#36 Why I Say Yes to Boards, and Why You Should Too
“Congratulations on your new assignment! I’m curious… A third board? Why? What is it about board work that interests you so much?”
I got the question last week after posting about the latest board I decided to join. It’s a fair question. And one I’ve asked myself more than once.
If you’ve ever wondered whether board work might be something for you, especially if you come from a background in UX, CX, or service design, this might be worth reading.
So why do I keep saying yes?
In addition to the company I currently lead, Ambition, I currently serve on the boards of three organizations I’ve chosen to be part of.
TouchTech, a SaaS platform helping the fashion industry focus less on repetitive admin and more on the customer experience.
Vizcon, which supports construction companies, merchants, and suppliers with a platform that improve both satisfaction and profitability.
And most recently, the Halland division of The Swedish Academy of Board Directors (Styrelseakademien), where the focus is on professionalizing board work across the region.
It’s a lot. My calendar is already full.
So why do I keep saying yes?
For me, it comes down to three things: conversations, curiosity, and contribution.
Conversations
I’ve always been drawn to good conversations. The kind where you build on each other’s ideas, and where people really listen. Not just to reply, but to understand.
Board work offers that. In these settings, I get to sit down with people who care deeply about what they’re building. Founders, CEOs, domain experts, other board members. People who are thoughtful, experienced, and often driven by something more than just numbers.
There’s something extremely energizing about that. Being around really smart people who are trying to create something better, even when the path is uncertain, brings out the best in me.
Curiosity
I’ve never stopped wanting to learn. And board work gives me an opportunity to keep growing.
Each boardroom brings its own mix of challenges and knowledge. I’ve learned more about finance, law, logistics, macroeconomic trends, and other topics that are not my focus in these rooms than I ever could have in a classroom. Just by listening. Asking. Participating.
Other aspects remind me of what first drew me to UX and service design. The research. I used to spend hundreds of hours with air traffic controllers, sales clerks, soldiers, chemists, farmers, and consumers of all sorts. Not just to understand their tasks, but to understand them. Their needs and desires. What made their everyday work (or lives) meaningful. What got in their way.
For boards to be effective, they need a solid understanding of the customers they serve. They also need the right KPI framework and leading indicators to help the organization steer toward long-term value for both customers and business. And this is where we get to the part about contribution.
Contribution
The great conversations and the learning is a large portion of the reward. But, of course, you also need to bring something real to the table.
For me, that contribution comes from two places. First, I’ve spent most of my career working at the intersection of customer experience, product development, and strategy. And second, I’ve built companies together with others. I’ve started businesses, helped them grow, and led teams through both smooth and challenging times. I've also sold a company along the way.
That combination is part of why I’m asked to join boards. It’s not just about what I know. It’s about what I’ve done. I don’t say that to brag, but to be clear. Experience matters. And it comes in many forms.
If you’ve been in CX or UX for a while, and you’ve helped shape not just products, but the businesses around them, then you probably have more to offer than you might think. Especially in startup and scaleup environments, where companies are navigating complexity, growth, and constant change.
Boards need people who understand customers. But they also need people who know how to turn that understanding into business outcomes. People who know which metrics matter. People who can see how a shift in customer behavior today might affect revenue, retention, or reputation in the near future.
Too often, those voices are missing in the boardroom.
I’d like to see that change.
You Belong in Boardrooms
If you are working in UX, CX, or service design, and you’ve been doing it for a while, I want to say this clearly: You may be more board-ready than you think.
You might not have built and sold a company. You might not see yourself as a businessperson first. But if you’ve been helping companies grow by understanding people, shaping strategy, and creating real value, then that is a perspective most boards do not have enough of.
The path to a board seat isn’t always obvious. What matters most is whether you can offer insight, ask the right questions, and help leadership stay focused on what truly drives value.
So if the opportunity comes your way, or if you are considering putting yourself forward, don’t dismiss it.
I’d love to see more of us there.