Securing a Board Seat: What You Need to Do (and Know) Beforehand with Jocelyn Moore

22:11So Roberta then says, and it's always just like Linda said with the attorney, Roberta then says, I understand this may not be a good opportunity, but I'm going to connect you with my friend, Alana Wolfe. Do you know who Alana Wolfe is? No. And I'm going to give her her flowers, one of my favorite people. Alana is at Goldman Sachs. She is the person that leads their effort, and they announced this in 2020, to diversify all the boards of their portfolio companies to make sure they had at least one woman, but also go far beyond that. So this is Alana. So I get a call. Again, I don't know Roberta.

22:43I don't know Alana. But Roberta sets me up with Alana. So I have this call with Alana. And you know me. I'm like, oh, it was a great call. She was amazing. I love talking to her. I don't think anything of it, right? Alana is a woman of her word. Again, doesn't know me from Adam. Three weeks later, three to four weeks later, I get a call from her and she says, Jocelyn, I don't know if you've heard of this company called DraftKings, but would you be interested in serving on their board? And so I kind of laughed and I was like, Alana, is this a joke? I was like, of course I know DraftKings. I sat across the table from their CEO when I was at the league and I know him.

23:19And she's like, oh, well, they have this amazing board opportunity and we're going to put your name for it. We think it would be great. And so the rest is history. I'm on that board. It's the first board I joined. I've been on for over three years. It is by far one of the best experiences of my life being on that board. Okay, so can I ask a small detail? Of course, yes. When you transitioned from the Hill, you met with a lawyer to help negotiate. When you first sat on your board, were you going back and seeking legal counsel? Yes. Okay. Yes. So my lawyer, his name is Bill Reynolds. I'm going to give him a shout out too.

23:55He negotiates all of my contracts. He sees everything, anything that I'm signing, anything that I'm negotiating, he sees all of it. And is that, you know, he's really the right hand that helps me make sure that I'm, you know, getting my value. Okay. And it's reflected in everything I do. But yes, for a board contract, let me tell you something about boards. So this is where I'm going to get really real with the audience. Oh, please. Oh my goodness. You have to be prepared, not just with a lawyer. you have to be prepared with an accountant because one of the things I learned serving on boards, now keep in mind, my parents both served in the government.

24:26My mom retired after 20 years. My dad worked a little bit longer than that. We don't live in an age where we can retire after 20 years, right? But I didn't know about boards. I had very little information going into serving on DraftKings. But thankfully, DraftKings has a really good collegial infrastructure. So my fellow board members have been great. and I ask questions and I get the information and I'm not shy. You may have picked that up. So I get information that I need, but my attorney was instrumental because what I didn't know, when you get equity shares in a company and they vest, man, that tax bill is quite a surprise.

25:04So my accounting team helped me figure it. There are so many different things that you have to know. And having been on the finance committee, I didn't know any of it. And I felt, I was like, how do I not know this? So I learned it along the way. And so now I know all the things that you have to do from a accounting perspective, a tax perspective, a good governance perspective as a board member, what type of insurance you have to have, all of that, because I have a great accountant and a great attorney. So you are sitting on the board of DraftKings. Does this start opening other doors for you?

25:40And so this is where I really want to start honing in on this idea of sitting on a board, creating networks, because even if my goals or ambitions don't map exactly to that, I can create a microcosm in different levels of community to do the same thing. So I just want to look at the overall model. What are you doing? What information do you know? Who are you reaching out to? So we can start duplicating that. The overall model is, you know, every relationship is meaningful, right? And you never know when a conversation that you had a year ago, a week ago, two minutes ago, even this conversation that you and I have, it's because of the relationship I have with Susan, right?

26:17Right. And that you have with Susan, she's brought us together and we're going to create even more networking and opportunities for women. So I would say to the audience, no matter where you are, what community, what industry you are in, relationships, right? Don't let any relationship, don't leave it to chance, right? Take those opportunities. I am constantly meeting people and it can be someone. So my brother told me this story. This is a good story. He just told me this yesterday. So my sister was in Chile. She was there working. And my brother and sister speak Portuguese and Spanish, me English only, because I took Latin and do well on the SAT.

