From The Classroom to the Boardroom: What To Expect

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Young professionals stepping into the workforce need to know what to expect when moving from the classroom to the boardroom.

Even the highest-profile executives and directors were just regular students once, believe it or not. In fact, they were prone to mistakes, such as not approaching teachers due to feeling ashamed to ask, just like you and me. 

However, they will also tell you this experience is crucial and utilizing it properly, especially picking up transferable skills and making connections, will be the difference between a wage and a C-suite position. 

But all of this is easier said than done, and students must first navigate the transition from academia to the workforce before even thinking about the challenges at the executive level. Unbeknownst to most, the lessons are plentiful and hidden all around us.  

Classroom vs Boardroom: The Differences 

First and foremost, there’s no point in preparing for boardroom positions in the early 20s. Stats show that the average board member is 51 years old, despite the occasional millennial success story. 

Once you’ve gotten rid of the weight of boardroom-related expectations and realized that your career is a marathon instead of a sprint, it’s time to think logically and see how key aspects of learning, succeeding and failing look in these two environments.  

Learning Environment

In the classroom, you’re used to a structured, almost predictable environment. Lectures, assignments, exams – it’s a cycle. For example, a computer science major would slowly learn everything about the basics of data management, analytics and cybersecurity, all while taking tests. 

Your learning is guided by instructors, but interestingly, leaving a positive impression and reaping the benefits, is something you’ll be able to use in the boardroom, as well. 

Transitioning to the boardroom, however, is like stepping into a different universe. Here, learning is less structured and much more self-directed. 

That same CS major would be required to know everything about Sharepoint backup management, the latest trends in human engineering attacks, and a million other things. But why? Because they’ll be the ones leading the organization through a crisis and living with the consequences, positive or otherwise. It’s kind of like living with the results of your own exams, right? 

Goals and Objectives

In school, your primary goal is to acquire knowledge and get good grades. It’s a straightforward equation: study hard, pass exams, and graduate. There is basically no chaos and your biggest worry is creating an ATS-friendly resume upon graduation. 

But in the professional world, the objectives shift significantly. It’s not just about what you know; it’s mostly about who you know and how you apply that knowledge to drive results. Your performance is measured by your ability to contribute to the company’s success, whether that’s through increasing sales, improving processes, or developing innovative solutions. 

This results-oriented environment of the workplace requires a different mindset, one that is focused on practical outcomes rather than theoretical understanding.

Evaluation and Feedback

In an academic setting, feedback is often regular and structured. You get grades on assignments, comments from professors, and periodic reviews. This continuous assessment helps you know where you stand and what areas need improvement. 

However, in the boardroom, feedback can be less frequent and more critical. Performance reviews might happen annually or biannually, and the feedback is often tied to your professional development and potential promotions. 

So, your only option is to learn how to handle constructive criticism and use it to fuel your growth. The stakes are higher, and unlike in college, no one cares about your betterment for its own sake—it’s all about how it benefits the bottom line.

The Transition From The Classroom To The Workforce: Key Challenges

With board members being easily able to earn upwards of $300,000 to $500,000, many are willing to make sacrifices in order to attain this privilege. Unfortunately, the challenges preying on overambitious title chasers are many, and are spearheaded by:

1. Pressure and uncertainty: The corporate world is fast-paced and constantly evolving. Unlike the relatively stable environment of the classroom, the boardroom requires you to quickly adapt to new technologies, market trends, and business strategies. Likewise, you’ll be expected to deliver results, often under tight deadlines and intense scrutiny. The pressure to perform can be overwhelming if you’re not prepared for it.
2. Expectation to make decisions: In the classroom and even your first job, problems often have clear solutions and it’s easy to find yourself bored. In the boardroom, you’ll frequently face ambiguous situations where you’ll need to make decisions with incomplete information. Imagine dealing with an ongoing app deployment, approving the hiring of new devs, and giving a PR statement to promote your SaaS brand. And that’s just the first 90 minutes of your workday! 
3. Navigating office politics: The boardroom isn’t just about business strategies; it’s also about people. Navigating office politics and building positive relationships with colleagues and superiors can be complex. Understanding interpersonal dynamics and developing emotional intelligence can help you manage them accordingly.
4. Constant calls and communication: Aside from dealing with the sheer amount of calls and requests, you’ll need to articulate your ideas clearly and persuasively, whether in meetings, presentations, or written reports. Hence, your public speaking and presentation skills can significantly impact your career progression.
5. Work-life balance: High-level corporate positions often demand long hours and significant dedication, and the notion of work-life balance is an abstract one. Despite the informality of your work hours, they’ll often exceed 40 or even 50 a week, at least until you settle into your responsibilities. 
6. Ethical dilemmas: Should you forego higher earnings for something morally right? What do you do with an executive that’s stellar on his own, but isn’t a team player? Are you willing to automate away a portion of your workforce? These are just some of the conundrums discussed in the boardroom. 

Starting Your Road to a Board Seat with a PDP 

Since this is a complex, long-term goal, you’ll need to align both your personal and professional lives toward achieving it. Therefore, creating a personal development plan (PDP) is a crucial first step on your journey to a boardroom position. 

A PDP helps you outline your career goals, identify the skills you need to develop, and map out a strategy to achieve these goals. To get started, you must:  

• Assess your current skills and experience: Take stock of your current abilities and experiences, then compare that to the LinkedIn profiles of 10 people who serve as board members. How did they get there? 
• Set clear, achievable goals: Define short-term and long-term career goals. Be specific about what you want to achieve and set deadlines for these milestones.
• Identify required skills and knowledge: Research the skills and knowledge necessary for boardroom positions in your industry. This might include leadership skills, financial acumen, strategic thinking, and industry-specific expertise.
• Create an action plan: Outline the steps you need to take to develop the required skills and knowledge. This might include pursuing additional education or certifications, seeking out mentorship, and finding ways to sidestep common growing pains.
• Reevaluate regularly: Regularly review and update your PDP to ensure you are on track to meet your goals. Adjust your plan as necessary to account for new opportunities or changes in your career path.

Is Aiming to Be a Board Member Realistic? 

This depends on what you consider to be ‘realistic.’ Looking at the goal numerically, it’s evident that only a limited number of people reach these positions. To make the numbers stacked against you even more, the average board member spends 9.7 years in the position, making changes a rare occurrence. 

Then, there’s also the challenge and the weight of the responsibility itself. Do you want to approve every operational decision? Are you willing to do the work necessary to oversee SAP staff augmentation, large-scale mergers and acquisitions? Can you withstand being available all day every day? This is more than just a set of entry-level skills new grads must acquire. 

But on the other hand, few positions are as exciting, dynamic or challenging, with unparalleled networking opportunities available to those willing to seize them. You can easily find yourself sitting on multiple boards, if your previous tenures were successful. 

Conclusion

The transition from the classroom to the boardroom will always have its challenges and require many years of hard work. However, the tough task of being a success in your chosen career can be made much easier by recognizing the challenges awaiting you and using a PDP to track your progress on the corporate scale. 

While it’s no secret the odds won’t be in your favor, you can still achieve amazing things in the corporate world. And besides, sitting in a boardroom isn’t your traditional position, and there’s no age limit whatsoever. What’s stopping you?