Written by Brent Johnson, Executive Director, Manitoba Band Association | Leadership Winnipeg Class of 2025/2026
3-minute read
I hate the term ‘sitting on a board’. Yes, one can actually physically sit on a board (though I don’t imagine that is very comfortable), but I am referring to involvement with an organization’s board of directors. For some reason ‘sitting on a board’ is the prevailing colloquialism, yet it describes the opposite of what boards (and the organizations they govern) actually need from their directors.
Yes, generally we do physically sit when we attend meetings (though if you’re like me you might start getting antsy and need to stand or move around after a time), but what is needed is so much more than that, and I feel this phrase does a disservice both to these vital roles, and the amazing folks who serve in this capacity.
When I reflected on my board involvement over the years, I realized my experience goes all the way back to high school (over a quarter century ago now… yeesh) where I started a student council for our school music program. I didn’t realize that was in fact a board, but we held meetings, raised funds, and organized events and initiatives to support the program as a whole. Then, in University I ran for and was elected to a couple of terms as Treasurer of our faculty’s student council. To my surprise, while still in university I was invited to join the board of a beloved non-profit arts organization, before I had any business serving in a role like that, but I sure did learn a lot from my fellow directors along the way.
I prefer the term serving on a board. That is what is needed. A healthy, engaged, well-functioning board is vital to the very existence of many organizations, but it is not just the organizations that need the board and its directors. You need this experience, and the many benefits that come from it – networking, community-building, confidence, connection, and the satisfaction of knowing you are serving and supporting a vital organization and its mission and impact in the community.
Serving on a board is an amazing way to go behind the scenes and be a vital part of an organization. You will learn things you never considered were even possible to learn, you will hone skills and develop new ones that will serve you now and into the future. The connections you make will benefit you now, and into the future. You never know when you’ll need to tap a shoulder for something, and this will help you have a greater network of shoulders to tap.
And yes, organizations do need you to serve in this capacity. I really appreciated Kevin Freedman’s (aka the ‘Governance Guru’) session on board governance in December. I have had the opportunity to learn from Kevin before, and appreciate both his enthusiasm, his no-nonsense approach, and his passion for great governance. I highly recommend seeking him out if you wish to learn more, and I am confident he will have inspired some of my fellow Leadership Winnipeg participants to seek opportunities to serve.
I also highly recommend you consider serving on one or more boards. Organizations need you, and you might not know it yet, but you need them and this experience. You will both benefit from it, so take a leap and put yourself out there!
*Photo by Chronic Creative
Leadership Winnipeg is presented in partnership with Volunteer Manitoba.
Thank you to our program sponsors:
Vision Partners: Canada Life, The Winnipeg Foundation, and Johnston Group
Board Connect sponsor: Assiniboine Credit Union
Proud Supporters: Boston Pizza, Honest Agency, RBC Convention Centre Winnipeg
