Human Capital Directorship Readiness Program
POWERED BY SHOCKINGLY DIFFERENT LEADERSHIP
An exceptional world-class program that develops individuals to be excellent board members who are uniquely capable of leading the oversight of a company’s HR, Talent, and Culture agenda.
This development experience explores the most important principles of board governance, with a deep focus on understanding the risks, advantages, and implications driving HR governance board decisions.
Deadline to Enroll in 2025 Cohort
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Become
Board-ready Now!
Take the first step in deepening your governance acumen and differentiating your candidacy for corporate, private & nonprofit boards
Become a member of our upcoming cohort to gain the practical skills needed to be an in-demand candidate for board member opportunities that also highly prioritize a background and skillset in HR/Talent governance.
Upon completion of the program, you will be able to accelerate your candidacy to be placed into the leadership pipeline for board types of your choice.
Program Snapshot
At-a-Glance
CASE STUDY PRE-WORK:
June 9 – August 1, 2025
Core Program: August 4 – September 19, 2025 (2-4 hours/week on Tuesdays & Thursdays | NO CLASSES THE week of Labor Day)
LAST DAY TO ENROLL:
MAY 31, 2025
Who this program is for:
– hr professionals desiring future board positions
– business professionals and board members desiring to deepen their expertise in hr/talent governance
program fee:
one payment of $995 or two payments of $550
REGISTRATION INFORMATION:
After you make a payment, a receipt will be automatically emailed to you and you will be placed into the queue for program onboarding.
If you prefer to make payment via an ACH or Wire transfer, or, if you would like to receive a copy of our W9, please email hcgi@shockinglydifferent.com for banking details or forms.
Today’s organizations are working harder than ever to adapt to rapidly changing business environments. This requires effective corporate governance that can help them avoid major disasters while also being more responsive to stakeholder concerns and more transparent with investors.
To add to the complexity, a company’s human capital is one of the largest, business-critical line items that impact profitability, and boards are now expanding their oversight on all HR, Talent, and Culture operations. Our curriculum offers a unique blend of instruction on both overall governance and HR/Talent governance.
Whether you’re already on a board or looking to join one, this program will help you navigate unexpected enterprise and Talent risks while capably monitoring financial performance. From the technical responsibilities of a board to the nuances of guiding an organization through contemporary challenges, you’ll get a comprehensive overview of the role of corporate governance and gain critical insights into the realities of board service.
Key program Takeaways
The Human Capital Directorship Readiness Program explores the role, structure, and responsibilities of corporate and HR governance to help you succeed as a board member. This program will enable you to:
- Define the board’s role and responsibilities as well as characteristics of successful board leaders
- Ensure proactive governance and learn how to prepare for potential risks
- Increase acumen on all aspects of HR governance, including key considerations of compensation and succession planning
- Plan for how to manage the competing interests of stakeholders and shareholders
curriculum overview
Governance Fundamentals:
Gain an understanding of Board Governance basics & Board operating models, including but not limited to:
- Typical composition of all types of Boards
- Full scope of oversight responsibilities of all Board members
- Fiduciary duties of corporate, private, and nonprofit Board members to their organization or shareholders
- How to handle risk challenges such as lawsuits, activist campaigns, geopolitical shifts and industry dynamics
HR Governance Oversight:
Experience a deep dive into the full mechanics of HR/Talent governance, including but not limited to:
- A step-by-step roadmap of how to appropriately conduct HR governance
- Understand the multiple alternatives regarding who owns HR governance on boards and their responsibilities
- The operating structure of Board-level HR Committees, including a review of example HR committee charters and how HR committees interact with the rest of the Board
- Understand the risks, advantages, and implications driving ESG board decisions, no matter the org’s position on
- The do’s, don’ts and myths about HR Governance Oversight
- What should be the Board’s relationship to the CHRO and the C-Suite?
- The most critical types of HR data and insights that should be presented to the Board
- The most in-demand HR-related skillsets that are essential to have on any Board
- Understanding the current megatrends driving the surge in more intense HR Board Governance
Board Member Readiness:
Prepare yourself to be a prime candidate for a win-win Board member opportunity:
- Mentoring in creating a competitive Board bio
- Learn how to source realistic Board opportunities
A Sneak Peek of What You Will Experience
Distinguished Faculty & Speakers
Experienced Faculty and Guest Mentors
Each year, we curate a list of renowned, expert speakers to augment our distinguished faculty. Get ready to open your mind and learn new perspectives on sound board governance.
