Senior leaders in organisations often talk about their 'personal board of advisors' — a small group of trusted individuals who give them honest perspective, challenge their assumptions, and provide specific guidance at critical career moments. Young people benefit from exactly the same resource — and the earlier it is built, the more valuable it becomes over the whole career arc.
What a Personal Board of Advisors Is (and Is Not)
A personal board of advisors is not a formal arrangement. It is not a mentoring programme, a coaching relationship, or a sponsorship. It is a small group of three to seven people — across different generations, sectors, and relationship types — who you trust to give honest perspective on your career, your development, and your decisions. They do not all need to know each other. They do not need to meet collectively. What they share is a genuine investment in your growth and the willingness to engage with your real situation rather than offer platitudes.
Who Should Be on It
A well-constructed personal advisory board typically includes: someone significantly senior who has navigated a relevant career successfully; someone peer-level who is honest and observant; someone outside your field who brings a different frame of reference; someone who knew you before your professional life and can speak to who you are beyond your performance; and possibly someone with specific technical expertise in areas you are developing. These roles may not be perfectly filled from the outset — they develop over time as relationships deepen.
The most valuable quality in an advisor is not expertise in your field — it is genuine investment in your growth, combined with the willingness to say things that are uncomfortable to hear.
How to Build and Maintain These Relationships
Good advisory relationships are almost always built through genuine connection in a shared context, not through cold requests. Alumni networks, professional events, projects and collaborations, volunteer work, and academic departments are all fertile grounds. Once a relationship exists, it is maintained through regular (if infrequent) communication, genuine updates on your development, specific questions when you need perspective, and reciprocal interest in the other person's situation. The relationship fails when it becomes transactional or one-directional.