How to survive and thrive on a committee

All of your networking and hard work has paid off and someone has recognised your skills, tapped you on the shoulder, and asked you to join a committee or board.

You’re flattered, you believe in the committee’s cause, and agree to join. You have some good ideas and really think you can make a difference.

All good stuff, but passion and skill alone do not make a successful committee. Occasionally bad habits can emerge, and if you don’t recognise them (even in yourself) early on, you’ll end up with a dysfunctional group.

Here’s what to look out for:

Don’t be the guy who ‘didn’t read it’

Everyone should come to committee meetings equally prepared. It fosters robust debate and encourages a higher quality of decision-making.

Don’t be the guy (or girl) who didn’t read the report that was distributed with the agenda. In my opinion, by not preparing he’s just booked his ticket to sit down and be quiet for the duration of the discussion. He’s certainly blown his chance to scrutinize and debate the report’s contents or recommendations.

If it’s you who hasn’t prepared properly, don’t try to compensate by being the loudest in the room. Someone will notice when your comments or criticisms have already been directly addressed in the document you didn’t read. So sit there and be quiet.

Stick to the Agenda

It’s the chairperson’s job to run the meeting, but as a committee member you’re also responsible for keeping the meeting on track.

Make sure you remain focused on the agenda item at hand; if you and others start running away on tangents, you’ll be there all night.

It’s also poor form to blindside the chairperson with proposals or unexpected agenda items; if you have something you want discussed, have it included in the agenda so everyone is aware in advance.

“I’ll leave that to the numbers guys”

Committees will usually have the accountants taking responsibility for running the figures and the marketers looking after marketing etc. But, in the eyes of the law you’re all equally responsible for any stuff-ups.

Ask questions, even the bleeding obvious. I’m a marketing brain, but will often be heard saying “There’s probably an obvious answer to this, but… [insert dumb finance question here]”

TIA (Talking in Acronyms)

At least in the early stages of a new committee, be aware of your audience. Newcomers to the tourism industry, for example, may not be aware that RTO means “regional tourism organisation” and not the more commonly-recognized “registered training organisation”.

The time you save not spelling it out each time will be lost in backtracking to explain yourself or, much worse, making the wrong decision because not everyone understood. A colleague of mine became so frustrated with acronym over-usage on one committee that she developed a glossary for newcomers.

Don’t Direct Paid Staff

Be careful as a committee or board member that you don’t overstep any boundaries (or the committee’s terms of reference) by giving directions to any paid staff outside the committee meetings.

The general manager or executive officer is often the only paid staff member to take directions from the board, but that’s not a licence for all board members to direct the CEO. Usually directions will come from the chairperson, ensuring the organisation maintains a consistent direction and efficiently manages staff resources.

Commit to the Committee

As above, joining a committee or board involves more than just turning up to meetings. You need to prepare, and be willing to do some work in your own time. Simply put, you’ll be required to commit to the committee.

You’ll also need to participate in debates, ensure you make an effort to keep things respectful when the discussion gets lively, and be prepared to accept that some decisions won’t necessarily go your way.

Committees can be enjoyable experiences if you follow these rules. Joining a committee can expose you to excellent development opportunities, and provide the opportunity to meet and work with people you may never usually come across in your day job.

Remember...

• Don’t be the guy who ‘didn’t read it’.  Prepare for meetings.
• Stick to the Agenda.  Unless you prefer marathon-length meetings.
• “I’ll leave that to the numbers guys”. You’re all responsible.
• TIA (Talking in Acronyms). Avoid them.
• Don’t Direct Paid Staff. Leave that to the chairman or nominated representative.
• Commit to the Committee. It won’t all go your way, but it’ll generally be for the committee’s benefit.

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