Corporate Case Studies & Board Strategy Labs
Case studies about publicly traded companies
During the prework period, each participant will be assigned a publicly traded company on which to conduct research and a SWOT analysis. This guided case study will give real-world practice on how to spot risks and provide oversight, as a board member, to major areas of concern.
The cohort will leverage our Board Strategy Labs (small-group micro-learning experiences that combine short bursts of knowledge, ideation, and strategic thinking) to bring new perspectives and insights to each other’s case study. The labs are designed to help participants more quickly spot, assess, and act upon valid oversight concerns, similar to real board members.
Leadership Assessments
Understand Your Board Leadership Profile
A single assessment cannot uncover your full suite of talents. Thus, we will provide you a small battery of assessments, to be used to better gain insights on both your strengths and blindspots related to board service. These insights will be used to help create or update your board bio.
Capstone Event
Enjoy Celebrating Your Progress and ROI
Celebrate with your cohort peers during a spotlight event. Enjoy building a lifelong community of fellow global executives who will be your strategic supporters for life!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How can be sure that this program is for me?
There are few world-class board programs designed with a heavy emphasis on HR/Talent governance.
Our program is designed to be easily integrated into your daily routine. You are given pre-notice of all events so you can ringfence time on your calendar. Net-net, if you can participate 2-4 hours per week for a few months, you will definitely receive a concrete return on time invested and will be an ideal member.
We provide you with answers, advice, and training that you just can’t get by searching on Google. Go ahead and sign up for the next cohort. It’s the right thing to do!
How will my time be spent?
We have designed this program to fit into your current working life as efficiently as possible. Time will be spent among a variety of activities, including:
- Assigned case studies on real companies facing board challenges
- Live, virtual, engaging seminars with expert board faculty where you can ask live questions
- Reading or engaging with examples of core topics
- Engaging in moderated discussion groups with your peers
- A final Capstone event to officially close the program and receive your certificate of completion
The program is designed to be highly interactive while also allowing time for self-reflection and to demonstrate an understanding of the core topics through various active learning exercises. Please email us if you need further clarification on program activities.
What is the program fee? And when is it due?
For 2025, the fee, if paying via 1 payment, is $995 for the 4-month experience. This equates to less than $250 per month! Or, you can split the tuition fee into two monthly payments of $550.
The deadline to register is May 31, 2025.
After the program fee is received, participants will soon receive their first onboarding instructions.
Know that we work hard to keep our fees competitive and reasonable. Please check your employee handbook because frequently, fees can be covered by your employer.
What is the refund policy?
Unfortunately, we do not provide refunds. However, if you can no longer be a member of the current cohort, you may transfer your payment to the next cohort or you can transfer your membership to another colleague.
How do I become a board member? Do you offer placement services?
To become a board member, you will need industry expertise, leadership experience, and corporate governance training. Programs such as the Human Capital Directorship Readiness Program can help you build those essential skills.
We are not a placement program, and we encourage you to deeply investigate the success rate of those who claim they are because that is NOT how most board seats are obtained. However, we do teach you the process of how to get your name in the candidate pool for a board position – a process that you will start in the program.
What equipment or technical requirements are needed?
Participants will need the latest version of their preferred browser. In addition, a PDF viewer is required to access documents, presentations, PDF files, and transcripts.
All virtual sessions will need internet and/or phone connectivity. Most sessions are recorded for on-demand replay.
Whom do I contact if I have questions?
Contact our Services Team at hcgi@shockinglydifferent.com. We strive to answer all inquiries in 48 hours or less.
Karan Ferrell-Rhodes
Executive Director, Human Capital Governance Institute
- Experienced Board Director and Board Advisor on HR/Talent Governance
- NASDAQ Research Partner
- Stakeholders Leadership Governance Institute Senior Fellow & Faculty Member
- Member: NACD, Corporate Governance Institute, Conscious Capitalism
- Professional Expertise: CHRO, Human Capital Infrastructure Strategist, High-potential/Executive Leadership Development and Organizational Effectiveness
- Author, Researcher, Speaker & Podcast Host
- Karan’s Board Bio