I recently decided that, since our book is now done, it was time for me to come out of my cave and get involved in my community.  So, over the past couple of months I’d joined several committees.  I began to notice that after some committee meetings I was energized and excited.  After others, I wanted to nap or pretend to be moving out of the country to avoid future meetings! 

As I reflected on my experiences, I realized that committee leadership isn’t really that different from leading any team inside an organization.  Here are a few observations:

Don’t Jump to Tactics Too Quickly

I was surprised by how often leaders jumped to assigning action items in the very first meeting of a new committee.  Of course, there is always a lot of work to be done, but focusing on tasks too quickly can derail any team.  Before assigning jobs or even asking for volunteers, leaders should:

Help Committee Members Build Relationships

If you want your team to have productive conversations, people need to feel safe speaking up.  Trust is crucial and the only way to build trust is to help people get to know each other on a personal level.  Consider kicking off your meetings with a quick icebreaker.  One committee leader I work with starts every meeting by asking each of us to provide an update on what we’ve been up to since the last meeting.  I am consistently impressed by a) how much fun this is and b) how many connections we uncover. 

Communicate the Big Picture

As the leader, you may know why the committee was formed and where you are headed, the rest of your team doesn’t.  Spend some time talking about the vision for this organization and it’s purpose or mission.  Invite your team to chime in and contribute to the discussion.  Remember that effective visions are not communicated to your team – they are created with your team. 

Uncover People’s Passions

When you are leading any team, it is critical to connect with what people are passionate about.  Doing so becomes even more important when you are dealing with volunteers.  Do you know why each person joined the team?  Do you know what motivates them?  Do you know what sorts of activities energize them, and which derail them?  If you spend some time talking about people’s passions before getting to tasks and accountability, you’ll be able to unleash people’s energy and get tasks done much more quickly. 

For more information on unleashing energy, check out our book, Change at the Core.