You’re Fired! Ushering out the dysfunctional Board of Directors in Your Head

One of my guilty pleasures back in the early days of reality TV was a show called The Apprentice. At the time, I was working in theatre, so boardroom politics couldn’t have been farther removed from my world. But there was something mesmerizing about how The Apprentice candidates would duke it out each week to win the favour of Donald Trump – or else end up ushered off the show with an unceremonious, “You’re Fired!” (For those who have never seen Trump in action, here is a You’re Fired medley for your viewing pleasure).

Let’s be clear: I am not particularly a fan of Mr. Trump’s circus antics, nor do I condone his ruthless on-air leadership approach or more recent political posturing. The intentional humiliation of others is not on my agenda. On the other hand, when it comes to the Board of Directors in Your Head, Trump is definitely on to something.

Giving a face to the thought reel of your mind

I first heard about the Board of Directors in Your Head some years back at a presentation by a personal leadership expert during a work conference. The practice consists of consciously picturing the chorus of voices running through your mind as a Board of Directors: giving each of them a clear face, name and voice.

If you were to nominate representatives to sit on your very own Board — the guiding decision-making body of your life — whose advice would you seek? Like any good Board, this group should include people with a diverse array of skills and experiences. Each contributor brings his or her point of view to the table. While they don’t always agree, as a group they bring you a balanced perspective and healthy dose of mutual respect to inspire good decision-making. All of this is done, of course, with the best interests of your organization – that is, You – at heart.

A cast of shady characters

As I did this exercise, it quickly became clear that my own Board of Directors was a rather dysfunctional lot. Rather than work for the benefit of Me Incorporated, each representative was working in his or her self-interest. This cast of shady characters included:

• Mr. Doomsday Mentor: Always the first to reject a new proposal, citing 100 reasons why it will fail without offering any potential alternatives
• Mrs. Psycho Executive: The organization’s very own in-house terrorist, poisoning the workforce with looming threats in a backward attempt to inspire commitment and high performance, all the while signing employee notice slips by the dozen
• Mr. Passive Aggressive Wannabe Leader: Consistently finds a way to thwart creative collaboration in order to bolster his personal position, sabotaging any idea that will not further his own pursuits — or else stealing the idea to present as his own
• Ms. Self-Absorbed Neurotic: Sucks the energy out of everyone around her in perpetual drama over the little stuff
• Ms. Big Bully: Relentlessly proffers harmful criticism with the intention of destroying others’ self-esteem in order to secure her position

This all-powerful group – a product of my life experiences, for better or worse – was disrupting Me Inc. from achieving my full potential: decision-making on important projects had stalled, innovation was thwarted from the early stages of development, and, ultimately, the primary shareholders (myself, my family and friends) were losing their investment value; namely, my trademark sparkling energy and zest for life.

Personal leadership lessons from TV

With this in mind, I decided to take matters into my own hands — in true Trump style — and get rid of this dysfunctional Board of Directors. I showed the door to these destructive voices and consciously nominated an all-new Board of inspirational, encouraging and kind-hearted supporters. (While I was at it, I replaced a few nagging real-life voices as well.)

Although the members of this new Board are a mostly positive bunch, they certainly don’t shy away from constructive criticism. In fact, they’re the first to tell it like it is. The main difference is that they do so with compassion and my best interests at heart: their goal is to bring out the best in Me Inc.

(Feature photo: Dave Meier / picography)