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Inside the fish bowl: experiences of a new ABP Board Member
Posted: 02/03/09I’ve always managed to avoid it. I’m something of a serial avoider, in fact, and having selfishly enjoyed every ABP conference for the last 6 years, I’ve come up with a string of (very valid!) excuses when invited to be part of the following year’s Conference Committee (too busy, running my own business, young children, etc etc). So when I was approached by the Treasurer during the summer and asked if I was willing to be a nominee for the Management Board, all the Conference Committee excuses still sprang readily to my mind but I started to think “Why the hell not?”.
I have been wondering about the future of the ABP lately. With change afoot in our profession, it seems that we have an opportunity to really establish the ABP as the place to be for Business Psychologists, but I’m also acutely aware that we will need a lot of people to take things forward in the way that most of us would like. Since joining the ABP in 2003, I have been proud to say that I’m a member and frequently recommend that others sign up, but often find that people have never heard of the ABP, much less know what it’s about and how great the conference is. So, having the opportunity to maybe do something about that started to get me seriously interested.
So what do I get from being an ABP Board Member? Well, apart from a very nice - though frugal - working lunch overlooking the River Thames at the Strategy Awayday on Saturday 18th October, augmented by a rather good bottle of wine to take home, courtesy of Richard Taylor (at no cost to the ABP - cheers, Richard!), it does go some way to quietening the small, but peskily persistent inner voice that says “Why aren’t you doing more for your profession?”. Also, having worked for 10 years with senior management teams, Boards and executives, this finally gives me the opportunity to say an emphatic and honest “Yes!” when I’m asked if I have experience working “on the Board”. My nomination statement was an honest appraisal, something along the lines of being big on ideas, energy and enthusiasm but a bit green regarding things like how committees work, what the ABP Board actually does, etc. MB membership gives me an opportunity to stretch my strategic muscles and no-one has yet said “That’s a rubbish idea!”. I’m finding it a supportive environment and am learning a lot from the experience.
I’ve now attended a few Management Board meetings and the recent Strategy event and I have been surprised by the amount that is achieved by relatively few people. I suppose I always thought there were large, invisible teams supporting the Board but it seems that everything is delivered by a small number of dedicated people who, like most of us, I suspect, are committed to seeing the ABP thrive and grow. There must be others amongst our membership who, like me, have long felt that they should be contributing more but perhaps wary of how much time they’d have to commit. But it seems manageable – it’s helping me to focus and spend less time indulging in the great British art of “Faffing”.
Something that’s been really interesting is debating the positioning of the ABP. What are we? What’s our purpose? Where do we want to be in 5 years’ time? We run a very successful, enjoyable and valuable conference every year (and if you haven’t been to one yet, then get your name down for 2009!) but there are plans for the ABP to become much more than the conference. As I said earlier, I think these are interesting times for Psychology and the ABP is looking carefully at the opportunities that Statutory Regulation will introduce to us. Taking the ABP out to the regions is another current focus, and there are lots of membership benefits that, with support and a co-ordinated effort, the ABP could deliver. One of my early responsibilities, as the new Chair of the Marketing and Communications Committee, and a representative on the Membership Committee, is to find out more about what you want (“what you really, really want”, to quote the Spice Girls) from the ABP. I’m also interested to find out how you came across the ABP, your reasons for joining and what you feel you get for your modest £30 a year. So watch this space for a membership survey, the results of which we’ll be presenting before the ‘official’ start of the 2009 conference.
Now we have a new website it’s going to be a lot easier to update you on what the Management Board has been doing, on the conference and what the ABP is all about. The website has huge potential and this is where a lot of the Board’s recent efforts have been focused. I’d encourage you to take a look and share your ideas with us through the membership survey – or directly, if you have any burning suggestions! Board Members now have direct e-mail addresses which you can use to give us feedback, make comments and ask questions. Going forwards we aim to be more consistent and regular in our communications with you and the website provides us with a good platform for doing that. A weekly Board Blog? Maybe…..