Senior’s Leadership Skills are always needed

20 May 2019

You were a business or community leader in your youth, directing people at work and planning to ensure your business plan succeeded. Now you’re retired do you really think those skills are redundant?  Think again!

More than ever, retired business and community leader’s skills are needed in clubs, committees and social groups right around the country. As these groups age and their membership turns over, your skills as a coordinator of events, a manager of people, or a teacher of almost anything are still needed to keep those groups vibrant and active.

The committee that leads a club is vital to its ongoing growth and survival, and groups need to both recognise and utilise the talents of their members for it’s advantage.

Let’s talk about club committees

The best way to get good quality committee members is to appreciate their skills and encourage them to put their hand up during the year, rather than panic before the AGM about who’s available for which positions.

To aid this, a good strategy is to conduct a Skills Audit of your members. Do a survey and find out what they did when they were working, what qualifications they have now, what they enjoy doing, and what they want to do in the future.

Most clubs find out things they never knew about their members, and they can then use this knowledge to encourage them to take up officers positions and use their life skills to promote and grow the club. By encouraging them throughout the year, you’ll get a more enthusiastic group of volunteers at the next AGM, and hopefully a better functioning board or Club committee.

People always respond well when their skills and experience are recognised by their peers. They spent their entire life improving their knowledge and honing their professional skills, so even if they don’t want to be as involved as you’d like, they’ll always be happy to give advice and help others participate in the club’s management.

Clubs are full of experience and talent. Make a habit out of recognising it, using it, and continuing to improve the skills in your management team for the benefit of the members. It will make your group stronger, more resilient, and ensure it’s still around in 20 years time for others to enjoy.

Management Committees play a vital role in our Community and Probus gives members an opportunity to utilise those skills.

You can find out more about Probus by calling (Australia) 1300 630 488 or (New Zealand) 0800 1477 6287.

Visit www.probussouthpacific.org to find out where your nearest Probus Club is.