Kamau Brown is the head of sales for Google's agency business unit, and also serves on the board at West Virginia University. He previously participated in the Authentic Leader Development program at HBS Executive Education, and was interested in returning to campus to learn more about board governance: How does it work? What are the dynamics? What's the ecosystem of pre- and post-board service? "I thought I had all that stuff locked and loaded because I'm currently on the board," he says. But at the Preparing to Be a Corporate Director program, Brown discovered that he still had much more to learn, share, and bring back to his company.
Did you have any goals going into the program? Were they met?
Absolutely. I was interested in how to have a scope perspective, how to evaluate which board to be on, how to vocalize your level of importance for the board, and, most importantly, how to determine if the chemistry and dynamics of the board works for you.
The Preparing to Be a Corporate Director program helped me to understand all these key aspects on so many different levels, in different verticals, and in different countries.
Were you looking for this program to influence your leadership in your current role or in your board experience?
Probably both. I thought that I already had most of the board experience. But then I went to class and exchanged diverse perspectives and experiences with the professors and my classmates and thought, "Wow, this is completely different from what I thought I knew."
And the other aspect of it for me, which is just as important, was bringing those learnings back to Google. It wasn't just about the board learnings themselves. It was also about the way corporate looks at boards, the way they look at certain executives, and what that profile looks like in order to bring that person on to the board.
Another impactful area was the chemistry within the room. Building the chemistry, having an open mind, listening to other people's points of view—all of that was really helpful to take back to my company.
Were there any specific instances that have influenced the way that you're a leader in your position?
Continued transparency. There were several scenarios in which the professor asked the class how they would handle challenging governance cases. I raised my hand to share an honest perspective rather than a traditionally safe answer. As a result, the group was better able to discuss the cases. That was pretty impactful for me as a learning tool, and also served as a reminder to speak candidly in my role at Google.
What was your experience like with the discussion groups?
One of the areas that was eye-opening for me was the different perspectives from folks who work in different verticals and industries—understanding and learning how they would have done things differently in other countries based on their experiences and how we do things differently in the United States.
Knowing when (and when not) to speak up was important, too. When you're working, you already know what the ecosystem is like. But when you’re in an intimate setting with only six or seven people at that table, you ask yourself: Is now the time to speak up, to bring more sensitivity to everyone's feelings, and to ensure that what you’re going to say won't be too offensive?
And last but not least are the long-lasting relationships you make during the program. As a result of another HBS Executive Education program I took earlier, I've been able to keep in contact with friends for several years now. So you keep building these strong relationships along the way while also making new connections.
What advice would you give to someone who is considering the program?
Don't wait. If the opportunity is there for you to do it, seize the moment because you learn so much. Stay open-minded. Bring what you think you know, but be open to learning and hearing other ideas and points of view from different people. That's really important because a lot of us have so many years of experience behind us, so make sure you leave space for what you don’t know!
Just be a good person. In the HBS classroom everyone is somebody. You never know who can help change your trajectory, whether financially, personally, or professionally. They helped change mine.