Committees, working groups, teams, task forces — these are all staples of organizational planning and productivity to tackle everything from daily operations, to implementing new initiatives, to long-term strategy.
We often tell others, and ourselves, that service in these groups can be a professional development and learning opportunity. But what does this mean? Are we kidding ourselves hoping that learning and development will happen? As a matter of fact, there is real opportunity for tangible professional development through committee work, but how do we ensure it really occurs? It takes intentionality and commitment.
The organization, committee and individuals must intentionally broaden the organizational scope and mindset to build professional development into their purpose. All three must be committed to this approach and sustain the inclusion of professional development in committee work over long periods of time, allowing, perhaps, for a slower group-work progress than would otherwise be the case.
The framework for meaningful professional development through committee work requires four key design components: First, the goals and activities of the committee must be intentionally structured to include professional development opportunities for its members. Second, the group leader’s mindset and role should support opportunities interwoven throughout the group’s primary work functions. Third, individual group members’ mindset and strategies must be attuned to be able to capitalize on learning opportunities. Fourth, the chief learning officer must act as a champion for a new and nontraditional purpose of committees — one that permeates and champions an organization’s culture and success.
When we think about professional development, we naturally jump to formal and structured activities — training, workshops, webinars, courses, conferences and the like. These are our bread-and-butter ways to engage in professional development and, for CLOs, to provide professional development to their audiences. But in thinking about committee work as a professional development activity, it is worth taking a moment to consider what else constitutes a professional development experience in the context of its overarching purpose and goal.
There are several ways to describe and define professional development and growth. For the purposes of this article, at its core, professional development is the learning of a discrete set of new knowledge, skills, techniques, perspectives or behaviors. When these are synthesized and integrated with what one already knows and applied in new contexts, professional growth occurs. Development affords employees the ability to move forward incrementally, while growth can lead to expansive shifts, both individually and for the organization. With this mindset, professional development is freed from the bounds of formal structured activities and can be achieved and brought to life in new, nontraditional and organic ways. Among these are activities that employees are already engaged in every day as part of their jobs and through which both work and professional development can be achieved.
Despite their potential for significant individual professional development and resulting positive organizational impact, committee assignments and work are often saddled with negative perceptions, born out of past experiences, before they even get off the ground. While the underlying reasons vary, a common perception is that committee work is inefficient, unproductive or a waste of time. Some find committee work uninteresting, irrelevant and of little use to them personally or professionally.
These perceptions and mindsets are significant barriers to actualizing professional development through committee work and cannot be ignored. They block openness to the possibilities and engagement in the personal opportunities that committee work provides. Perceptions and experiences can be transformed positively through three re-framings.
As a committee member, approach the committee — and its accompanying assignments and work — through the lens of learning.
Instead of thinking about the tasks, think about what you can learn by being part of the group. Instead of perceiving the committees as more work, think about them as an opportunity for growth.
There are some simple ways to build this mindset.
First, individuals should be encouraged to reflect on a set of sequenced exploratory questions designed to identify the unique and personalized learning and growth that can occur through their committee assignment:
- What is the overarching purpose and goal of the group?
- What topic areas will the group consider?
- How can these apply to my current or aspirational roles?
- What don’t I know about these areas?
- What do I need or want to learn about these areas?
- Years from now, what do I want to be able to describe as a significant impact of the committee on my growth?
Second, individuals should take knowledge and skills self-assessments. What are the things they already do well, and what are the areas in which development is needed? Sometimes this is knowledge about other areas of the organization, or sometimes it’s concrete skills such as data analysis, report writing or giving presentations. Identifying the intersections of the committee’s work with individual development needs and strengths can lead to powerful synergies for the individual and the committee. For development needs, individuals can intentionally step forward into those as part of the committee’s work. That might include some self-study to engage in the group’s work, serving on a subgroup focused on the particular area of need or volunteering to fill a gap for the committee even though one doesn’t yet have that expertise.
