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Ten years ago, I hit a wall.
Despite having finished grad school at Harvard, where I thought I had it all figured out, I found myself completely lost. I was paralyzed by the paradox of choice, figuring out a completely new life in the US, and torn between career paths.
At 33, the pressure felt immense. I was convinced that my next move had to be the "right" one—that whatever decision I made now would be a life sentence. The fear of making a mistake kept me frozen.
Then, I stumbled across the concept of a Personal Board of Advisors. I decided to treat my career less like a solo project and more like an organization in need of governance.
I didn't hire strangers; I audited my existing network.
I turned to Marshall Ganz, a legendary leadership professor, to serve as my Mentor for my interest in leadership and social change.
I recruited a friend to be my Challenger—someone to test my logic and ask the hard questions.
I partnered with another friend who was going through the same struggle to be my Coach - we talked every week, coached each other, and he is my business partner today!
I found an additional Mentor (Insider), an expert in career development, who was offered by my then-current project at the World Bank, to advise on career paths.
The formula worked.
The conversations I had over the next few months enabled me to find clarity.
Those advisors gave me the courage to launch ChangeLab, an organization dedicated to democratizing leadership through action and experience. I went from being "lost and confused" to building the work and life I wanted to have.
The Lesson: The "Self-Made Leader" is a myth. The most successful people don’t operate in a vacuum; they build a scaffolding of wisdom around them.
This week, we are exploring how to build your own Personal Board of Advisors (PBoA) for growth and accountability, to reach your 2026 goals 👇
🎯 Why the "Solo Genius" Era is Over
The career ladder is gone. It has been replaced by a career web—dynamic, complex, and often overwhelming.
Mobility: Professionals change roles 4x more often than previous generations.
Complexity: Hybrid work and cross-functional roles mean you rarely have just one "boss" guiding you.
If you rely solely on your direct manager for development, you are limiting your growth to their specific bandwidth and biases. A Personal Board of Advisors diversifies your risk. It provides a "Consulting Dream Team" that travels with you, regardless of which company signs your paycheck.
Research consistently shows that professionals with diverse network clusters (groups of people from different social/professional spheres) outperform those with closed networks.
🧠 The Science: Why You Can’t Think Alone
Neuroscience confirms that the "self-made" brain is a biological impossibility. Our brains evolved to be social organs, not isolated computers. When you problem-solve alone, you are biologically prone to Confirmation Bias—your brain actively ignores data that contradicts your current beliefs to save energy. A Personal Board triggers a phenomenon known as Distributed Cognition. By verbalizing your challenges to others, you force your brain to engage in metacognition (thinking about your thinking), which shifts activity from the amygdala (fear and emotion) to the prefrontal cortex (logic and planning). In simple terms, your advisors don’t just give you answers; they allow you to "outsource" your cognitive load and bypass your own blind spots, making you literally smarter than you could ever be on your own.
👥 Create Your Personal Board of Advisors
A common mistake is thinking a "Board" is just a collection of mentors. As I found in my own journey, you need different people for different functions.
Aim for 3–6 people who fill these specific Archetypes:
The Challenger: The person who isn’t afraid to tell you you’re wrong. They poke holes in your logic and prevent confirmation bias.
The Confidant: A friend, spouse, or peer, going through a similar life stage or facing a similar challenge to share thoughts with. Someone you trust. Someone outside your organization, so that you can speak freely without mixed loyalties.
The Connector: The person who knows many other people. They don't just give advice; they open doors and make introductions.
The Coach: You can hire a professional coach or work with a curious friend who asks the right questions. You can even make a deal to coach each other—no formal training required. Learn about the coaching mindset HERE.
The Sponsor: (The Insider) Someone senior within your current organization who advocates for you when you aren't in the room.
The Mentor: Someone who reminds you of your values, keeping you grounded when your ego inflates or deflates. Someone who has experience walking the path you want to walk on.
The Expert: A mentor, skills coach, or teacher highly regarded in your industry who can help you improve at your job.
⚡ Quick Action: Create your own mix! Given your personality, challenges you are facing, and your 2026 goals, which 3 do you think you need the most?
Another way to think about it, with additional roles
🔍 The Recruitment Strategy
The biggest barrier to building a board is the awkwardness of the "ask." In reality, you don't need to send a formal contract, and you often don't even need to tell them they are on your "board."
Here is a 3-step approach to building these relationships:
Step 1: The "Specific" Ask (Stop "Picking Brains")
Busy people hate the phrase "Can I pick your brain?" It feels like homework. Instead, ask for specific insight that only they can provide.
Bad: "Can we get coffee? I'd love some career advice."
Good: "I’m currently navigating [Specific Challenge], and I know you handled something similar at [Company]. Could I borrow 15 minutes of your time to ask two specific questions about how you managed that transition?"
Step 2: The "Invisible" Board
You don't need to ask, "Will you be on my Board of Advisors?" That sounds like a heavy commitment. Instead, simply nurture the relationship. If you meet with someone twice a year and they give you great advice, they are on your board.
Step 3: The Follow-Up (The Secret Weapon)
Most people ask for advice, get it, and disappear. If you want to turn a one-time meeting into a long-term advisory relationship, close the loop. Send an email 30 days later:
"You suggested I do X. I did X. Here is the result. Thank you for pushing me to do that." Showing an advisor that their words led to action is the highest form of gratitude—and it’s the best way to ensure they take your call next time.
👋 Knowing When to Evolve
Your Personal Board is not a lifetime appointment.
As you pivot from a manager to an executive, or from an employee to an entrepreneur, your needs will change. For example, since I became an entrepreneur, I have a business coach and sales advisor (the best investment I made!), instead of a career mentor.
Perform an annual "Board Review." Thank those whose expertise you’ve outgrown and rotate them off (gracefully shifting them back to casual friends). Then, recruit for your next chapter.
There is an old saying: "You cannot read the label when you are inside the jar."
No matter how smart or self-aware you are, you have blind spots. There are ceilings on your growth that you cannot see because you are too close to your own struggles.
Greatness is never a solo pursuit. The most successful people aren't the ones who know everything; they are the ones who know exactly who to call when they don't.
Stop trying to be the smartest person in the room. Leadership development is about building a room that makes you smarter ✊
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