Creating a skilled leadership group - Webinar followup

Your questions answered

FRRR hosted a webinar on building the skilled leadership group. In a discussion facilitated by Alexandra Gartmann, Andrew Huffer drew on findings from FRRR’s recent environmental scan and Katrina Baddeley, Executive Officer, Victorian Regional Community Leadership Programs (VRCLP), discussed how groups can implement lasting positive leadership outcomes. During the webinar, there were a number of questions. Some we discussed during the webinar, and others we didn't get to. Below are answers to all the questions that we were asked. We hope you find them helpful.

How do you keep people engaged and strong once you step back?

That’s what building a strong leadership team is all about – ensuring that there are people who can lead when you step back. There are many strategies to make sure that happens. For example, ensure you offer opportunities, responsibility and mentoring to the group. This means they will be set for success because they’re already learning the ropes and understand how things are done. Engagement is strong when all members understand and support the goals of the organisation, particularly the part they play in achieving it. It’s also important to highlight the benefits and professional development opportunities available. Experience and participation within community groups shows dedication, commitment and is a positive addition to a personal CV. For some extra tips, take a look at our Maintaining Momentum in Community Groups webinar.

Have clear roles and responsibilities identified for the group. Provide some initial support and mentoring as you begin to reduce your role. Allow them the freedom to do things ‘their way’ as long as it achieves the goal.

How can you engage the community by incorporating modern technology into traditional meetings that many can't physically attend?

Tools like Skype or Google Hangouts makes it easy to bring a group of people together virtually. These tools are free and can be downloaded on computers or mobile devices and they could participate via video. But don’t underestimate the power of a telephone too – teleconferencing is a valuable way for people to connect. That said, it is important to meet face to face occasionally to help maintain those personal connections.

Other online tools include ‘Trello’ and ‘Basecamp’ which are great platforms for sharing resources (via a document upload and download facility) and posing questions before and after meetings.

Do you have any advice for organisations that have a flat structure?

As we said during the webinar, people can lead from in front, behind or beside one another. The key in this scenario is to ensure that you are all clear about your purpose and clear about your roles. While the structure may be flat, you will typically find that different people step into a ‘leading’ role, depending on what needs doing. Sharing leadership around is a good way to do it as it helps to share the load. But the key is to know who is the right person to ‘lead’ on particular things. Conducting a skills audit and developing a skills register would help identify any gaps or areas for improvement. It would also give members an opportunity to put their hands up for other responsibilities or show where they would like to get involved more.

We are interested in exploring Giving Circles in our region and developing a leadership team to explore and develop this idea. Any advice?

Giving Circles are a great way to engage the community, because they’re more than just a financial investment. Not only do groups of individuals pool their funds, they come together to decide how to use the funding, increase awareness of community issues and develop networks with like-minded people. Check out the Impact 100 South Australia giving circle website for ideas and to see the work they are doing.

Sometimes people are scared of the word and concept of 'leadership' – can you suggest any strategies to remedy that?

This is a challenge in many organisations, and often, it is because people have an expectation of what taking on a leadership role involves. That’s why it’s a good idea to get people to shadow people in roles, so they get to see what is, and isn’t, involved. It’s also about having an open conversation – addressing those ‘fears’ and putting them to rest. It can also help people to express what they are willing to do, and what they don’t want to do. That can lead to new ways of thinking or approaching ‘leadership’ in your community group. For example, it could be splitting roles in two or three, so the portfolio is smaller. Or it could involve setting up a committee that reports to the board and just does stuff, rather than focuses on the governance, for example. Even things as simple as sharing the task of chairing a meeting could encourage people to get involved and overcome concerns about what taking on a leadership role might entail.

How can you prevent burnout of event volunteers, to enable events to be held annually?

One way is to try to broaden the number of volunteers involved in the project, thereby giving each person a smaller role. Another strategy to consider may be merging with another community group, or at least partnering on an event – creating something bigger and at the same time, broadening the base of people who get involved. Also, consider whether you could use the event to offer skilled volunteering opportunities for local businesses, or for students in your area. This can particularly be beneficial for young people seeking experience while studying. Keep in mind that providing mentoring and shadowing to other group members can empower them to take on different responsibilities and potentially give others a break. Plus, there are online sites like GoVolunteer that help connect volunteers and groups.

