Sometimes the members of your committee of management may lack enthusiasm, not contribute much at meetings and appear to be disinterested in the organisation.  While this can be a bad sign for your organisation it may also be that the committee of management members are simply bored and need to be motivated.

This may not be as negative as it sounds as the fact they are still members on the committee of management and attending meetings is a positive sign and that they are still interested. 

It should be noted that if they are not attending meetings without an approved reason then they should be asked to leave.  Your constitution or a Governance policy will address this issue.

The reason why they may appear to be bored is because the committee of management is not functioning as well as it could.  For example, it may be how the committee of management meetings are run, lack of clarity around roles, lack of clear objectives as well as many other possible reasons.

The important issue is that you need to try and ascertain what needs to change and to try and motivate them to get more actively involved and engaged with the organisation.

It is also important to understand that the issue of lack of motivation can be a sensitive issue and needs to be managed and handled well.  Furthermore, it needs to be recognised and understood that the motivation may not be an issue as there may be other factors that are causing concern.

The responsibility to address the issue of motivation of your committee of management is with each member.  It is not the sole responsibility of the President or the Chair to identify and address the issue.  If for whatever reason the committee of management is not functioning as effectively as it can then each member has the responsibility to raise concerns.  The only way the change is going to take place is with all members actively participating.

Furthermore, at least once a year but more often if needed, the committee of management should undertake a performance review and evaluation process as this provides an opportunity to identify issues that can be addressed.

The next post discusses some key tips that you can follow that may help to get your committee of management members motivated.