to be a savvy board member

Here's three facts about women filling board positions:

Fact 1: Women make up less than 10 per cent of board appointments.

Fact 2: There are systemic factors that continue to hobble women's progress. (Read Anne Summers' book The End of Equality.)

Fact 3: Women hobble their own progress.

The good news is, women can do something about Fact 3.

When women take roles on committees, boards and councils their behaviour at meetings can send all the wrong signals about their competence, their commitment, and their confidence.

What women don't realise is that their reputation can be seriously tarnished by their behaviour on a committee or board. People can start to wonder if you're the dud member - unreliable, uncommitted and incompetent. For these people, this view can easily slide across to all other areas of your life: dud committee member, therefore dud business woman, dud employee. then on to 'why put women on boards at all?'

Women need to behave in ways that signal they are committed to the role and are competent to carry it out. Here are some suggestions about how to do this.

• Go prepared. Turn up with an agenda, minutes, papers, your reports.
• Accept that the real work takes place outside meetings. Showing up to meetings is only part of your contribution.
• Make a note of what you agree to do and go and do it.
• Be accountable. When you take on a task, do it so you don't have to be reminded and chased.
• Form a view on issues. Be willing to ask about things you don't understand.
• Understand figures. Even though you're not the treasurer you need to be able to read the reports and understand the financial health of the organisation. At least get a grip on costing, cash flow and budgetting.
• Understand strategic planning. Few organisations can thrive by just muddling along. Thinking about direction, vision, goals and measuring performance, should be a regular part of the process.
• Support the chair. The chair of your committee may not have strong chairing skills. Choose to support the chair by making diplomatic suggestions. For example, I'd like to hear more people's views on this before we put it to a vote. Could we go round and hear from those who haven't expressed a view yet?

(First published in Working Woman, Autumn 2005)

Dr Ann Villiers , learning guide, author and consultant, is Australia 's only Mental Nutritionist� specialising in mind and language practices that help people build flexible thinking, confident speaking and quality connections with people. Visit www.mentalnutrition.com.