Reflecting on five years as part of the Board
By David Imber, IABC Victoria Immediate Past President.
As I approach the end of my final term on the Board of IABC Victoria I’ve been asked to reflect back on what I’ve learnt and offer advice to incoming Board members.
Take the leap- it’ll be worth it
I rejoined IABC Victoria in 2019 after a few years of lapsed membership. I was a new consultant and keen to build a network after working in the Victorian Government, and prior to that at Telstra (where I first was a member). I jumped back into membership attending three events in a row. At my third, Sia Papageorgiou, that year’s President, approached me and said I should join the board. I wasn’t expecting that and said while I’m flattered there’s no way I’d have the time. When she said I would make a great Treasurer I laughed and thought she was insane. For while I’d managed budgets at work (and was beginning to run my own business) I’d never thought of myself as a finance person.
The simple act of being asked was the gateway to my IABC Board experience, and I am so grateful for Sia’s prompt. Yet in my time on the board, I’ve also seen plenty of people self-nominate. There’s no one way to come on, so if you’ve been thinking about contributing chat to one of the existing Board.
Lean into your strengths but take the chance to experience something new
Saying yes to a Board role in 2019 was one thing, being on a Board during a pandemic was quite another. I started as Treasurer in February 2020, just before our world changed. We couldn’t run the face-to-face events we wanted to, and soon realised that trying to guess when lockdowns would come and go wasn’t helpful. So we leaned into being a remote organisation with Zoom Board meetings and event. We pivoted, running some sessions that in hindsight were basically group counselling sessions, and it worked. We kept the chapter and membership going. 2021 was harder as we wanted to get back to face-to-face but our membership wasn’t always ready to. But we didn’t stop- we dug deep and created a strong platform to come out of the pandemic with a regular cadence of elevated face-to-face events in 2023.
While we had setbacks, we worked collaboratively as a Board to do what we could to make a difference. Those two years of COVID were hard but also a lot of fun. We were forced to be creative and on our toes. It was energising and helped give me purpose.
After two years as Treasurer, Merrin Fabre asked me if I’d consider being her Vice President. In a moment of flashback, I was initially hesitant but then decided why not. I wanted to expand my consulting business and thought being on the Board would help me be connected to the profession and give me a team to be around. Knowing why I wanted to join has been critical to ensuring I had the energy and time to devote to the Board.
Know why you’re joining the Board
And there are many good reasons to join the Board. You might be looking to develop some more leadership and governance skills. You might want to broaden your network. You might have a particular passion you want to invest time in. You might have a friend or mentor on the Board and want a chance to work with them.
While your reason doesn’t matter, having one does. The IABC Victoria Board is a working Board- more akin to a committee of management. So while the Board makes strategic decisions it also does the work. It’s hands on- you see us at events handing out name tags and we’re the ones securing speakers and venues, encouraging people to join and sponsors and partners to come on Board.
The only bad reason to join the Board is simply to add a title on LinkedIn. If you do the work, you deserve the praise, the connections, and profile it’ll bring. But while it’s not a crazy amount of work, it does take time to be a Board Director- so it’s worth taking time to read the position descriptions (a wonderful initiative by Julia Loughlin) before signing up.
You are forced to elevate your thinking on a Board
The thing that unites the people on all the Boards I’ve been on is a love of the profession. Communications people know we have some special skills- that we are the creatives, the people who can be relied upon to get things done in our organisation. Yet being on a Board also forces you to elevate your thinking.
It’s one thing to represent a point of view you have, another to have to compromise and consider the views of others. Having respectful, yet passionate, discussions is one of the best parts of being on a Board. We regularly have to take risks and make calls. Months before every event we’re discussing its shape and cost structure. How can we make it the best it can be at the lowest possible price? We’re thinking of how to encourage membership to different cohorts in our profession. How can we connect with busy people and get their attention? We’re always operating at two levels- the immediate and the strategic.
It’s not always easy, but it’s so rewarding to turn up (or log in) and see the smiles on the faces of people who’ve turned up to something you’ve played a role in putting together.
Stand for something
Finally, being part of IABC Victoria’s board has allowed me to stand for something I believe in. For the values of honesty and integrity, that we don’t always see in communications. One of the saddest days for me as a relatively new Vice President was learning of the death of Deb Ganderton. The outpouring of grief for her led to immediate calls for us to do something in her honour.
Conceiving and championing the Deb Ganderton Oration is the most meaningful thing I’ve done in my time on the Board. We have now held three Orations with speakers who’ve called on us to be the best we can be. There’s always the temptation in our profession to cut corners- to try and bury the truth or spin a benefit a little too hard. Yet we should champion doing things ethically, as well as creatively and effectively.
Being on the Board has been a hugely beneficial experience for me personally. I can barely recognise the professional I was in 2019 today. I’ve had the chance to be exposed to great leaders and thinkers, to be motivated, and supported, to travel to a world conference. Yet through that time, I’ve also had others to think about and strive to deliver for. I’ve had a team to work with and for.
I will miss the cadence of the Board- always being both months and moments away from an event- yet I leave full of pride.
I’d like to thank all of my Presidents- the late and great Deb Ganderton, the amazingly dedicated two-term Merrin Fabre, and this year’s fabulous Julia Loughlin. And the dozens of people I’ve worked with, many of whom are now personal friends.
Being on a Board isn’t always relaxing, but it’s a great investment in yourself, and in our profession. I encourage you to consider it.