Conflict management and leadership often go hand in hand … any tips?

Conflict management can be difficult and is often a part of leadership – they key is to try to avoid it surfacing in the first place. A good place to start is to ensure that people have the same understanding of the purpose of your organisation and of what you are aiming to achieve. There may well be conflicting opinions, but having an open discussion about that is a good way to get agreement. On an ongoing basis, providing regular feedback (for example, using the AEIOU model that was discussed on the webinar) can help, as can agreeing the values of your organisation and then calling people on behaviours if they don’t align to those values. And ultimately, it may be that the conflict can’t be resolved and in that case, the leadership team may need to ask someone to take on a different role, or to step back. Proactive succession planning can be a valuable tool in ensuring that conflicts don’t arise. It can also be an important tool to ensure members aren’t worn out and fresh ideas keep coming in.

Also be aware of what behaviours ‘push your buttons’ and develop some strategies to manage your own reactions, rather than trying to control other people’s behaviours. Tools like the ‘DISC’ model and the ‘CLICKTM Colours’ cards are really valuable to improve your self-awareness.

When an issue is highly charged, suggest a five minute ‘walk and talk’ in pairs exploring some possible solutions.

How do you take ideas from imagination to reality?

It’s all about planning, planning and more planning! That includes understanding the cost of the project and how you will be able to fund it. Reviewing the Successfully Seeking Funding webinar would be worthwhile. While it is based around grant seeking, it covered practical steps on the planning component, before you get started. You can find information about it on our website here. We have also developed some useful animated clips that might help you. These can be found on our YouTube channel.

Build a 5-7 minute segment into each meeting where one participant addresses a strategic issue the group is facing and presents a possible solution. While the speaker is presenting, ask other group members to remain silent and engage in active listening. After a few meetings you will have several alternative strategies and can evaluate their worth.

What is the difference between and / or the relationship between management and leadership?

Management is primarily an organisational role, coordinating people's efforts and the allocation of resources to maximise efficiency in achieving identified goals. It’s more about ensuring that the team has the right skills and resources to do the right things at the right time. Leadership is more about providing direction, encouragement and inspiration. It’s about modelling the way you want things done, setting the vision and then guiding and mentoring people to find the best way to get where you want to go.

Where can we access & what types of excellent leadership courses / avenues exist in regional Queensland?

The study that we conducted identified very few leadership programs available in rural and regional Queensland. There is a program operating in the South Burnett, and several online courses are available. We will publish details of the programs we identified in a couple of months, when the study is finalised. In the meantime, the Our Community website is a useful resource for community groups looking at available leadership courses.

How can we get the most skilled and qualified members of our community organisation to sacrifice their time in joining our committee?

We covered this topic in the Maintaining Momentum webinar and we encourage you to watch that for some practical tips. It’s certainly not easy, but it all starts with having a clear vision and purpose, and then communicating that to your community. And don’t forget to ask them to be involved… they may not even know you would like their help. But be clear about what you are asking them to do. Try finding a discrete task that you would like them to help you with. That way, they can clearly understand what skills you would like them to bring to your group, and they can see a discrete start and stop point. It may be that they like working with you and like what you’re doing and then want to stay involved for even longer.

One other point… in a small community, it’s often the same people who are involved. Consider whether you really need to all be separate community groups or whether you could come together and work together on the most important projects in your community, thereby pooling the available talent and focussing your efforts on the most important things.

And finally, ensure that the governance arrangements you have in place are conducive to getting people involved… for example, having fixed terms for board members can be encouraging – people will get involved and know they are only committed for a set period of time, which can often be attractive. It also ensures that your group stays fresh, with new ideas coming in from new people. Chat to your members about the skills they have and how valuable they would be to the committee – some members may not have ever considered a committee role or thought they had the skills or experience for it. Offer mentoring and support to potential and new committee members too. Just because someone’s term may have ended, they could still be involved from an advisory perspective. And knowing they will be supported through the process, may encourage people to step up.

