Management Committee: 5 postures to adopt to succeed

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Joining a Management Committee is never trivial and could almost be akin to entering a new dimension.

Each Management Committee, more commonly known as Codir, has its codes. As professional executive coaches since 2003, we know the postures that make it possible to put all the chances on your side when working within a Board.

Management Committee: definition

A management committee is a collegial place where, together, a number of managers, experts in their functions and professions, meet to work together on the strategy, the critical decisions to be made at the organizational level and the way in which they will deploy them at the level of their teams. Being part of a management committee means first and foremost being a member of this group and no longer just an expert in its function.

There are several rules to understand in order to assume quality leadership on a management committee.

Rule No. 1 to succeed within a Management Committee: understand that you are a full member of this group

You are first and foremost a member of this management committee before being Financial Director, Marketing Director, Communication Director...

It makes all the difference because you are talking to your peers. In these moments you are not defending your position as responsible for this or that. Together, you are building ways of acting to achieve a common goal.

This means, first of all, that you understand the overall goals of your Management Committee. In this way, all the topics you put on the table will resonate well with those put forward by the management team.

Second, you will have to gradually understand the different jobs of the members of this Committee, the constraints of the Managers who are around you, who do not have the same functions, who do not have the same daily realities. And yet, it is with them that you build the decisions that are strategic for your division, your business, your business.

So, rule number 1, when you arrive at the Management Committee, trade your hat as Manager of this or that division for that of member of this Committee!

Rule n° 2 for success within a Management Committee: understand the culture of this group

A Management Committee, like any social entity, contains in itself its rules, its codes, its culture. If you have just joined the Management Committee, observe:

- How do the actors interact with each other?

- What are the ways in which decisions are made in this management committee?

- What are the agendas?...

Pay attention to codes, uses, and rituals. Not that they are unchangeable but before you want to change them, be sure to understand them well in order to gain impact and influence by showing your ability to adapt to this group.

Rule n° 3 for success within a Management Committee: be open and sharing

The worst posture to adopt in a Management Committee would be to drive only for yourself.

Of course, when you are in charge of a department or teams, you would be tempted to defend your own interests. However, we must not forget that the most important thing is the common objective.

So, it is better to put yourself in a position open to cooperation, co-construction and the discovery of other professions in order to be in a position to make better decisions.

Rule n° 4: prepare well for Executive Committee meetings.

Prepare two things.

First, the part you need to work on. Namely, the key messages you want to convey, but also the questions you want to ask or the solutions or decisions you would like to discuss with your colleagues.

Second, prepare decisions before and after the management committee, in the sense that decisions are certainly taken during Codir sessions, but they are very often developed in corridors, in informal spaces...

So go see your peers, your colleagues beforehand, to understand a bit about their points of view, their positions and to prepare the ground before the executive committee.

In addition, make sure behind, after each management committee, that you understood the same things as your colleagues. That the actions and decisions that have been taken are those that you have heard and understood. And don't forget to send the necessary information clearly to your teams!

Rule number 5: be responsible and especially “co-responsible”.

As a member of the management committee it is important to take responsibility for sharing results. Some good and some not so good. Be able to give information on what is going well and what is not doing well within your teams. The Management Committee must be aware of what works well in the various entities because if one of the members hides important things from the whole, then the entire Management Committee team may not achieve its goals. Responsibility is therefore shared co-responsibility.

How do you get there?

Share ideas, confront differences rather than oppose them and finally, have the courage to make decisions, to take risks, to assume your successes, but also your mistakes.

In conclusion, here are the main pitfalls to avoid at all costs in order to successfully integrate into a Codir:

- Row in its own direction

- Don't ask questions when you don't understand

- Focus on your expertise alone

- Don't be curious about others

- Do not assume the decisions that are made

- And finally, do not be interested in differences in points of view.

The Management Committee is a collegial place where you all come together to make strategic decisions, take decisions and move them forward. So, happy Codir meetings 😊

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