26:55Go figure. Not a smart move, but over the short term. I think you're doing okay, honey. I think you're doing okay. Just keep Latin, baby. Well, I needed to do well on the SAT. So those two, Portuguese and Spanish. So she was in Chile. He had to go over and meet her there. And so when he went over, they met this young man, like for, it was like 10 minutes. They met this guy for 10 minutes, like, and they were, you know, connections. Last week, this young man, so he's moved to Atlanta. He moved to Atlanta at some point at the end of last year. And he's Chilean? He's Chilean. Okay. Moved to Atlanta.

27:27My brother's a pastor. He shows up at my brother's church and they have, my brother's like, oh my gosh, wait, Like, I remember you, we met for 10 minutes. 10 minutes. So the young man is now, he's flipping houses, doing all this stuff, but now is going to likely join my brother's church and they're back in connection. 10 minutes. 10 minutes. This young man, moved to Atlanta, doesn't have family in Atlanta. We will be his surrogate family because of that 10-minute meeting, right? So it doesn't matter. Do not leave any relationship. It could be one minute, two minute, 10 minutes. and you never know when that person is going to either come back into your orbit, advocate on your behalf, be your sponsor.

28:10You just never know. And so the relationships that we have, big, small, everything in between, they all matter. I love this. So on the note of relationships, you're on the board at DraftKings. How do you start getting on the other boards? Oh my goodness. So, well, multiple opportunities. The other board was... Oh, I'm sorry, but real quick. Yes. You're getting on other boards and you're also starting your own business. Yes. Okay, so then can you now share the story? Because girl, last night I was on this roller coaster. I was like, so she must never sleep. She's part vampire. I do sleep. And you have two amazing dogs.

28:44I do. And you have beautiful homes. And so I want to make sure that we're making sure that we're also incorporating the fact that it's not just board life. This is business life and this is your life. So right now in this story, this is where I really want to go a little bit deeper. Yeah. So from DraftKings, now let's open up this new chapter. Yeah. So the consulting, that was really just an outward expression of what I've always been doing, like starting my own business. But I've always been a people, I don't know if you call it people whisperer, but certainly a strategist and advisor. So if you think about the work in the Senate, advising senators on how to get legislation done, how to cut deals and all of that.

29:22So it's just, it's always what I've done. And now I have a business doing it, but that's not my only business. So I do lots of things. And my goal is to follow my passion. So real estate is another passion. I don't just have a bunch of, or I don't have real estate for the fun of it. It is a passion project, but it's also how you can build generational wealth. My mom was a realtor on the side. So my mom, I learned very early on to have a side hustle. So she worked for the government. She was also a realtor. She was an accountant with the government, but she did all these other things. So I could see, you know, she modeled for me some of the things that I do in my life.

29:56So So yes, I'm in the real estate space. I'm a producer. I produced a Broadway play with my producing partner. And that's a relationship that came about because I'm on the board of DraftKings. So that was an introduction. We met at a dinner randomly. We had a conversation about our shared love of the arts. He calls me months later and says, I remember that conversation. His name is Scott Delman. I'm going to give him his flowers as well. One of my favorite people. Girl, you better be having some gardening in the back. I am. I am. I love it. I love it. I love it. But these are all extraordinary people.

30:30They've been part of my story and I just love them so much. And Scott calls. He was in London. And he calls and he's like, so I remember our conversation. I have this opportunity. I'm going to invest in a play called The Piano Lesson. Samuel L. Jackson originated it on Broadway 30 years ago. He's coming back. And I was wondering if you'd be willing to be my producing partner. And I'm like, wait, what? Is that even a question? This is like the DraftKings question. Is that even a question? Yes, is the answer. And he taught me the ropes. So the other thing I would say to the audience, in everything, I'm constantly learning.

31:06I'm constantly learning. So there is nothing that I do where I'm not learning something, taking some lesson from it and applying it to my life in some way. DraftKings, I mean, you have, as I said, the titans of industry that sit on that board and I've been able to sit and listen and hear how they think about things, how they approach business, some of the opportunities that they participate in. And it's opened up a huge new world for me that I otherwise would not have accessed. And I would say I'm on the board of Omaze because the CEO of DraftKings recommended me for that board. So that's how that opportunity, and again, not a guarantee, I still have to go in and interview and convince them that I'm a good fit.