Consider creating project-based roles as a lead-in to a committee role. Giving people a taste of the satisfaction and sense of achievement from their involvement will help in getting them to consider an ongoing commitment.

How can we generate interest in volunteering for the community?

Again, this was covered in the Maintaining Momentum webinar. We encourage you to watch the session for some ideas. It all starts with a clear purpose, communicating with your community and having clearly defined roles. And asking for help… people can’t volunteer if they don’t know what you’re doing and how their skills might be of value. A skills audit can be really valuable in this regard. Tap people on the shoulder who you think may have skills your group needs and let community members know how flexible volunteering can be. From an hour every week to a couple of hours a month, show that your group is committed to offering a diverse range of roles and availabilities. Also, don’t forget to promote the benefits volunteering can offer community members, including networking opportunities and professional development.

Creating leadership teams in small rural towns with declining and ageing populations is a challenge… any tips?

Sometimes merging local groups can help reduce the demand on people. Look at what issues are important to your community as a whole and focus on those. This focus could bring a number of groups together and ease the pressure on some individuals – it helps to share the load. Welcome younger members to different roles, including leadership roles. Younger members will be able to learn the ropes and history from existing members and they will be able to offer a new perspective and skills and experience from their generation.

Leading in a negative environment is a challenge - any suggestions?

There are no quick fixes. A clear vision and regular communication are essential to steering the group in a positive direction and to help maintain focus. People need reminders and reassurance about why you’re working towards your goal. And celebrating progress can help improve morale – you don’t always need to wait for a project to be completed. Recognise people for their contributions and say thank you. Offer coaching and support for members who would like to take on more responsibility. Sharing the load shows you trust your members and value their skills and experience.

What practical tools such as checklists and templates could you suggest for building the leadership group?

There are many practical tools you can use to help build leadership capacity in your organisation. Two key tools include a skills audit and a skills register. They come in a variety of templates that are simple and easy to use and help identify any gaps or areas for improvement. It would also give members an opportunity to put their hands up for other responsibilities or show where they would like to get involved more. We have listed some useful links to tools at the end of this Webinar recap.

Do you have any tips on how community groups can engage with local government?

This topic has come up in nearly all of our webinars in this series, so if you watch the recordings of the webinars, you will pick up some tips. But as a start, contact your local Council, and ask to meet with them and discuss your group’s priorities. You may identify some consistencies with projects the Council has planned, or they may be aware of another group or local business you can partner with. Try to establish a key contact person at your local Council whom you can liaise with and keep informed of your group’s work. And get in touch with them now, even if you don’t have something that you specifically need their help with… building that relationship will mean that you can call upon it if and when you do need their support.

Another tactic is to give some thought to a problem that the Council has that your group can help them solve. This creates a stronger incentive for the Council to ‘do business’ with you.

How can you recruit a specific skill set to committees?

Once you have identified a skill you need, use your networks and put the feelers out. Speak to other committee members, family and friends. You could even consider getting a message out through the local paper, newsletter, community notice board or via social media. Online sites like GoVolunteer are a great resource and help connect volunteers with groups looking to recruit. After all, if people don’t know what you’re looking for, they can’t help you find it.

How can we go about engaging the right people in leadership groups and particularly engaging people under 40 years?

Getting the right people in your leadership group is critical. The first thing to do is get clear on the skills that you need. Only once you know what skills you need – which can include networks – can you find the right people. Then we recommend a skills register – that will enable you to see who in your community has the skills you need. Then put the feelers out and ask people to be involved. Have open discussions with members about the leadership attributes you see in them and ask them where they see their professional development heading.

To engage younger people, and particularly those early in their career or with young families, can be a challenge. So you need to think a little differently. Are your meetings at a time when they might be able to be involved? Do they even need to come to meetings? Could you ask them to take on a particular task and just keep you informed? Try to take meetings or consultations to places where these people already gather – for example, perhaps at their kids sporting events on the weekend, or at the park if you want to engage young mothers. Or try new technology – Facebook can be a great way to garner input and with technology, there are things that those in your target demographic could perhaps do online, without having to come to a meeting.

