The 90% Rule: Why You Probably Won’t Find Your Next Board Role Advertised
Release Date: 01/27/2026
Three Career Choices That Will Help Your Board Career | Ep. 140
Board Shorts Podcast
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...
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The Strategic Board Resume | Ep. 139
Board Shorts Podcast
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...
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Five Ways to Use Your Board Resume Beyond Responding to Advertisements | Ep. 138
Board Shorts Podcast
Are you waiting for the perfect Board advertisement to appear before you touch your Board Resume? If so, you might be missing out on a whole lot of opportunities that your Board Resume can unlock. In this episode, I dive into why a fit-for-purpose Board Resume is an essential piece of gear for your journey, regardless of whether you are responding to an advertisement. As I prepare for the 2026 launch of , I share how to turn this document into a proactive marketing tool that works for you 24/7. In this episode, I cover how your Board Resume can also function as: The Conversation...
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Imposter Syndrome (And What That Has to Do With Your Board Resume) | Ep. 137
Board Shorts Podcast
Ever felt like a total authority in your executive role, but like a complete fraud the moment you start working on your Board Resume? In this episode, I’m joined by Mark Gregory, an experienced careers practitioner, to dismantle the "Successful Professional Paradox." We explore why even the most accomplished leaders often feel like a fraud when transitioning to the Boardroom and how your resume might be fuelling that fire. In this episode, we cover: The Blank Page as a Mirror: Why starting your Board Resume from scratch acts as a psychological trigger for the inner...
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A New Strategy for Your Board Search | Ep. 136
Board Shorts Podcast
If you have spent the last twelve months sending your CV into the void for advertised roles and hearing nothing back, it is time for a new approach. In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on why the traditional job-hunting approach doesn’t work for the Boardroom. I chat through the reality of the Hidden Board Market, where 90% of Board roles actually live, and introduce a brand-new vehicle to help you access it: the Build Your Board Career program. Whether you are feeling frustrated by a lack of progress or standing at the very beginning of your journey wondering where...
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Stop ‘Networking’ and Start Building a Network with Jerry Kleeman | Ep. 135
Board Shorts Podcast
For many aspiring Board Members, "networking" is a dirty word. It conjures images of awkward cocktail parties, forced small talk, and the transactional exchange of business cards with no valuable follow through. But if you want to access the 90% of Board roles that are never advertised, you cannot ignore your connections. You just need to change how you build them. In this episode, I’m joined by Jerry Kleeman, a TEC Chair, executive mentor, and my husband. Jerry has spent decades building and nurturing a trusted network that returns quantifiable value to him and them. In this...
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Optimising Your LinkedIn Profile for Board Roles with Tom Etherington | Ep. 134
Board Shorts Podcast
For many aspiring Board Members, LinkedIn feels like a chore. We treat it like a static electronic filing cabinet for our past job titles, or we avoid it entirely because we’re afraid of looking self-promotional. But in 2026, your LinkedIn profile is often the very first thing a Chair, Nominations Committee, or Board Recruiter looks at; even before they read your CV. In this episode, I sit down with Tom Etherington, a former journalist turned LinkedIn Strategist and the founder of . Tom strips away the "influencer" noise and shares practical, low-stress strategies to turn your...
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Answering the “Why You?” Question: Mastering Your Board Story | Ep. 133
Board Shorts Podcast
Every Board you approach, whether through an advertisement or a coffee meeting, is asking themselves one fundamental question: "Why you?" Why should they choose you over the other candidates? Why are you the risk worth taking? If you are struggling to answer this question concisely, or if your applications are being met with silence, the issue likely isn't your capability; it’s your Unique Board Value Proposition (UBVP). In this episode, I deconstruct exactly how to build a compelling Board Story. I break down the seven elements that make up your unique value proposition and provide the...
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The 90% Rule: Why You Probably Won’t Find Your Next Board Role Advertised
Board Shorts Podcast
If your Board search strategy consists of spending your Saturday mornings refreshing LinkedIn, searching through Institute listings, and waiting for an email alert to ping—this episode is your reality check. Today, I’m breaking down the "Iceberg Theory" of Board recruitment. The advertisements you see on public job boards represent less than 10% of the actual opportunities. The other 90% - the hidden Board seat market - are filled through trusted networks, private recommendations, and strategic conversations long before an advertisement is ever written. I explain why this ‘Board...
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Hope is Not a Strategy: Taking Control of your Board Career | Ep. 131
Board Shorts Podcast
If you are currently looking for a Board role, answer this honestly: Is your strategy based on searching for that perfect advertisement, waiting for head-hunters to call, or asking your network to "keep you in mind"? If so, you are likely hearing a lot of silence. In this episode, I am sharing a bit of a reality check. I am breaking down the four most common "strategies" aspiring Board Members use, and exactly why they don’t work in today’s market. Over 90% of Board roles are never advertised. If you are relying on the "Seek.com Approach," you are competing for less than 10% of the...
info_outlineIf your Board search strategy consists of spending your Saturday mornings refreshing LinkedIn, searching through Institute listings, and waiting for an email alert to ping—this episode is your reality check.
Today, I’m breaking down the "Iceberg Theory" of Board recruitment. The advertisements you see on public job boards represent less than 10% of the actual opportunities. The other 90% - the hidden Board seat market - are filled through trusted networks, private recommendations, and strategic conversations long before an advertisement is ever written.
I explain why this ‘Board Recruitment Theatre’ (fake ads) might be wasting your time, how the recruitment process actually works behind closed doors, and how you can shift from being a passive ‘Applicant’ to an active ‘Candidate’ to access the hidden Board seat market.
Key Takeaways:
- The "Seagull Effect": Why relying on advertisements forces you to compete with thousands of candidates for the smallest slice of the market (like seagulls fighting for a chip at the beach).
- The Risk Management Reality: Why Boards prefer trusted referrals over unknown applicants, and why "who knows you" may matter more than just your resume.
- ‘Board Recruitment Theatre’: Understanding when an advertisement is just a compliance performance for a role that is already filled.
- The 5-Step ‘Trust Transfer’: A behind-the-scenes look at how a Board vacancy is filled (hint: the conversation often happens before the formal interview).
- The 3 Keys to Accessing the 90%:
- Clarity (North Star): Being specific about the Board you want.
- Visibility (Value Proposition): A clear and compelling Board story built on a reputation that precedes you.
- Proximity (Network): Getting into the orbit of decision-makers.
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Actionable Step for This Week: I am giving you a permission slip. If 90% of roles aren't advertised, then "the weekend scroll" isn't hustling, it’s just anxiety. Join the waitlist, then close your laptop. Go watch the cricket, go for a run, or get out in the garden. Enjoy your weekend guilt-free knowing you have a plan waiting for you.