You don’t seek advice from just anyone. You consult with people who know you, understand your issues, and have some experience with similar issues.
In early March of this year, Hispanic Executive hosted an event in San Diego, bringing together outstanding young professionals in the area. We invited our January/February 2017 cover star, Maribel Hines, to speak to the group about career development. She had this memorable advice for us: “It’s crucial to surround yourself with trusted stakeholders who will take an active interest in your success.” Hines was referring to a personal board of directors, which should include people with diverse thought processes and experiences, but who all know and care about you.
Raquel Tamez, featured for the third time in Hispanic Executive, is in a new phase of her career, and she seconds Hines’s sentiments. “These are folks who will take my call no matter what they’re doing,” Tamez says.
After you consider who you would like to have on the board of directors of You Inc., put yourself in the shoes of the CEO of a Fortune 500 enterprise. Your board is there to guide and steer the company into the unknown. They are your trusted counsel, who will bring their knowledge and experiences to the table to find the best course of action for your company.
While leadership experience and compliance expertise are certainly traits to look for, diversity in the boardroom is of top importance. You need people who can consider the impact of corporate decisions from the perspective of your diverse customers. As painfully obvious as that sounds, still only about 3 percent of board directors in corporate America are Hispanic.
Our annual Best of the Boardroom turns the spotlight on those Hispanic leaders who are corporate board directors now—and in its fifth iteration, our biggest group of board directors ever. And Hispanic Executive, issue after issue, turns the spotlight on Latino leaders qualified to turn that dial, and increase Latino participation in the boardroom. Part of our aim is to be a resource for the business arena on where to find top Hispanic leadership.
