As the media attention starts to shift to France for the Summer Olympic Games in Paris, I am reminded of Casablanca, a well-known Hollywood film. Toward the end of the film, the male protagonist reminds his lover, as she departs to start a new life, that they will always have the memory of their time together in Paris. These words have become iconic and representative of the notion that you are enriched through the experience of a process and your memory of it.
The film is intriguing on several levels. The producers rushed it through production in 1942 in order to coincide its cinematic release with the Allied invasion of Axis-controlled North Africa during the Second World War. Directed by Michael Curtiz, who was himself born in Budapest, the story is one of internationalisation and therefore 50 years ahead of its time in conception. To escape Nazi-controlled Europe, families travelled to Casablanca to secure passage to America. To succeed, they had to speak English, have the correct letters of transit, and have enough money to pay for the passage. Communication and negotiation skills, confidence and perhaps some luck was the difference between success and failure.
Many of these traits are applicable to success in a career in governance in the 2020s. Multinational corporations exert influence over our lives no matter where we live, and it would be naive to attribute this to the internet age. The Dutch East India Company is considered the world’s first multinational corporation and it was established in the seventeenth century. Four centuries later, we have mobile phones that can translate most languages and we are able to watch instructional tutorials on anything from negotiating to investing. The differentiator is experience: Putting the skills that we acquire to use and doing so in context.
Aspirant directors face the same conundrum as graduates seeking their first job: You need to have some experience to be considered for a position. This experience comes from the opportunity to act in a role as well as in an environment in which it is okay to makes mistakes in order to learn. As an aspirant governor, it is incumbent on you to gain this experience and not use the lack of obvious opportunities as an excuse for not having it. Membership of organisations that benchmark themselves against international best practice is sensible. Multinational corporations are not limited in production or customers to any single country. We operate in a global market in both skills and commodities. To ensure relevance in this market, we must ensure that we expose ourselves to opportunities that enable us to internationalise our skills.
While there are universal skills that enable us to translate our professional skill into being effective governors, “soft skills” such as active listening, mediation and effective conflict resolution will often have the most significant impact. Consider qualities such as being on time and courteous in all interactions with colleagues, ensuring that one is adequately prepared for a meeting and that questions to be asked are not self-evident in the material that has already been supplied. Professional and personal integrity, and ease of clear and transparent communication on all topics also support effectiveness. Most importantly, an aspirant governor is acutely aware of their duties and to whom they are owed so that there is never a conflict of interest.
There is no such thing as “bad” experience. All experiences and situations provide the opportunity to learn and to grow, starting with a governance role in a local community forum, school, or charity. In order to ensure that skills are internationally applicable, practice and gain as much experience as possible. Enable yourself to look back on your career and think “We will always have Paris”.
