Volunteering for a Committee can often be a challenge and often one or more people in the group can cause the endeavor to become far from enjoyable no matter how important or passionate you feel about the mission statement. Let us discuss one type of committee member which is often extremely hard to deal with; the Lawyer? Why do lawyers seem to want to join committees? Well, usually it is their way of networking and getting customers, also often people in these groups treat them differently in committees? Most likely members of the committee will be glad to have a lawyer assist in the committee because they think lawyers are smart, the fact is they are full of shit. Often when challenged on an issue they will retreat into definitions of wording and rules rather than discuss the concept, idea or even the mission of the committee or the actual reason for the committee in the first place. Your best bet is to try in advance to have them completely removed from the organization and specifically the committee; do not be fooled with their perceived “Pro Bono” assistance, you are going to end up paying for it in lack of accomplishments of the committee.
It is amazing how attorneys and lawyers can waster your time on semantics, which they call definitions. Absolute definitions limit thought and in arguing over their legal definitions they generally have failed to answer the question. Instead they flee to definitional arguments, lawyers do this all the time and nothing ever gets done. They end up winning the game and collecting fees or reminding you constantly that they are doing their service to the group “pro-bono” in hopes of suckering you and members of the group into future business as a client for some other personal or business issue. All the while they are standing in the way of progress and efficiency all in the name of making things more streamline thru their legal definitions. In the end you will find their rhetoric somewhat interesting and assume they know what they are talking about, however if they were really that smart they would not be lawyers, screwing over clients and those they sue. If they were really capable individuals they would be producing, profiting and innovating, not sitting for hours in committees “pro-bono” pretending to give a damn.
If you want to get anything done in your organizations committee, kick the lawyers off the committees, at least any of those committees, which are important to your group’s primary mission. Trust me on this, attorneys are complete pricks in my opinion and I have been around and sat on enough committees listening to their BS to know what I am talking about. Think on this opinion, don’t fall for the rhetoric.
“Lance Winslow” – If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance;
