What Directors Think 2020<\/a>, the majority of current board seats are filled with people already known by one or more current directors. Network bias can work against diversification, as we naturally gravitate toward people who are similar. The antidote is for directors to deliberately and strategically expand beyond known networks and to include people who are different both from them and from each other. Enlisting others from outside the board can add to the effectiveness. But change starts by recognizing that the perceived lack of diversity among board-ready candidates may be as much about the limitations of one\u2019s network as anything else. Says Shellye Archambeau, a director of several companies, including Nordstrom and Verizon: \u201cThere are lots of people out there. If you fish in the same pool, you\u2019re going to catch the same fish.\u201d<\/p>"},{"title":"Build the Pipeline for Others","body":"It\u2019s impossible to discuss board diversity without also talking about diversity in management and in the employee base. Directors who are also working executives also bear significant responsibility for helping to develop a group of diverse leaders in their own<\/span> companies. If they do so, that pipeline will create a group of people who could become directors elsewhere. There is an additional responsibility for directors, whose job is in part to provide advice and guidance to the company\u2019s top management team: They must hold the CEO accountable to prioritize diversity and inclusion inside the company\u2014and to assess the CEO in part on his or her own personal commitment to change. Having diversity in a leadership team can lead to inefficiency and sometimes to conflict; it\u2019s not an easy thing to embrace, particularly in these very fraught times. But if the directors hold their CEOs to the same standards they hold themselves, change will come quickly.\n <\/p>"},{"title":"Ride the Wave","body":"In times of great change, one\u2019s natural inclination might be to play it safe, defaulting to those we know and trust. This also can happen in the boardroom, as people default to those with more experience rather than less in times of volatility. But it is precisely when there is change that a more diverse set of perspectives and skills is most needed. This is also true with a new or reconstituted board, which is another period of flux. Says Shellye Archambeau: \u201cThe best time to build a diverse board is in the beginning, because in the beginning you need all the skills.\u201d From crisis\u2014or from uncertainty\u2014comes opportunity. Whatever shifts your company is facing, take advantage of the moment to gain as many new perspectives as possible.<\/p>"}]">
