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Herding cats and academics: Skills for leading a professional organization

Leading a professional organization can be one of the most rewarding opportunities of your professional career. Enter with an agenda you want to accomplish, but remain flexible and listen when not everyone shares your vision. Your responsibility is to collect information, distill it to essential and manageable bits, and present it back to the committee in a digestible form, ready for more thorough discussion. Don't rush the process; be patient and let ideas percolate. This approach allows everyone to feel they have had input to the process and decision. It encourages consensus, and reduces divisive dissent. Although it can be difficult to release control, delegate responsibility. When ideas are too complex, or discussion is likely to overtake the entire agenda, assign it to a subcommittee for consideration. One big challenge in leadership is to encourage participation, but do not allow dominant personalities to dominate. Egos on a committee are deadly. Be constructive and tolerant. Remember: “Any jackass can kick down a barn, but it takes a good carpenter to build one” (Sam Rayburn). The final result of your leadership is to implement your ideas: Take action. You can't plow a field by turning it over in your head. If the idea fails, take responsibility. If it is successful, deflect credit. “The people do not notice the existence of the best leaders. When the work is done, the people say ‘we did it ourselves.’” (Lao Tzu)