June 2012

The Annual General Meeting draws near – very near. Peeking out of the forest of things on my mind is the question of responsible representation. Why do we have associations, societies and clubs? Why do we have committees and boards?

It starts with interest. There comes a point where we discover that self-interest is group-interest, where our personal concerns, desires and challenges around a particular activity are shared by others. We then establish that creating a more formal community of like-minded people has advantages such as combining resources, sharing burdens and enhancing results

However, that formality brings its own challenges. We now need to organise an enterprise, because not all the constituents can be the spokesperson, secretary, treasurer, cook or bottlewasher. So, we elect a sub-group to do that stuff on our behalf. In doing so, we introduce a new phenomenon – shifting the responsibility for pursuing the shared interest from our own shoulders to those of the elected sub-group and risking the “us and them” syndrome sliding into the equation.

You know the “us and them” thing, don’t you? “Why don’t they do…?” “They don’t see it our way…” “They don’t do anything for us…” “Why are they making the rules?”

The answer, of course, is that you get the representatives that you elect, which translates into the representatives that you deserve. If you want them to share your interests, to have your interests at heart, you must either be one of them (i.e. get elected) or you must get to know them well enough to trust that they will behave according to your wishes. Either way, you do not shuffle off your responsibilities but remain actively involved in ensuring that the interests of the group and your interests are served in the best way possible.

Speak up, volunteer, attend meetings, share ideas, monitor performance, constructively criticise, make suggestions, provide solutions, harness resources, give time… These are the ingredients that make for successful group activity. None of them is passive. None is waiting for “them” to act.

So, beloved IITPSA members, check out who will best serve our interests in the year ahead and VOTE! And when the votes are counted, spend the year holding the hands of the elected few to encourage them, to support them and to help them.

Together, we can do anything.