Finding your sounding board

What’s a sounding board? To me, a sounding board is someone you respect and trust to be your consultant throughout your career and life. They are the person you can trust to be brutally honest with you even when you may not be in a place to receive it. But why is this important?

A sounding board is someone who is meant to guide you and respect, trust and honesty are qualities you need in a guide. The honesty, despite how brutal, will be what you need to hear rather than what you want to hear.

That type of honesty is hard to come by and much more useful than you can imagine.

But, where do you start?

Start with the people who know you well. Those who know the little things about you which you may forget about yourself (e.g. like the time you volunteered for a day and went above and beyond what was asked of you). For some, this may be their partner, parent, or a trusted friend. 

The important quality to look for is someone who is honest and can remain as objective as possible. 

It may take you a bit to find this person, but that’s okay. Once you’ve identified them, they will be your go-to person to run ideas, positions and opportunities by. 

Your sounding board is a key person on your side to help remind you of who you are as you go off on your career journey. They are critical to ensuring you are being true to yourself when making key decisions about your next steps. 

What’s next once you’ve found your sounding board?

This one is easy. Well, at least I hope so. Have fun and chat. Chat with your person about where you’ve been in your career and where you want to go. Chat through your key strengths, weaknesses and even ask them what they think are your shoulds and musts. If you’re at your crossroads, this person may be a key guide in helping you determine your next direction. For those who may not know if they’re at a crossroads, feel free to read my earlier blog here. 

Identifying your sounding board is a big first step in defining your career and taking the necessary steps to doing what you must do. In fact, they are a key tool to add to your toolkit which will empower you on your journey.