Being the new kid on the block.

• Author: Mittelstaedt, Robert E., Jr.
• Position: New board directors - Advice to the Rookie Director

You have ability. You have ideas. And everyone will be watching you. Here are four areas where you should be deliberate in your actions as you join a new board.

Your family just moved to the area and enrolled you in a new elementary school. It's lunch time on your first day. On the playground you watch groups of two, three, or four kids talking and playing without you. You wonder if the kid with the hot green cat's eye marble is really that good, or if you could beat him. You see him move his marble for a better shot when the others are not looking and wonder if you should say anything. Why does everyone listen to the pushy kid about which games and positions to play? Is the girl telling everyone her answers to this morning's test really that smart? You finish lunch wondering whether you will fit in with this group. Do you belong here? How do you establish yourself?

Uncomfortable feelings about how one fits in with a new group do not go away as we get older. The games, and our roles in them, just become more sophisticated. What about the new director? Are your feelings, the norms of the already established group, and the difficulties of becoming accepted any different from when you were a kid on the playground?

As a rookie director, remember the same things your mother or father told you about coping with your new school: You have ability, you have ideas, and everyone will be watching you. In the corporate context there is a major advantage, though - you are invited to join and/or elected to the board. This means that someone has recognized your track record and believes you have something to contribute. This initial credibility makes all the difference in the world, but we often devalue it by assuming that those already present have more to contribute. They may know more about company specifics, but they may not have any more fresh ideas (some would argue less) than you do.

There are at least four areas where you should be deliberate in your actions as you join a new board: evaluating your personal risk, understanding the company, establishing relationships, and identifying priorities for your personal contributions.

Personal Risk Assessment

Lawyers, search consultants, and experienced board members (often with 20/20 hindsight) all indicate their amazement at how few new directors conduct adequate due diligence before accepting a board appointment. You want to be interested in and committed to the company, but not to the exclusion of good...