31:49But that recommendation, it meant something. pretty significant when one CEO says to another, hey, Jocelyn's on our board and has done a terrific job. We think she'd be great for your board because you too are in an entertainment and media, highly regulated space. And so that's how that opportunity came about. So it sounds like boards are created by way of recommendation. Are there any people who lobby to get on boards or Jocelyn to get on boards? Yes. So boards are created several ways. So there are search firms, executive search firms that really find people for boards. So boards will hire those firms to find people for them.

32:23But the most likely pathway to getting on a board are the networks and the relationships, which is why we have to make sure that networks are broader, that they're more inclusive because I didn't go to Harvard. I didn't go to Princeton. I went to the University of Florida. And again, go Gators. And we have an amazing network. But sometimes these are closed loop systems, right? And we really have to work to open them. And I'll say the CEO of DraftKings, Jason Robbins, has been a leader in the space. So when I joined the board of DraftKings, Valerie Mosley, another black woman, also joined at the same time, which is unheard of really, right?

32:58We're still in an era where you may have a woman, definitely unlikely to be a woman of color. You certainly don't have two women. We have three women on the board of DraftKings. Marnie Walden is also on our board. So I feel like we are in a space that is leading and will continue to lead. The same is true with OPFI. We have, there are two women on the board and it's really earth shattering. And it shouldn't be. It shouldn't be groundbreaking and earth shattering, but it is. So you have people who are making introductions. I did a little bit of research and you really believe in helping other people as well.

33:32And so in what ways? So somebody's listening and she's like, well, I need a Jocelyn in my life. Oh, you can call me. Be careful. Be careful. I can. I want people to reach out. So how does somebody go out and actively start networking with somebody who would be able to open doors and has different accessibility? Again, LinkedIn. So I try to respond to anyone who reaches out to me on LinkedIn is likely to get a response. It may take me a little while. So it's not immediate, like the same day. But I try to respond. And I do have a lot of folks who reach out and say, I want to be on a board. Or I'm in a career transition.

34:05And how did you do X? Or I want to get in sports and entertainment. How did you make that transition from public policy to sports? And so I, you know, reach out to the people that you want to talk to. And they will respond. LinkedIn, again, I guarantee you people will respond. But even if it's not LinkedIn, I often say to folks, how are you leveraging your current network? So forget about the new networks that you want to establish. So even if you don't know me, how are you leveraging your current network? So what networks am I talking about? If you went to, you know, you can leverage your network, even going back to high school, because there are people in high school that, you know, are doing amazing things.

34:42And I leverage that network. I leverage my college network, as you hear me say over and over again, I love that place, dear place in my heart. I leverage my network from the hill. And so every network that we have, you know, again, don't take those opportunities for granted and don't assume that everyone has a network. Everyone. And so when you look down that list, so if I'm looking down the list of graduates from my high school, again, amazing things. I ran into one recently when I was back home in Atlanta who's leading Habitat for Humanity, right? Oh, wow. Again, that's an amazing network. So I would encourage folks, don't wait.

35:17You don't have to create something new in order to have the network that you need. So look around you, figure out who the people are. First, define what it is you're trying to do. Right. Figure out who the people are in your existing networks who can help you with that. And if there aren't people in your existing networks or just because you can create new networks, but be strategic about it. So very basic question. When you say leverage your network, you look at people you went to college with, you look at people you went to high school with, You look at people in your church community or your synagogue or your mosque or the PTA.

35:51And so are you looking at, I mean, I'm talking about like, let's get granular. Are you looking at a list of names and then Googling them? It's different for me because I, so let's, I'll try to give a real world example. So I reach out to people on LinkedIn all the time, like I said. So if there's something I'm interested in, so for example, in real estate. So there's something I'm trying to do in real estate right now. There's a woman on LinkedIn. There was a Business Insider article written about her. And I was like, oh my goodness, this is the person that I need to contact because she's already done what I'm trying to do.

