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Forming Your Own Board of Directors 121

best antidote to jangling nerves. Here’s a list of questions to help you
prep before you contact the person:

• What would you like to know from them?
• What would you like them to know about you?
• What do you have to offer them?
• What requests would you like to make?
• How formal would you like the relationship to be?
• For how long might you expect to sustain the relationship?

It also helps to play to your strengths. If you’re an introvert, you
may want to approach a person first by e-mail to introduce yourself
and explain your request. If you’re an extrovert, you might just pick
up the phone and call or go to a function where there’s a good chance
you’ll run into them. Understanding yourself and how you operate
keeps you in that zone where you can remain authentic to yourself.
Follow up: One of the best ways to show your gratitude for help
or advice is to follow up. A thank-you call or note immediately after-
ward goes without saying. But additionally, let them know how it
turned out so they know you valued their advice and followed
through on it. Beyond being polite, it makes you look professional
and thorough. And it signals to the other person that you’re interested
in still being in touch with them. Besides, people appreciate know-
ing they were helpful.

Asking for Help

Let’s talk about the sticky floor within this sticky floor: asking for
help.
It’s a challenging thing for people who view themselves as smart
and capable to have to ask for help. They don’t enjoy feeling inca-
pable or at a disadvantage or vulnerable, and needing help can infer