Create a personal board of directors

Well, this goal is not stalled because of me. The artist says she is eager to work on it but has been having numerous issues that have prevented her from working on it. I guess I’m going to send her a final reminder and then move on to someone else to finish this project. I first contacted her back in October of last year.

I am not sure where to start but this is a great goal. I love the idea.

I collected a number of pictures of my board members and I am actually only missing one picture. I sent Alex a note to see if she could send me a photo. I then photoshopped the pictures together on top of a picture of a board meeting. I have been looking through Etsy and I found someone I would like to ask to take the photoshop image and make a pencil drawing out of it. I think it will be really cool when it’s done!

I have been debating exactly how many members should be on my Personal Board of Directors. Frannie thought, “12 plus you…a baker’s dozen.” However, I plan to use the board when I am having trouble making a decision. For that reason, I am looking for an odd number of members so there can never be a tie unless someone abstains or Isaac is napping. I’m satisfied with the 11 members I have already proposed so I think I will stop there. I’m a little disappointed that there is only one woman on the board but I had a hard time coming up with a woman I felt comfortable with and who would give me a unique perspective on a problem…and anyway, I’m sure my wife will already be giving me her opinion. ;)

The eleventh person that I would like to put on my Personal Board of Directors is my cousin Mark. Mark is approximately 13 years older than me and I have always looked up to him. He has an incredible entrepreneurial spirit and isn’t afraid to take risks. He has a lot of diverse interests and always puts a lot of energy into what he does. He is currently a lawyer and taking classes towards a seminary degree. He has a really cool house in the panhandle of Florida so hopefully the hurricanes will leave him alone.

The tenth person I would like to put on my Personal Board of Directors is a past-student of mine, J. Alex Hooper. She is a non-traditional student who went back for her education but she was one of my favorite students over the past seven years. She always had great insights, great enthusiasm and worked hard to include her classmates and get them to be the best that they could be. She has incredible interpersonal skills that I wish I could learn.

The ninth person I would like to add to my Personal Board of Directors isn’t actually a person. Don’t laugh, but I’d like to add one of my cats, Isaac. I frequently wonder exactly what he’s thinking but many times you can tell he disapproves. As long as the meetings weren’t during one of his naps I think he could add an interesting perspective to any decision.

The eighth person I would like to add to my Personal Board of Directors is Martin Luther. Charles Dodgson will already be providing some religious advice but who better as a spiritual advisor then Luther?

The seventh person that I would like to add to my Personal Board of Directors is actually fictional. I would like to add Juror #8 from Twelve Angry Men (1957) played by Henry Fonda. For those of you who haven’t seen the original version, it is a must-see. I have shown it many times in my Group Dynamics Classes and I always enjoy it. Juror #8 plays the devil’s advocate on a jury that votes 11 guilty and 1 not-guilty. Through careful questioning, analyzing and not jumping to conclusions, Juror #8 is able to make everyone discuss the facts, check their perceptions and prejudices and not make the “easy” decision. I definitely need someone like this on the board, when all of the members agree on a decision it is helpful to have one brave person who will stand up against everyone else and ensure that a sufficient discussion is had.

The sixth person that I would like on my Personal Board of Directors is my great Aunt Eleanor. Both of my mother’s parents passed away before I was born. However, I got to spend a lot of time with my grandfather’s sister, Eleanor. She came over to the US from Germany at age 13 and lived in Buffalo, NY until her mid 90’s. She was like a grandmother to me and was a great role model. She had great stories and experiences to share. I also hope I’m as sharp as she was in her 90’s.