Mentoring: A safe harbour

For directors in the early stages of a board role, navigating the culture of the board can be challenging, That doesn’t mean you should sit back and bite your tongue. The trick is understanding the right time to contribute. 

Confidence is key, according to independent director and governance advisor Kim Wallace CMInstD. For the past two years she has been a mentor on the Institute of Directors’ (IoD) Mentoring for Diversity Programme.   

Acting as a mentor has been her way of paying it forward – helping new and emerging directors develop their practice – importantly, so they avoid the pitfalls she experienced in the early stages of her governance career.

“I worked in the dairy industry for 24 years and during my career progression experienced the glass ceiling a number of times but successfully smashed through it,” she says. 

Her mentees are asked to bring ‘tangible’ experiences to the table and Wallace helps to troubleshoot issues and concerns. 

“That's the whole purpose of a mentor – you want to have them engaged in informing their mentoring work plan and their governance mindset. If there's something missing, I'll inject it,” she says.  

One of the most common themes is a surprising one – a lack of confidence – most common for those with observer or associate director roles. 

“You’re not expected to know it all as an associate . . . and none of us are perfect, so it’s making sure they’re sitting in that sweet spot applying their experience and knowledge while learning,” Wallace says.

Understanding the difference between the operational versus the stewardship of an organisation also requires closer inspection, especially with many directors transitioning from executive roles to governance, where they need to focus on strategy, holding to account, compliance and culture. 

“We often have quite in-depth conversations about the difference between how we operate, how we participate and how we contribute to different board roles,” she says. 

Another common theme tends to be difficulty with differences in board culture. For new directors, it can create confusion. 

But Wallace sees herself as ‘a safe harbour’ assisting her mentees to think about the size, scale of the risk and the opportunity within their roles. This requires continuous reflection of what their contribution looks like at the board in terms of impact, and ensuring they understand their unique value proposition and role.  

“That's the whole beauty of having a safe harbour with a mentor . . . so we have some key objectives and a one-page performance development plan (PDP) – our source of truth at every meeting. We talk about where we are today, what good looks like and what it takes to get there,” Wallace says.  

Clare Swallow CMInstD was mentored by Kim Wallace in 2024 and describes the performance development plan as ‘a great anchor’ to focus the sessions. 

“Kim was really good at pulling me back to say, ‘Are we having the right conversations that are going to enable you to get closer to that?’”

The main sticking points for Swallow were around capability – to be the best director she can be – along with the confidence to find her voice, particularly as a chair, while enabling others to find theirs. 

Thinking about the future and her next steps have also been front of mind for Swallow. She found herself trying to figure out what that looks like, and how to get there. Finding clarity through the programme has helped her to understand ‘the how’ part of the equation is about focusing on the day-to-day of being on a board and on the issues at hand. 

“It was an amazing outcome to have someone to bounce ideas off and talk about your practice and those big issues where you think your observation isn't serving you well,” Swallow says. 

Chairing subcommittees, and as a deputy, required Swallow to have challenging conversations. Her mentor encouraged her to be braver in this area. A consultant by day, Swallow moves in and out of different organisations and is comfortable being direct. But in a board context with longer-term relationships, she felt constrained and overly cautious about the right approach to take. 

“Kim talked a lot about preparation and how that enables you to have the right conversations – and be ready for them – so I’ve grown in confidence to have challenging conversations earlier and I don't shy away from them now. That’s probably one of my biggest takeaways of the whole programme,” says Swallow. 

Find out more about the Mentoring for Diversity programme here.