Committees are supposed to make things easier. More focus, more progress, and less burden on the full board. But without clear direction, they can end up doing a lot of work that goes nowhere.
A story I still think about
Early in my career, I was on a staff committee for a new office space. We were picking everything. Furniture, carpet, wallpaper. All of it.
We met with the interior designer, compared options, and had genuinely good discussions about what would work best. And not just surface-level conversations. We were asking things like: what do we want people to feel when they walk in? What feels professional but still welcoming? What will hold up over time versus what just looks trendy right now?
We debated colors, textures, layouts. We weighed pros and cons. We listened to each other. It felt collaborative in the best way. And honestly, we were proud of where we landed. We were excited about our work. It felt like we were contributing to something real. We could picture ourselves in that space, knowing we had a hand in shaping it. We were looking forward to moving in.
And then almost everything got changed. No explanation. No heads up. Just different decisions.
It was not just confusing. It was deflating, and it felt like the work didn’t matter. And if I’m being completely honest, I resented our new office space a little bit once we moved in.Every time I walked in, instead of feeling proud or excited, I felt reminded that all of that time and thought we put in didn’t actually count.
That might sound dramatic, but I don’t think it is. When people invest their time, energy, and ideas into something, they want to know it mattered, even if they were paid for it. And when it doesn’t, or at least feels like it didn’t matter, it sticks with you longer than anyone expects.
Looking back, the problem was not that the boss made the final call. Leaders get to make final decisions. The problem was we were given a completely open assignment with no guardrails. No preferences. No “avoid this.” No “this is what I’m going for.” We were set up to guess.
This shows up on boards all the time
Committees are asked to “look into something” or “bring back ideas.” That’s it. So they run with it. Then the board says, “That’s not what we had in mind.” Of course it’s not. No one said what was in mind.
What this costs you
When committees are not set up clearly, people waste time, energy drops, and trust takes a hit. Over time, people stop volunteering for this kind of work.
What actually helps
Clarity at the beginning saves a lot of frustration later.
Be specific about scope. What exactly are they responsible for?
Name the boundaries. What is already decided? What is off the table?
Define success. What would make you say, “Yes, this is exactly what we needed”?
Be clear about their role. Are they deciding or recommending?
You don’t need a long document. Even a simple one-pager can make a huge difference.
One simple truth
People are fine with parameters. What they are not fine with is putting in effort and then finding out they were aiming at the wrong target. Clear direction does not limit creativity. It gives it somewhere useful to go.
FAQ
Being too vague. It sounds flexible, but it usually creates confusion.
Either can work. The key is being clear about it upfront.
It happens. Just explain why. That alone preserves trust.
Enough to set direction without dictating every step.
Clear committees lead to better use of time, stronger engagement, and more thoughtful decisions.
