The Institute of Directors acknowledges that to high performing Boards require a diverse set of specialist skills in addition to traditional finance and legal skills. Other skills that Boards need to govern effectively include technology, people and culture, environmental and climate change, and health and safety.
Women in Safety and Health Excellence New Zealand (WISE) supports women working in the wider health and safety profession to advance in their career development. Our more than 1200 members include women working in safety and health roles across the wider H&S disciplines.
A core focus for WISE is to support women working at a technical level into leadership and governance roles to influence improved health and safety outcomes for business. We do this through a number of ways including the HASANZ Scholarship fund, professional development opportunities, webinars and the annual Safeguard Women in Safety Conference.
Becoming Board-Ready
WISE recently held Board Ready workshops in Wellington and Auckland for women wishing to move into governance roles. The workshops included a cohort of health and safety professionals from across New Zealand and were facilitated by Jo Cribb, a professional director.
The workshops covered governance vs management and the governance skills and mindset needed to serve on Boards, how to apply for roles, interviewing for Boards and developing governance CVs.
The workshops included a panel of experienced professional directors including Sheridan Broadbent, Naomi Kemp and Fiona Ewing. The panel shared the good, bad and ugly on serving on Boards and tips on becoming Board-ready and applying for Board roles.
Hot tips from our experienced panel include:
- Reflect on the skills and experience you bring. Governance is a team sport and not a game for show ponies or lone wolves.
- Understand the business and larger governance picture, this is about much more than H&S expertise.
- Ask questions early, request clear explanations, and do the work outside meetings so you can contribute with confidence.
- Stay anchored to the role of a director: oversight, risk, performance and accountability, not operational problem-solving.
- Understand the other directors you are working with, their skills and experience. Build relationships, listen more and talk less.
- Learn from the other directors in the room. To do governance work properly you have to understand the organisation you’re working with, build relationships with the other board members and do your preparation before the board meeting.
- Get yourself a mentor who is an experienced director.
- Be realistic about the number of board roles you can hold and do them well.
- Reflect on your capability and skills and don’t be afraid to upskill where required to fill in gaps. Being a H&S professional means people make assumptions about your range and depth of knowledge.
- Stand your ground and stand by your values.
The board skill-set
Moving into governance requires different skills in addition to the H&S skills and knowledge health and safety professionals typically have. These additional skills cover:
- Executive leadership experience.
- Strategic thinking.
- Commercial business acumen and experience.
- Financial management.
- Enterprise risk management.
- Regulatory compliance.
- Business innovation.
Carrying out a skills gap assessment is a great way to identify the skills you have and the skills you might need to move into governance roles.
Building networks
Being of service is a great reason to join a Board and working in governance provides opportunities to make an impact. There are also personal benefits for those sitting on boards in addition to financial payment. You will meet other directors who are values-driven and want to make a difference, and you will learn further governance skills and meet like-minded people. Board roles provide you with an incredible opportunity to meet influential, intelligent, and well-connected individuals wanting to make a difference in governance.
If you think governance is a career option for you, join the Institute of Directors, reflect on the skills and experience you can bring to the Board table and consider other areas in which you might require professional development.
Be deliberate in the Board roles you apply for and do your homework!
Margaret van Schaik, MInstD/CFIOSH is Chair of Women in Health and Safety Excellence New Zealand.
