| Growing
Effective Committees
Although
the increasing number of members who joined NYSSCPA committees
as its new year began on June 1 doesn’t surprise me,
the number who serve on two or more committees does, given
how overscheduled and overcommitted I know Society members
are. Although
I sense a trend among professional societies toward fewer
and smaller committees, and fewer members serving on them,
I think the NYSSCPA committees are the exception to the
rule because our members recognize their organizational
mission, as demonstrated by our increasing participation
in the legislative and regulatory arenas. There is tangible
evidence of our accomplishments: the comment letters we
submit to legislators and regulators increased from six
in fiscal year 2001/02 to 26 in 2003/04. In addition, our
conferences have drawn increasing numbers of high-level
speakers and panelists, registrations have been growing,
and attendee evaluation ratings have been rising.
We
recognize that when we submit comment letters, our perspective
is only one among many. Developing a relationship with agencies
such as the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB)
takes time. The Society is proud that William McDonough’s
first public address as newly appointed chair of the PCAOB
was at our September 2003 conference “SEC Practice
Under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.” After the Exempt Organizations
Committee commented last year on proposed federal antiterrorist
financing guidelines for voluntary best practices by U.S.
charities, the Treasury Department asked the committee to
send a representative to a conference it held this past
April.
Another
aspect of committee service is that members develop themselves
in several ways. In addition to opportunities to improve
their technical knowledge and build a professional network,
they can also gain experience in public speaking and working
on group projects, which benefits both committee members
and their employers.
Committee
Give and Take: Learning and Contributing
A reasonable
theory about why people serve on more than one committee
is that they experience the benefits of working on one effective
committee, then seek out another committee where they can
contribute and learn. Another theory is that the professional
community offers fewer opportunities to do so.
The
mission of NYSSCPA committees is to provide opportunities
for CPE and networking at regular committee meetings; contribute
to and participate in policy, regulation, and legislation
related to each committee’s industry or area of expertise;
and increase the knowledge base of the broader professional
community through conferences and other activities.
If
members serving in committees are overextended, usually
it’s because they’re in demand, and they’re
in demand because they’re good at what they do. Our
most effective committees consistently attract capable people
who work well together, using the committee’s collective
and individual resources, including technical, organizational,
and interpersonal skills. That includes the responsibility
of leadership to keep the committees moving and growing
in the same direction as the Society’s mission.
Louis
Grumet
Publisher, The CPA Journal
Executive Director, NYSSCPA
lgrumet@nysscpa.org
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