Post by E.L.F. BEAUTY

Being qualified for a position is the baseline, being selected is the result of strategy, positioning and proximity.📍 That's the gap Deepali Vyas, Executive Recruiter, has spent a career closing, inside the rooms where selections take place and before most candidates even know there's a search. What really happens in board selection starts upstream, with retained and boutique firms focused on succession and governance.  Names are gathered long before a brief goes wide. Longlists lean on known quantities and trusted referrals. Credibility is pre-vetted, not crowdsourced. And sitting directors quietly influence composition well ahead of any formal process. If they already know you, you're already ahead. The hardest part for most strong leaders isn't skill. It's visibility. And visibility alone isn't enough. Recognition without relevance won't convert. Broad networking wastes time, while proximity, can change the game.  Deepali's advice is specific.  🗺️ First, map the market. Identify the firms and partners who actually run governance and CEO succession assignments, and build context before you make contact.  🧱Second, build with directors. Prioritize relationships with sitting directors in your domain, add value, build trust, and stay top of mind.  🤖Third, trade asks for assets. Publish, speak, and ship proof of impact in the areas boards hire for: audit committee readiness, cyber, AI risk, transformation, go-to-market.  Make your expertise legible. Change the Board Game is e.l.f. Beauty's commitment to expanding access to corporate boardrooms by expanding access and accelerating pathways for the next generation of leaders. Transparency isn't just a tagline. It's a lever. When more candidates know where to show up and how to be seen for the right reasons, outcomes get more equitable. "Women’s representation on Russell 3000 company boards is slipping,” a recent analysis by Equilar and 50/50 Women on Boards showed. Further proving why Change the Board Game is more important now than ever.  Don't ask for a seat. Become the obvious choice when one appears. The work is positioning, proximity, and proof, repeated until your name lives on the longlist before the search is public. 👀 Read Part 3 with Deepali Vyas for the full breakdown and a step-by-step on turning credibility into consideration:    https://lnkd.in/ehrihkZU