4 min read · 416 Strategy
Professional expertise matters, but engagement, wisdom, network, and mission fit matter more. Here’s the problem with recruiting for credentials.
When a board needs to fill a seat, the first reflex is often professional: “We need a lawyer.” “We need an accountant.” “We need someone in marketing.” These needs are real — boards benefit from professional expertise. But recruiting for a credential before recruiting for engagement is one of the most common board-building mistakes, and it produces some of the most disappointing board members.
A lawyer who never attends meetings is not a legal advisor — they’re a name on a page. An accountant who doesn’t review the financials is not a financial steward — they’re a liability you haven’t recognized. A marketing professional who doesn’t advocate for the organization is not a communications asset — they’re a missed opportunity. Credentials without engagement give the board a false sense of coverage in areas where they actually have no one doing the work. That’s worse than having no one at all.
Recruit for engagement first, expertise second. An engaged board member with general professional skills will outperform a disengaged specialist every time — because the engaged member shows up, asks questions, opens doors, and grows into the work. The specialist who doesn’t show up contributes nothing, no matter how impressive their resume. If you can find both — deep expertise and real engagement — that’s ideal. But if you have to choose, choose engagement. You can always hire expertise. You can’t hire commitment.
If you need legal, financial, or marketing expertise, you can get it without giving away a board seat. Hire it. Trade for it. Find a pro bono professional advisor who’s willing to answer questions without governance responsibility. Recruit a board member for their engagement, wisdom, network, and mission fit — and let the professional expertise come through the front door, not the board room. Your board deserves people who actually want to be there.
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