The dos and don'ts of making your voice heard.

• Author: Calderon, Nancy E.
• Position: JOINING A NEW BOARD

Ed. Note: Nancy E. Calderon is a global lead partner at KPMG LLP and a board member of KPMG's Global Delivery Center Ltd. She is a member of the Women Corporate Directors (WCD) advisory board. Susan Schiffer Stautberg is the co-founder and co-chair of WCD, a global membership organization and community of women corporate directors. Stautberg cofounded OnBoard Bootcamps, which provides an insider's guide on how to be selected to be a corporate, private company, or advisory board director.

Congratulations! You've been elected to a corporate board and are preparing for your first meeting. You've most likely had many years of experience in the executive ranks and have met with boards or board committees in the course of your career. You may even know one or some of the other directors personally.

You've joined an elite group who has taken on the serious responsibility of effective corporate governance. To do so, you will be walking a fine line between micro-managing and delving deep enough into the company's strategy and operations to ensure it will return value to its investors.

How do you use your unique perspective and skills to help the company compete and make your voice heard without creating discord? Here are some dos and don'ts.

Be prepared

Know the company and industry: Do the basics. Come to the first meeting with a solid understanding of the company and its culture, strategy and history. Recently there's been an emphasis on individual director qualifications that may place an over-reliance on board members who are perceived as having functional expertise, obscuring the need for all directors to have a general understanding of the company.

* Spend time on the company's website. You can find a great deal of information electronically, ranging from annual reports and SEC filings to press releases and product descriptions. Use search engines to research current and past media coverage.

* Learn about the company's products and services, and understand the changes that have been made to strategy over time,

* Know the company strengths and weaknesses, and trends affecting its market competitors, including start-ups introducing niche products that could be game changers.

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This background will enable you to understand current issues, think through the right questions to ask and know where you can add value as a board member. Having this depth of knowledge will help gain you the respect of fellow board members.

Learn How...