36:24I don't know her. So you're reading Business Insider. This is consuming enormous amounts of information. And so I see there's this woman who's doing something in real estate that I need help with. So I'm reaching out to her. On LinkedIn. Yes, yes. And then if I can't find her on LinkedIn, like you know how to go to the message and you find the email, I'll email the person. Yeah, I have no fear. And I think no one should. I mean, people are on there for professional connections, but you can do the same on Instagram. You can do the same on Facebook. So because I have so many ways that I'm getting information, I always see, well, this would be an interesting opportunity.

36:58Why don't I talk to this person? The other thing, let's talk about new networks. So I may have been in Vegas a week or so ago. I was at the airport on a connecting flight. I'm standing by this gentleman and I go to him and I was like, hey, is this seat taken? because he's standing right by the seat and I want to sit down. He's like, no, it isn't. I was like, hey, are you going to Super Bowl? So we strike up a conversation. This guy, his name is Dexter. Awesome. Just met him. He's like, hey, wait a minute. I remember you. Didn't you work at the NFL? Because I told him my name was Jocelyn. He's like, yes, I know you.

37:31And I was rooting for you in that job. This is what he says. And he's like, I'm in DC. I worked on the Hill too. This is literally what he says. And so you never know. I didn't know that when I spoke to him and said, hey, are you? I just struck up a conversation. And so there are people all around us who can be part of our journey. And so he and I, he's also in construction. He does a lot of other stuff. But I'm like, I need to talk to you about this. So again, don't leave it to chance. Don't take no relationship for granted because they can all, and I don't mean this in a transactional, self-serving way.

38:04Right. Dexter, you know, while I was in Vegas, like he came along to all the things and he was in my network because I just met him at the airport. Right. So however, I could be helpful to him. You want to do this? You want to do that? Let's see if we can make it happen. OK, I'm like I have like so many thoughts right now. Are you an extrovert? Well, in some instances, I am. Sometimes I am. I'm more of an introvert, but I become extroverted in certain moments. is what I've learned. It's just so funny. When I map, so what happens is the human psyche, we learn the most by storytelling. So by you putting all of us at JFK Airport and asking Dexter, is that seat taken?

38:47We are either in your shoes asking or we are either Dexter listening or we're watching from the outside it happening. However, somebody's going to insert themselves in the story. And so I am watching this go down. And if I was in your shoes, I would not ask if the chair was taken. I would go two terminals down and sit in the empty one by myself until they were about to board. And so I actively take myself out of conversations. That's how much of an introvert I am. So I think to myself, I'm probably robbing myself of opportunities, but how do I still stay true? Like, even if I did ask Dexter, is that seat taken?

39:21I probably would be like, I'm gonna open my extra thick book and be like, I am riveted by this page. How do I make myself, because if I genuinely want to start seeing the world, in the beauty of humanity and believe that people want to help me or make a connection. It's what you and I are doing here now, right? You believe in this connection. I just met you, right? Yeah, but here's the thing. It's like I had like the FBI voucher. Susan's like the FBI of human capital and intelligence. You know, like her EQ radar is so high that I don't have to second guess. And so like it's same, same, not really.

39:58I think we have to approach every person with grace and as if, just how we would want people to see us. That's how I see people. Plus, I come from a big family. So there's never not a moment when we're not talking. And, you know, I have a dad who's never met a stranger. So I think we've all picked up a little bit of that. And there are my moments when I'm more introverted than extroverted. But, yeah, I'm probably, I think it's, I'm an extroverted introvert is how it's, yes. So I think that's right. But no, he just, I don't know. It never occurred to me to not talk to him. So somebody who's listening and who is probably hardwired a little bit more like introvert, like myself, what is one thing that you tell yourself?

40:41Like, do you shift modes? Like at the airport, were you in possibly an outgoing introvert mode or were you in introvert mode? Or how do you flip between? I was just in fun mode, like, right. And I was just ready to get, I'm going to Vegas. And I actually saw another friend who I've known for a number of years at the same airport. It was a layover flight into Minnesota. Minnesota of all places is where the layover was. But at that point, everybody's going to Vegas, right? The flight's going to Vegas. So I'm there and I don't, you know, again, it was just a person standing there who I thought might've been using the seat.

