It had already been an exciting start to a busy week, beginning with our Rehrig Pacific Company board’s quarterly meeting to kick off an annual services gathering of about 250 associates. The board is comprised of members with extensive experience in logistics, manufacturing, services and human capital governance.
It was particularly gratifying to hear one of the senior VPs share how the feedback we provided on his presentation completely transformed his business development strategy for a new product line that had been challenging to bring to market. With a focus on human capital and workforce sustainability, it is always a joy for me to make myself available to all levels of the organization for in-the-moment mentoring and coaching in the days following the board’s adjournment.
Eventually, it was time to leave Charlotte, N.C., and head to Washington, D.C. for MLR Media’s annual The Private Company Governance Summit, to participate in the “Recruiting the Best Directors” panel with my colleagues Paula Pinto, director and chair of the nom/gov committee of Essential Ingredients Inc., and Jay Brownrigg, chair of the board of Sheboygan Paint Company. The next day, our board chair and CEO of Rehrig Pacific Company, Will Rehrig, would be part of the panel on “The Board and CEO Relationship.”
Upon check-in, I asked where my panel was scheduled to convene. Before heading to my room, I located the space to ensure I knew where I was going after a quick nap. When I stepped into the conference room, I was informed that our session had been relocated to the main ballroom due to overwhelming interest. Pleasant surprise number one!
Once we were seated and introductions were made, our panel explored how to launch a board search, identify candidate pools, conduct interviews, make selections and more. To my surprise, nearly every question Paula, Jay and I fielded touched on the role of diversity as a key factor in board recruitment. Pleasant surprise number two!
Later that evening and before the awards dinner, as I reflected on the conversation and the gracious feedback from attendees who shared how much they valued my insights, it occurred to me that despite some visible organizations stepping back from their DEI commitments, many others are at least leaning into the conversation to figure out what to do.
This revelation was both eye-opening and affirming as I continue to straddle the need to meet people where they are at on this unexpected bend in the road that I call the journey of belonging, while also discerning the best way to come alongside those courageous enough to keep making forward steps — even without a clearly marked path. For me, this is the value of The Private Company Governance Summit: it offers insightful data points that lead to informed decisions, enabling directors to exercise inclusive influence and effectively navigate cultural complexity and change.