A big thank you if you attended the recent Take on Board breakfast.
Thank you in particular, to our fabulous speakers Morgan Ryan and Michelle Gallagher for their informative, insightful and interesting stories and tips.
Here’s a summary of some of their key messages:
- Build a network.
- Don’t be shy: it’s ok to be selfish – have the courage to pursue board opportunities and tell the world ‘I’m here and I’m ready!’. It’s ok to put yourself up and be knocked back.
- Bring other women with you to opportunities
- A board is like a basketball team – everyone brings something to the team
- Don’t shoot for perfectionism – just have a crack
- Be clear about what you offer – identify three or four key skills, not a laundry list of everything.
- Do you due diligence on any board you are invited to join – insolvency, insurance – ask the hard questions before you join.
- Diversity is not just about gender – age, culture, skillset (particularly technology)
- Mentoring is a two-way process – find a younger mentor/mentee to learn new things.
- And of course… fill up the knickers drawer!
Some of the feedback
- Informative, insightful and down to earth
- Relaxed and interactive; Q&A was great!
- Energised, inspiring, valuable.
- The speakers were fabulous! I would have liked to hear more from them!
- Loved the venue; yummy food. Great speakers. Inspiring, impressive and welcoming.
- Two speakers were good in terms of time, information, depth of discussion. Inspiring, insightful and open.
- Attendees were all very interesting; presenters were great, diverse, interesting. Overall inspiring, enthusiastic and informative.
- Great speakers! Inspiring, encouraging and thought-provoking.
- Keep it up – this is such a special event! There’s no other space like this – women sharing openly and authentically about how to succeed daringly as ourselves. Honest, inspiring, compassionate.
- The speakers provided great insights into a woman’s role on a board and effective board membership. It was effective, informative and fun.
- Interesting speakers – inspiring, interesting, honest.
- Great speakers and good sized group. Informative, comfortable and friendly. I gained a great deal out of this event.
- Speakers were inspiring – great case studies. Inspiring, energizing, motivating.
- Plenty of time for networking and engaging speakers. Inspiring, thought-provoking and action- oriented.
- Good mix of speakers with different perspectives – hearing something new about areas (industry, science). It was confidence building, useful and inspiring.
- I liked that each presenter had 2-3 key pointers to help ‘kickstart’
- Very interesting speakers. Interesting, exposure and opportunity.
- The morning flowed very well. The moments between speakers to discuss with people on the table was valuable. Q&A very valuable. Inspiration, education, enlightening.
- Generous information sharing; very informative. Encouraging and inspiring. I’m new to the whole concept of working on boards so it was all very useful.
- Insightful, rewarding, helpful.
- Everything! Timing great, ace speakers. Friendly, informative, supportive. It was a wonderful atmosphere – I’ll come again.
- Great speakers, excellent topics and keeping to time. Warm, open, accepting.
- Speakers worked well and tables with interesting people. Interesting, well-run and engaging.
- Great, personable speakers. Good to hear from real people about their experiences. Friendly, professional and though-provoking. Good to refocus my thinking on approach to board and career.
- Great timing of question and answer session. Welcoming, informative and encouraging.
- Great speakers – knowledgeable. Professional, wisdom and generous. Thank you.
- Format, speakers and timing worked well. It was useful, stimulating and inspiring.
- Refreshment, time to mingle and encouragement and guest speakers all worked well. It was great, interesting and eye-opening.
- The networking and great speakers worked well. It was informative and motivational. It enforced my belief in my abilities.
- The speakers were terrific – very engaging and knowledgeable. It was thought provoking and helpful.
- Great speakers, practical information. It was engaging and though-provoking.
