The book
How to Become a Board Member
An Operator’s Guide to Your First Seat
For operators who want a seat on a private-equity board, and want to be asked back.
Eighty20 Publishing · The Field Guide
How to Become a Board MemberThe Field Guide
Fillable PDF availablePrint forthcoming · November 24, 2026 · Coil availability pending
Fifty-seven worksheets, one instrument to a page, with Hovland’s version filled in facing every blank: the seat profile, the board résumé, the yes-or-no test, the Number worksheet, the reporting contract, the covenant forecast and the conflict register. The 278-page PDF has 2,421 fillable fields.
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- Preview the Field Guide: Chapter 1: The Call, including worksheets and completed examples. (PDF)
- About the book
- Team and bulk orders
Available digitally · November 1, 2026.
Read it, then work it
The book makes the case.
The Field Guide does the work.
How to Become a Board Member keeps the narrative and the method. The Field Guide holds the working paper: the instruments, worksheets and exercises, ready to fill in for your own business.
Letter-size and built to be written in: a fillable PDF, plus paperback and coil-bound print editions.
Editions
Formats and ISBNs
- Paperback, letterRetail list: US $29.99 · CA $39.99Print forthcoming · November 24, 2026ISBN 9798908161459
- Fillable PDFDirect download: US $10 · Retail list: CA $26.99Available digitally · November 1, 2026ISBN 9798908161473
- Coil-bound, letterRetail list: US $39.99 · CA $52.99Availability pendingISBN 9798908161466
For teams
Work it together.
Each person who fills in the Field Guide needs their own copy. For a leadership team, a cohort or a portfolio, ask about team and bulk orders.
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