Third — generally and not necessarily in relation to the committee’s work — individuals can identify the areas in which they can grow that transcend their current role. It might be soft skills, such as teamwork, collaboration, listening, patience, leadership or followership. Reflecting on past experiences can also lead to opportunities for growth. For example, what have been common professional pain points in one’s role or career? These answers and individual commitment can lead one to seek out such opportunities for refining their skills and break through ongoing personal professional challenges.
As a committee chair, approach the committee through the lens of a coach.
The committee chair plays a key role in making committee service double as a professional development experience for its members. The chair creates an environment that welcomes learning, weaves development opportunities into the standard work of the group, and balances and sustains both group productivity and individual growth of group members. There are some simple strategies chairs can use to achieve these outcomes and successfully juggle this extra work for themselves and what could become competing three priorities.
First, in developing the formal charge for the committee, state individual professional development as a goal. This simple act, rather than an off-hand comment that being on the committee can be a professional development experience, communicates intentionality and commitment.
Second, adopt committee practices that open pathways to opportunity. Encourage more junior members of the organization to fill gaps and take the lead on some key tasks, and back them up with support, flexibility and patience with their progress. More senior members of the group can also be tapped for this mentoring mindset. Mid- and junior-level employees could be selected to serve as subcommittee chairs, follow new project ideas as they arise or provide report-outs to senior management on behalf of the committee. Senior level employees can take on a supporting role, rather than the other way around.
Third, embed professional development opportunities within the committee’s primary work purpose while not impeding the work of the committee. To achieve this, the activities must be aligned, simple, accessible and voluntary for committee members. Random, onerous or required add-ons for the committee members can reinforce the negative stereotypes of committee work that serve as a barrier to engagement and development.
Ask committee members what they want to learn through service on the committee, and match tasks and activities that are part of the committee’s standard work to everyone’s individual development list. Select a quick reading assignment — a book or set of articles — that provides a unifying theme for the group and directly relates to both the group’s primary work and individuals’ professional development. For example, overarching topics that hit the mark for all three categories might include positive leadership, innovation culture, creative problem-solving, intercultural communication or data visualization, to name a few.
The chair can select relevant passages of the reading to frame each committee meeting or activity and thus overtly tie it to the work at hand. Be mindful of roadblocks to the group’s progress and its ability to work optimally in knowledge, skills and behaviors.
Fill those gaps by working with the CLO or bringing in others from elsewhere in the organization to help support both individuals’ professional development and the work of the group. Conduct brief polling throughout the committee’s tenure to assess the type and extent of learning to further support a culture of learning.
As the CLO, approach committees through the lens of champion.
The CLO plays a pivotal role in transforming committees into places where professional development can flourish and sets the tone for organizational collaboration with senior leadership. Committees should be actively discussed as professional development activities, included in the list of professional development opportunities offered by the organization and counted as professional development in annual performance reviews and development plans.
The CLO also is key to providing an infrastructure that supports the committee chair and individual committee members. For the committee chair, the CLO provides an orientation to the philosophy of training in professional development skills assessment, design, and facilitation and coaching; consults on strategies to incorporate professional development into the committee’s work; and checks in with the chair regularly to provide support and feedback.
The CLO — and the learning function as a whole — can provide resources and approaches that individual committee members can use to structure, note and document their professional development within the committee environment. Such tools include:
- Self-assessments and discovery questions to develop a learning mindset when first joining a committee and to assess development and growth at the end of committee service.
- Career journals and training in how to use them effectively to inventory activities, learning and accomplishments, and to reflect on growth and future directions.
- Study and discussion groups for individuals from different committees to extend their organic learning into more structured and in-depth professional development.
Committee work as a vehicle to deliver and achieve professional development can be transformative for individual employees, the CLO and the organization. Supporting this work effectively and efficiently requires intentionality and commitment on the part of all.
As a first step in this direction, take a moment to personally consider this nontraditional role of committees. Reflect on your previous committee work. What were the professional development moments available to you? What were the moments of true development, and what were the missed moments when development could have occurred? What would you have done differently now that you have reframed committees in your mind?