41:16But then when I turned and talked to him about it, friendly face, and I was like, hey, are you and I had to be going to the Super Bowl. What are the you know, what are the odds that he is? He isn't had to be going to the Super Bowl, look like he was going to the Super Bowl. I think may have been wearing a team jersey. And so it just it never occurred to me not to talk to him and just say, hey, who are you going for? What team? Like, you know, are you meeting friends there? Like all that. That's the conversation that we had. The friend he was meeting is someone that I know from Washington. She leads the Black Mayors Association.

41:45Her name is Phyllis. That's who he was meeting. And I was like, oh my gosh, small world. Yeah. I mean, much like your dad, I don't think you've ever met a stranger. I happen to still only meet strangers because my family makes fun of me because I put my head down and I just go. I don't give opportunities for kismet moments. We have to give opportunities for kismet because of the state of the world that we live in. And this is where I lead, as Susan would say, with my heart. If we don't have conversations. Part of the reason I left the Hill when I did is because it had become so polarizing. You couldn't have, if I said the sky was blue, someone else would say the sky is red, and then they'd be personally offended that I said the sky is blue.

42:24We've got to get to a place in our country and in our livelihoods where this isn't like, yes, we need to have more personal connection. We have to give people grace, and that starts with conversation about moments and places of commonality. So Dexter, I didn't know Dexter from John, Joe, Jim, Adam, anybody. But when I asked him, was the seat taken? And I said, hey, are you going to the Super Bowl? We immediately had a connection. He was going to the Super Bowl too. And that conversation expanded to, are you meeting friends? Well, I'm meeting friends. Well, as it turns out, your friend is my friend.

42:54Had we not engaged, I would have never known that. I wouldn't have had the benefit of his company and that of his extended network in Vegas. And we wouldn't be connected now, which we are. So I would just say to everyone, step outside of the comfort zone, whatever it is. And it's easy to say, hi, how's your day? going, right? Just starting with hi, how are you? Even if that person says, you know what, I've had a crappy time at the airport today. They lost my luggage. Well, I'm sure you've had an experience where your luggage has been lost and maybe you can offer some, you know, consolation or something to that person.

43:26So starting with hi, you know, there's not a wrong way to go if you start with hello. The humanity of connection. Yeah. So we started off the conversation by really dismantling and unveiling what a board is and what it does and your path, albeit a little untraditional. And the reason I loved it so much was because you now get to make the circle bigger and you get to advocate and encourage and make connections for other people. And then we broke down the ideology of how you make connections. And it was so simple. Like it was silly. It was like, girl, be friendly, be friendly, like restore the humanity and have conversations.

44:04even if you don't see eye to eye. So we go back to this idea that not everybody on the hill saw eye to eye, but your goal then was to create, like, let's both get to yes. And you do that by inviting conversations and invitations. And so as people want to connect with you and as they want to go deeper and as they want to root for your journey and see you on more boards, but then also see you advocate for other people who are underrepresented on boards, where do they go to connect with you? Oh my goodness, LinkedIn. I, you know, big shout out to LinkedIn. They should, I don't know. I should be a spokesperson for LinkedIn.

44:33I know. But I mean, it's such a democratization and access to amazing people. That's one way. Intro. I'm on intro. So I'd encourage people who want to connect to find me there. And then I have a website, jocelynmmoore.com. You can also find me there. And if you don't hear from me, just give me a little bit of time. I will get back to everyone. We'll make sure. And we'll link everything in the show. Yes, please do. Specifically your email address as you go on and build your businesses and multiple properties and sit on boards and change the world. And, you know, I'm just gonna go buy blackunicorn.com right now and then sell it back to you.

45:04I don't promise. Look at you. I love that. I mean, always the business mind. Come on, let's go. Always a hustler. I love it. Y 'all, thank you for watching and listening to The Jasmine Star Show. Be sure just to drop, Jocelyn, a little note on LinkedIn saying you loved it and you listened to it. And may we all remember that we have the opportunity to create a connection as long as we leave ourselves open. I am saying I'm the first to learn it and be committed to it. Thank you for listening to The Jasmine Star Show. If you like and love, please leave a review. It has a massive impact on the show.

45:33I read every single one of them. I hope you have a blessed day.