This is a job!

Many company directors will remember the passion and energy of The Who, a rock band whose key members are still writing and performing together. If you don’t remember them, you should check out some of the original recordings on YouTube.

Julie Garland-McLellan has over 20 years’ real-life boardroom experience to share

In a recent interview Pete Townshend, the guitarist, second vocalist and principle songwriter said of the band “This is a job”. He went on to say, “I’m lucky to have this job because I can be creative, I can make some difference to society”.

 Directors on unremunerated boards may be surprised to hear that sentiment applied to making music. They often talk of the difference that they are making, through their service on the board, to society. They rarely refer to this service as ‘a job’ and, sadly, sometimes don’t take it with the seriousness that is required.

Taking it seriously doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy it. Pete (I’ve loved him long enough to be on first name terms) clearly adores playing and writing music. He treats it as a professional privilege and is still embracing the innovation that underpinned his success.

Good bands don’t just happen. Neither do good boards. Training and tenacity are the hallmarks of success in sport, music, and the boardroom. Is your board taking its job seriously enough?  When did you last set out, deliberately, to learn, and then apply, something new?

Julie Garland-McLellan is a boardroom expert with a difference; she has over 20 years of real-life board experience (including chairing a listed company board) as well as the latest governance theory from leading international institutions. She is the author of six books of practical wisdom for boards and directors.

Her newsletter The Director’s Dilemma is read in 68 countries and enjoyed by directors from government-owned, commercial, and not-for-profit boards. Hire Julie to speak at your next board retreat or conference.

Julie speaks at conferences, seminars and workshops, and single board events. She loves her work and takes it seriously, she has studied governance on three continents to gain and share the best in director education.

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