Nine True Lines for Board Members

My grandmother used to call them “dichos”, that is sayings that you use to teach your children. The most famous “dicho” of all is no doubt the Golden Rule, to do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

The sad truth is that, as a board member, you will often find that people will do unto you things it never would have crossed your mind to have done unto them. It can be a tough world out there. Here are some proverbs that you might want to repeat to yourself often as a board member.

1. You can’t please everybody. No matter what you do, how hard working you are, some people will be unhappy with you. We want everyone to love us, or at least like us, or at the very least not hate us. Aint gonna happen. Deal with it.

2. I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.
Bill Cosby

Not only can you not please everybody, you shouldn’t even try.

{Check out this blog on seven reasons why trying to please everyone ends in failure. }

3. You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it. — Margaret Thatcher

I used to think that the most important virtues were courage and honesty. The longer I have been a board member, the more I am convinced of the need for perseverance. Maybe Dr. Longie is right in this podcast, maybe the most important virtue depends on the situation.