It's never too early to join a board!

In business school, I was taught not to be afraid of early board experience. Although I had previously served on school committees, as a student, I felt unqualified to take on the responsibilities of a board. At the Rotman School of Management, the MBA program took full measures to quell such inhibitions. Its OnBoard fellowship offered students not only didactic education, but also experiential opportunity. Each fellow was matched with an organization ranging from greenhouses to orchestras, or even the world-renowned SickKids hospital. In parallel, students are offered classes on how to engage as a member of the board. Classes ranged from topics of fiduciary duty, managing divisions of responsibility with staff, and delivering effective presentations. This accelerated student readiness during board meetings as learners engaged in discussions on leadership review, strategic planning, and fund management.What made this experience less daunting was the level of support provided to learners. A mentor was appointed from the board itself and another from the leadership staff. This way, students had ongoing access to context and advice. On the Rotman side, a mentor would work with the fellow as an external voice to provide guidance on how to navigate the dynamics of the board. The fellowship program offered early leaders a safe environment to practice governance. Its intention was to help learners put their ambition into practice. Governance roles offer a rewarding experienceI was very lucky to be matched with the board of Hemophilia Ontario where I was charged with leading the strategic planning process. Hemophilia Ontario is a non-for-profit patient advocacy group with the mandate of supporting people with inherited bleeding disorders. Its community gave me a warm welcome and I felt at ease verbalizing my thoughts to the board and staff. My participation was appreciated. My role as a learner was supported. In my year as a fellow, not only did I deliver a 3-year plan at the annual general meeting, I also developed professional relationships when engaging with pharmaceutical partners like Bayer and Novo Nordisk. After my fellowship concluded, I would be formally elected to the board of directors where I served a three-year term. This experience allowed me to further contribute towards areas of finance, compliance, and industry relations. Paying my experiences with Rotman and Hemophilia Ontario forwards, I recently joined the board of the Centre for Effective Practice, an organization equipping healthcare professionals with knowledge that helps clinicians deliver the best quality of care possible. How can pharmacists get started?Boards are always looking for talent to support their vision and mandate. Pharmacists offer healthcare leadership. Taking on a board seat is mutually beneficial. To get started, pharmacists need to seek out board opportunities within their communities. Organizations are interested in prospective members who:Care deeply about the organization’s mandateOffer skills and experience that would be otherwise difficult to obtainAre proactive in learning and contributing to the organizationAlthough business training can be helpful, a lack of management experience is not a barrier to entry. Competency is built through experience and pharmacists must take the initiative themselves to uncover the opportunities that can help get them started. These opportunities may be closer than we think. For example, pharmacy regulatory bodies and pharmacy advocacy associations routinely seek the election of pharmacist board members. Matching leaders with boards is a recognized need and there are programs that exist which support both institutions and board prospects in this regard. Non-for-profits like BoardMatch provide candidates with training and education and charities with a rich pool of eager volunteers. Lastly, pharmacy schools should consider developing experiential programs similar to the OnBoard fellowship. An early exposure to leadership can help the profession better foster its future leaders. ConclusionJoining a board offers an enriching and meaningful experience. I myself have personally found immense satisfaction in contributing towards goals larger than my own. In addition, adopting the responsibilities of a board member early on will help develop leadership competencies exponentially over the course of a career. Peter Zhang, PharmD, MBA is a hospital pharmacist at Southlake Regional Health Centre, a Senior Business Acceleration Partner at ODAIA, and a PhD Candidate at the University of Toronto’s Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy studying clinician entrepreneurship education.

It's never too early to join a board!

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