Appletree Answering Service

I just returned from an industry trade association board meeting.  On the flight home I found myself wondering about the value in serving on voluntary boards, both within your industry and for charity.  Many successful CEO’s spend at least some time in voluntary service roles, and I was examining the value of that activity. 

It was never something that I actively examined, so it made for some interesting thought time.  I truly feel that all of my board involvement has furthered my career and my company, but not in the ways you would traditionally think.  It has not really been about networking and connections, although they have certainly helped.  I think the real value for me has been in the underlying exercise of solving strategic challenges for other organizations.  We become so focused on the day to day interactions and challenges in our own companies that we can lose sight of the bigger picture.  The ability to step into another role and work on different problems, is very energizing. 

There is a fine line with volunteer time, and board negativity can really suck the energy out of you, but overall I think it is a valuable and worthwhile endeavor!

Have a great week!