Board of Directors Mentoring Approach
Build a diverse circle of advisers and consult each for different challenges
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 88%
The Board of Directors Mentoring Approach treats a professional support network like a personal board rather than a single mentor relationship. The individual identifies several trusted people whose experience, judgment, or perspective is useful for different categories of decisions. When a challenge arises, it is routed to the person best equipped to advise on it. This creates broader coverage, exposes the individual to multiple viewpoints, and avoids placing unrealistic expectations on one mentor. The method works only when the relationships are genuine and maintained over time: advisers need enough context to understand the person’s goals, and the person seeking advice must engage selectively rather than asking the entire group about everything. The output is a diversified, reusable source of career and life guidance.
Origin
Extracted from Masters in Business during Jaime Magyera's discussion of the many people who shaped her career at BlackRock.
Core principles
- 01No single mentor can provide every kind of guidance
- 02Different challenges require different advisers
- 03A diverse advisory circle reduces dependence on one perspective
- 04Long-term relationships create a reusable source of counsel
How to run it
- 1
Map Your Advice Needs
Identify the recurring areas where outside judgment would improve your decisions, such as leadership, technical expertise, organizational politics, or personal development.
Pro tip Use categories broad enough to remain relevant across multiple career stages.
Watch out Do not begin by collecting impressive names without knowing what help you need.
- 2
Choose Complementary Advisers
Select trusted people with different strengths, experiences, and perspectives. Assign each person an informal area where their guidance is especially valuable.
Pro tip Include people who will challenge your assumptions rather than merely affirm them.
Watch out Avoid building a circle composed entirely of people from the same organization or background.
- 3
Route Each Challenge
Bring a question to the adviser whose experience best matches the situation. Provide enough context for useful guidance without treating every interaction as an emergency.
Pro tip Ask a focused question and explain the decision you are trying to make.
Watch out Do not ask every adviser every question; that creates noise rather than perspective.
- 4
Synthesize the Guidance
Compare the advice with your goals and circumstances, then make the decision yourself. Treat advisers as inputs to judgment, not substitutes for it.
Pro tip Record important advice and the outcome so you learn which perspectives are most useful.
Watch out Do not outsource responsibility for the final decision.
- 5
Maintain the Board
Keep advisers informed about outcomes, express appreciation, and contribute value to the relationship. Refresh the group as your responsibilities and needs evolve.
Pro tip Send concise updates showing how previous guidance helped.
Watch out A relationship that is contacted only when you need something will weaken over time.
In the wild
A director considering a promotion consults a former manager about executive expectations, a peer about the team’s current dynamics, and an external operator about the long-term career implications. She combines their distinct perspectives with her own priorities before accepting the role.
→ The decision accounts for role fit, organizational conditions, and long-term development rather than relying on one viewpoint.
A manager moving into retirement services asks a product expert about the market, a client-facing leader about customer needs, and a trusted personal adviser about the lifestyle implications. Each adviser addresses the part of the transition they understand best.
→ The manager enters the role with a more complete view of its technical, commercial, and personal demands.
Common mistakes
Searching for One Perfect Mentor
Expecting one person to cover every professional and personal issue narrows the available expertise and places too much weight on one perspective.
Choosing Advisers for Status
High-profile contacts are not useful unless they understand your circumstances and can offer relevant, candid guidance.
Treating Advice as Instruction
A personal board supplies informed inputs, but the individual remains responsible for synthesizing them and making the decision.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for professionals navigating varied leadership, career, and personal challenges over time.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal for people seeking formal accountability from one dedicated coach or sponsor.
From the transcript
“I love to have a board of director's approach, Like, I have this whole crew of people that I go to for different things”
“they've all played a different role in my career and in my life.”
From the episode
BlackRock's Jaime Magyera on Wealth Management and Retirement
Jaime Magyera