With a bit of a professional track-record, you start to hear the sirens.
They beckon you away from productive activities to endless cyclones of time-eating flimflam, using flattery and honorifics as bait.
Beware.
Sitting on boards, being an advisor, a mentor, a presenter, a panelist, a contributor, or an ill-defined partner are usually euphemisms for giving away your energy for a bit of pretend importance.
It’s not that you can’t or shouldn’t help others or have a range of activities you’re involved in. That is a good way to invest in yourself and build social capital. But when it comes seeking you, and especially when it comes with a formal title, it’s usually a trap.
The universe has taken notice of you. You’ve created enough value to have a budding reputation. Energy-hungry vampires can smell it. When they see a rising star, increasing its output, they will seek to siphon off some of that energy by offering you nothing in return. The nothing will be disguised as something important and appeal to your vanity and the schooled-in absurdity of resume padding.
Business relationships should be clear, not open-ended. You pay X to get Y. You get paid Y to provide X.
Non-business relationships should be fluid, not formal. You don’t need a board seat to bounce ideas around with your friends.
Highly formal yet unclear relationships are the most likely to eat your time and parts of your soul as you innocently and excitedly give it a shot to see if some unknown good might come of it.
Early in your career, when your value creation potential is limited as your reputation, it’s a good idea to take as many new opportunities as you can to learn what’s what. But by mid-career, you have found some higher-leverage activities and know how to create some value. You’re beyond open-ended exploration mode. You’ve flipped from, “Unless you hate it, say yes” to “Unless you love it, say no”.
The more titles and official roles you carry around at this stage, the more you signal to clear-thinking people that you’re wasting time and chasing clout.
Don’t say I didn’t warn you.