After spending his entire career with one company, financial services executive Bob Ehren began thinking about what his next chapter might look like. So, he started exploring several possibilities, including consulting, nonprofit work, fractional executive roles, and board service.
Board service quickly stood out as an exciting possibility. Bob had served on nonprofit boards and had experience working with his company’s board of directors, but he had never served on a compensated corporate board.
“I came to Navigate Forward, really a newbie in the process,” Bob says.
Finding Clarity in the Board Journey
Bob began researching how other executives prepared for board service and heard Navigate Forward’s Board Readiness program recommended by several people. After speaking with others who had completed the program and meeting with Navigate Forward, he decided to take the plunge.
Working with Navigate Forward Executive Consultant Patti O’Leary, Bob began building the foundation he needed to pursue board opportunities with intention.
“I hadn’t even prepared a resume in a really long time,” Bob says. “Patti was a great coach and really put me through the paces.”
The process included developing his resume and board bio, but the most important work went deeper. Bob and Patti worked together to identify where he could bring value to a board, what types of boards interested him, and how to communicate that value clearly.
For Bob, that distinction was important. He wasn’t interested in pursuing a board seat simply for the title, compensation, or prestige. He wanted to be intentional about where his experience could make a meaningful contribution and where he could genuinely add value.
“Really honing that marketing message was something that was a long, arduous process,” Bob says. “But Patti coached me all along the way.”
That process helped Bob better understand the intersection between his experience, his interests, and the types of boards where he could make a meaningful contribution.
“It took me all the way from the starting line to the finish line of being ready.”
Turning an Existing Network into New Opportunities
One of the biggest shifts for Bob came when Patti helped him think differently about his network.
For a self-described introvert who doesn’t naturally enjoy networking, reaching out to people about board service felt intimidating. But conversations ultimately became more than confidence-building exercises, and Bob realized he had a much stronger network than he initially thought. In fact, the first group of people Bob identified in his network led directly to two of his first compensated board opportunities.
Four Compensated Boards and a New Chapter
Since retiring, Bob has embraced board service as an important part of his next chapter. He serves on four compensated boards, including HealthPartners, Think Bank, Securian Re, and Keystone Re, in addition to his nonprofit board service.
For Bob, one of the most valuable aspects of the Navigate Forward process was learning that board service should not be approached as simply finding any available opportunity. The preparation helped him clarify what he was interested in, where his experience could add value, and where he could make a meaningful contribution before pursuing opportunities.
“I think the [up-front] prep work with regard to saying, ‘What am I interested in and why, and where am I going to add value?’ and that intersection of those two things together… is really, really important.”
That clarity meant Bob could focus his efforts on opportunities that made sense for him rather than pursuing every potential board opportunity.
“It’ll give you less interviews, but it will be a richer experience,” Bob says. “You have a better success rate of actually getting on the boards because you thought that through.”
More Than Board Preparation
Bob sees the Navigate Forward experience as more than a process for preparing executives to land a board seat. For him, it was also an opportunity for education, coaching, and self-exploration.
“I didn’t understand the world of corporate boards, and it first and foremost is a tremendous amount of education,” Bob says. “But the coaching is just invaluable.”
He also believes the process can help executives determine whether board service is actually the right next step for them. For some, the exploration may lead to board service. For others, it may reveal a different path, such as consulting, fractional leadership, or nonprofit executive work.
“Navigate Forward can really help sort that out,” Bob says.
That’s why Bob has repeatedly recommended Navigate Forward to other executives who ask about his journey.
“I’ve recommended and mentioned it many times to many people,” he says.
For Bob, the experience reinforced an important lesson about career transitions: the next chapter does not simply happen. It requires reflection, preparation, and a willingness to put in the work.
“Each journey is unique,” Bob says. “You get out what you put into the work.”
Find out whether you’re a candidate for our Board Readiness program, or contact our team directly to start a conversation today.