You may also need to consider splitting the size of portfolios, or offering them as shared roles. And consider having some kind of shadowing program, so younger people can learn the ropes and history from existing members and then be able to offer a new perspective and skills and experience from their generation. Show you’re open to them taking the initiative and lead on their own projects. This also offers them the opportunity to build up their experience for their own professional development.

How to deal with committee negativity: People who are on the committee expressly to prevent any change to the organisation / event?

This can certainly be a challenging situation. It may be that they don’t expressly want to prevent change, but more that they are threatened by it. Conducting a whole of committee review or consultation process, perhaps involving a third party, can be a good way to surface these issues. Using an external facilitator to work through some of the issues that may be revealed can help. There is a useful resource available on the Our Community website about dealing with difficult people.

Generally the range of skills in our meetings are ok but what about the right number of people? Can a group become too big?

There is no magic number for the optimum board or committee. Generally, at least five people ensures a good mix of perspectives and offers a diversity of perspectives. But we have seen groups operate effectively with more than 20 people. Similarly, we’ve seen groups that struggle with just five. The key is to ensure that there is a specific designated role for each person on the board. If that is to represent a particular constituency, ensure they understand that is their role. But if you feel the board is too big to manage, see if you can aggregate the representation of different sectors and combine representatives. This can be difficult to do, but like all aspects of running a community organisation, it begins with an open conversation about the issue – not about the people. By talking about it, you may find that people are keen to get off the board and are happy to be represented through another person, provided there is appropriate say in who that person is, and that they report back to the group.

Tips for successful delegation and how to encourage volunteer accountability

Delegation and accountability both came up in the Maintaining Momentum webinar. The more you delegate, the more you build trust; but equally, you have to trust before you feel confident in delegating. That’s why training and mentoring of others in your community organisation is especially important. This will help members feel equipped to take on more responsibility when the opportunity arises, and ensure the leadership team feels confident that things will be done. This is where agreed processes and procedures can be helpful, as can breaking tasks into smaller parts and involving others.

It’s useful to review the Five Rights of Delegation model, as it clarifies the critical components of delegation decision-making:

- right task
- right circumstances
- right person
- right direction / communication
- right supervision / evaluation

How can we fund leadership programs, and how can we offer leadership program places as an incentive for community organisation involvement?

As we discussed in the session, there are many ways to fund leadership programs – fee for a place; sponsorship; grants; local fundraising; matched fundraising etc. We recommend you listen to the webinar for some other practical ideas. Offering training places can be an incentive for people to get involved in their local community. This could be on the basis of a subsidy or co-funding, or perhaps reimbursement if they meet certain criteria – eg serving a particular period on the committee.

How can we conduct a Community skills audit and discover potential community leaders and expertise in areas with small populations?

There are many different ways that groups have done this. Some do an online survey, asking people to complete a short survey and indicate areas where they have expertise. Other groups do it more manually, asking committee members to talk to their contacts and take note of who has what skills. There are some useful templates available. Check the resources section on the Building the Skilled Leadership Group webinar recap.

How can we ensure the sustainability of small organisations?

This topic has come up in each of the CIRCLE webinars and is of concern to many groups. Merging local community organisations is a big step for many but it can help to reduce the demand on people. Consider what issues are important to your community as a whole and focus on those. This focus could bring a number of groups together and ease the pressure on some individuals – helps to share the load. Also look at what free online resources your group can tap into for more support including Justice Connect’s NFP Law Info hub, using online templates and employing new technology like Skype for meetings, MailChimp for newsletters and SurveyMonkey for survey development, distribution and analysis.

How can we encourage innovative thinking and improve motivation of influential leaders?

The key to long term success is to continue to continue to evolve your organisation. That can only come from innovative thinking and so don’t be afraid to try new things - even if you do fail, you have the opportunity to learn from it. Showing faith in your members' ideas and backing them can increase engagement and motivation. Another tactic to encourage innovation is to agree to the occasional ‘blue sky’ session – where people bring ideas to the table. They can be put forward in a brainstorming session, without judgement, and then the group can evaluate them and either build on them, set them aside or implement them.

