A problem shared is a problem halved: Why you should build a ‘personal boardroom’

There are plenty of companies making big efforts to support women in business and readdress the gender imbalance.

However, the numbers suggest there is still more that needs to be done.

The Government gender pay gap data recently showed nearly three-quarters (78 per cent) of firms pay higher rates to their male staff. Only 17 per cent of employees in the tech industry are women. And the proportion of women in influential non-executive roles has barely changed in ten years, in 2017 it’s eight per cent, compared with six per cent a decade ago.

Debate about what can be done rages on and certainly there is no silver bullet, but these stats demonstrate a clear need for women to build a support network around themselves. Or as Amanda Scott and Zella King brilliantly put it, assigning a ‘personal board’.

Just like how a business has an executive board – whereby a group of decision makers meet to discuss the company, vision, strengths and weaknesses and essentially, make critical decisions, Scott and King suggest people should do the same.

This group of people will be your sounding board. They could help, for example, if you’re considering a new job, a new role or how to deal with a difficult person at work

For me, having a personal board has been critical to my success and career development; and I’m not the only one. Leaders in companies from the BBC, Google, EY and RBS have also used this approach.

In this WeAreTheCity article, I explore where you can start and what types of people to have on your board:

• Information roles – look for individuals who bring new insights and ideas
• Power roles – these are people who are well-connected and could introduce you to someone influential
• Development roles – those who will challenge your thoughts or provide some balance