Committees are integral to the furtherance of association work. In my 15+ year association career, as well as outside of work, I’ve staffed and chaired numerous committees and seen the gamut as it relates to committee function. Here are some my lessons learned.
Have defined and realistic goals. Too many goals, or goals that are too broad or too vague for the committee’s term (typically one year), will result in dilution of effort and lack of success at the end of the term. I’ve always found that as staff liaison I had ample input into a committee’s goals so as to ensure their value to the association. Ensure committees know when they need to report on their progress through the year to help them plan their time. If committee members feel good about their experience, they’ll talk up the committee and be back, and the association will benefit. There’s nothing more enervating than the glow of success and achievement for the team!
Address problems swiftly. Although it may not happen often, poor attendance or dominating performance by a committee member can affect the morale of the whole group. Associations may have bylaws or policies to address excessive absenteeism. A frank conversation with the committee member may uncover that this is a temporary issue, or that they are overcommitted and need to step down. A committee member who regularly dominates the discussion should be spoken to offline; sometimes placing them on another committee with a different personality mix will produce a win-win situation.
Plan for the future. Staff and committee chairs should be alert to committee members who may be future committee leaders. Term limits for committee members, and staggered terms, are helpful to ensure a flow of fresh ideas into the committee each year but without exodus of a large part of the group in the same year. Committee chairs sometimes do not use vice chairs and co-chairs effectively or sufficiently. Those roles can vary tremendously and are usually not ‘scripted’ anywhere. A frank conversation between chair and vice or co-chair can help determine how they will be engaged to mutual satisfaction. Also, as new committee members are named, the chair and staff liaison should be aware of particular skill sets or demographics they would like represented on the committee, in furthering their goals.
And now, to my committee minutes!