How can you foster a good team when a community is very small and choice of willing volunteers is limited?

If you implement many of the strategies that we discussed in the webinar – clear purpose; clear roles; sharing the load; open conversations; clean communication; and tactics like shadowing and mentoring – it’s possible to build a strong team, even with a small group of volunteers.

As we said in the webinar, sometimes merging local groups can help reduce the demand on people. Get together with leaders of other community groups to talk about what is important to the community as a whole, and see if it is better for you to at least work together, if not merge in the long term. This could help to share the load. There are lots of free online resources that could help if you decide to merge, such as Justice Connect’s NFP Law Info hub. Don’t hesitate to employ new technology like Skype to make it easier for people to get involved – even if they live outside your immediate community.

How can we take leadership to the team?

The team needs to know that anyone, in any role, can be a leader. It may be that you need to start leading by example… be open to new ideas and ways of doing things. Give feedback and encourage team members to take on more responsibility in areas they show promise in. Part of being a good leader is knowing when to let go and take a step back to provide others with the opportunity to grow. If it’s too hard to let go completely, then delegating some tasks to others shows you trust and value their work.

You can also encourage people to do some formal training in leadership, so they gain more confidence and build their understanding of what’s involved in leadership – making it less ‘scary’ and abstract.

What can we do if the willing volunteers are obviously the wrong people to harness community enthusiasm?

This is where a strong purpose for your group is important and clearly documenting what you want to achieve and how you will get there. You can use this as a base to recruit leaders for your community group. If the fit isn’t quite right for the candidates you have, tap people on the shoulder who show promise and encourage their involvement. For those who may not be the right fit, harness their enthusiasm in other areas. Everyone has their strengths, encourage people to play to theirs. Give them a role that may not be front and centre but still lets them be involved.

Be clear on how your organisation treats volunteers. Do you use the ‘gift’ or the ‘contract’ model?

Gift model
- volunteer labour is treated as a free gift.
- volunteers are given special treatment.
- volunteers are part of an unstructured system - not too much is asked of them and the organisation takes them for what they are, with few expectations.

If volunteer labour is treated like a gift, people in the organisation may feel obliged not to upset the volunteers in any way, for fear of losing them.

Contract model
- volunteers are viewed and treated as equally valuable to paid staff.
- volunteers can still be given rewards and gifts, when appropriate, to let them know they are appreciated and special.
- the system of managing volunteers is formalised and clearly sets out the roles of paid staff and volunteers - usually in the form of a volunteer job description and / or a volunteer agreement. Such a contract is time-bound and renewed regularly.
- the relationship is a two-way street - there is a sense of obligation and responsibility on the part of the volunteer and the organisation. The organisation provides support and the volunteers provide skills and time.
- the organisation respects volunteers' needs, time and other commitments, while expecting volunteers to be reliable and loyal to the aims and procedures of the program, and acceptance of its standards for the way the work is done.

What’s the best way to work with young community leaders?

Listen and be open to new ideas and approaches. After all, everyone likes to be asked what they think. Welcome younger members to different roles, including leadership roles. Younger members will be able to learn the ropes and history from existing members and they will be able to offer a new perspective and skills and experience from their generation. Younger generations tend to be online savvy and these skills can particularly come in handy for community groups, as low cost ways to communicate and engage with the community. Show you’re open to them taking the initiative and lead on their own projects. This also offers them the opportunity to build up their experience for their own professional development. Consider going to them to seek their input into what you’re doing – go to where they hang out, as they may not want to come to your normal meeting venue.

Is an annual review of a board's / committee's performance applicable to a volunteer committee?

An annual review is definitely relevant for volunteer boards - perhaps even more than for paid boards. It also helps to acknowledge what people are contributing and is a way to ensure workload is not unbalanced between volunteers. If there are "difficult" board members, it also helps to formalise the conversations that may need to happen. Another benefit is a formal conversation about what's working and what's not.

 

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