Talking to Directors

Guest post by: Brad Feld
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Deep Breath - By Brad Feld

On Saturday, I called a director at a company I’m on the board of to get a reality check on something that is going on. Ten minutes on the phone solved three things: (1) I was able to road test my idea with someone I respect and (2) I incorporated his feedback into my idea, and (3) we were calibrated.

While this may seem obvious, I’ve never hesitated to call another director on any issue concerning a company I am involved in. While board meetings are logical check in points, they are not the only ones and, in many cases, are not the most important ones.
I know some directors (and CEOs) who are uncomfortable talking with other directors outside the context of board meetings. I’ve never understood this. Pascal Levensohn has a nice post up about this titled Don't Assume That You Have Consensus on Your Board-- Make Sure You Do. His simple message is “communicate.”

Reflecting on it, my hierarchy of daily communication is Amy, my partners, CEOs of companies I’m an investor in, and then directors / co-investors of companies I’m an investor in. Ok – I suppose my mom is in there somewhere also.

Read this article in Brad's blog.

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Free PDF Download
Deep Breath - By Brad Feld

About the Author: Brad Feld

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Brad Feld is currently a Managing Director at Mobius Venture Capital and has been with the firm since 1996. Prior to Mobius, Brad founded Feld Technologies, which was sold to AmeriData Technologies in 1993, where he became Chief Technology Officer. Brad currently serves on the boards of a number of private companies, including Atreus, Comergent, ePartners, FeedBurner, Gold Systems, Judy's Book, Klocwork, NewsGator, Quova, Rally Software, and StillSecure. In addition, he is on the board of The National Center for Women & Information Technology, The Community Foundation Serving Boulder County, and The Colorado Conservation Trust. Brad has previously been a member of the board of directors of the Young Entrepreneurs Organization and founded the Boston and Colorado chapters. He holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Management Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
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