And how to avoid them
Steering committees work most of the time, but when they fail, the results can be disastrous; wasted money, conflicts of interest and missed deadlines are a few of the problems that can come up. Are you willing to take the risk?
Is it better not to have a Steering Committee at all? The answer is no. The right Steering Committee can be a powerful mechanism to successfully drive complex initiatives. Many of our clients effectively use Steering Committees as the key decision-making body to champion large change programs such as restructuring and realignment of resources and processes.
With the right people around the table, your Steering Committee can almost guarantee success. But how do you know if you have the right team? You may be surprised to hear that picking experienced leaders and subject matter experts is not always good enough.
Over the years, a number of steering committee silent —and not so silent— killers have been identified. Here are three issues to watch out for, and how you can successfully avoid them:
1. The Dominator Effect
Steering Committees need leadership, and leaders often have strong personalities. When strong personalities begin to dominate Steering Committee agendas, projects can be put at risk. The problem with the dominator effect is twofold:
- The steering committee’s direction becomes more slanted towards the dominators personal preferences.
- Valuable input and perspectives from other members never make it to the table.
As the dominator takes over the Steering Committee other participation will begin to drop off. What’s the point in attending meetings if you’re not heard? In this case, the Steering Committee remains in name only.
The Solution: Use Shared Leadership
The co-lead model has proven effective to balance perspective and help prevent the dominator effect. Ideally your co-leads will bring very different perspectives and leadership styles to the table to balance things out. In some instances, even a tri-lead model can be effective for large and complex initiatives.
2. Hidden Compromises
Steering Committee members aren’t always what they appear to be. Members are usually chosen by the areas they represent in a checklist type style. It may sound counterintuitive, but having balanced representation can be problematic. Members come to the table with perspectives that are driven by their vested interests.
For example, during a restructuring exercise, the Steering Committee can disintegrate into winners and losers; those who got their way and those who gave up. In the end, the ultimate loser is the organization.
The Solution: Involve Non-Biased Members
Identify members who do not have a vested interested in the outcomes of the project itself. This could be a finance person for a technology project or a product manager in an HR project. The neutral member will not get lost in the details or have their own agenda. They can contribute by challenging the bias of others, and helping ensure balanced participation and achieving results.
3. Puppet Mastery
For some, believe it or not, a Steering Committee is like a stage. Power plays are made behind the scenes. Deals are cut before meetings are held. You can almost see the strings being pulled in the meetings. Suddenly, Steering Committee meetings begin to get cancelled, and members become disengaged. Solutions lack vital information and perspectives. The puppets don’t enjoy having their strings pulled and simply walk away.
The Solution: Establishing the Rules of Engagement
Having clear ground rules for the committee is critical. We recommend that Steering Committee members agree on things such as:
- How decisions are made
- How participation will be managed
- What happens when there is disagreement / conflict
- What happens between Steering Committee meetings
Bonus Solution: Outside Facilitation
Some projects are so controversial and political that the Steering Committee cannot function objectively. Bringing in professional facilitators adds a critical dimension of neutrality and a focus on achieving objectives, because they relentlessly drive the committee towards achieving its objectives while skillfully managing stakeholder needs concurrently.
The Take Away
Putting a Steering Committee in place is not good enough. Don’t gamble unnecessarily on the success of your initiative. Strategically structure your committee to have the right leadership model based on the personalities around the table. Build objectivity into your membership and take the time to get everyone in the same boat before the committee sets sails and starts steering.

Business Intelligence Road Map to Smarter Decisions
If your organization is having difficulty deriving greater insight, understanding, and intelligence from your data, you are not alone. Data is everywhere. But accessing, organizing, and making sense of it can be daunting.

Power BI vs Tableau – Which is Better?
Although Tableau and Power BI are similar business intelligence tools, there are key differences that organizations should be aware of when considering analytical requirement

6 Essential Data Visualization Best Practices
We have identified 6 Essential Data Visualization Best Practices. Adhering to these best practices makes it easier and faster for users to gain insight from large volumes of data and thereby make the best decisions for their business.

Optimus SBR Named as 2021 Great Place to Work
Optimus SBR has been named as Great Place to Work for a third consecutive year.

Executing on Round 2 of Municipal Modernization Program Reviews in Ontario: Should You Approach Them as a Marathon or a Sprint?
Our overview of areas of focus for the second round of the Municipal Modernization Program, Service Delivery Reviews themes, and advice on how to execute with the funds made available for this investment.

Optimus SBR named to the Growth List for 8th Consecutive Year!
Canadian Business named Optimus SBR on the 32nd annual Growth List!

Adapting in a New Era of Corporate Travel
Travel is one of the most impacted sectors hit this year due to COVID-19. Organizations need to begin to take a critical look at what corporate travel will look like in a post-COVID world.

Optimus SBR Named as 2020 Great Place to Work
For the second consecutive year, Optimus SBR is thrilled and honoured to be named on the 2020 list of Best Workplaces in Professional Services, and as one of this year’s Best Workplaces™ in Canada. This year, we’ve also been named to the inaugural list of Best Workplaces in Ontario.

The Driving Need to Reassess Processes & Controls Related to COVID-19 Responses
COVID-19 has thrust a massive amount of change onto financial institutions. Conducting a review of the processes and controls put in place during these unprecedented times is critical as financial institutions face an increasingly complex risk environment.

Pivoting When the World Changes: Getting the Most Out of Municipal Service Delivery Reviews in the New COVID-19 Reality
Municipal services matter, and not just the ones that people see. The ones that keep things humming behind the scenes matter too. And never has that been more apparent than during the COVID-19 pandemic.

How to Improve Analytics Capabilities and AAIM for Success
With technological advancement rapidly reshaping how we do business, a company’s ability to leverage data to make more informed decisions is the key to staying competitive in today’s market.
Whether your organization is beginning their analytics journey or is further along in its analytics maturity, an objective analytics capabilities assessment focused on using data to make better decisions is an important first step to achieve your analytics goals.

Optimus SBR Named 2022 Most Admired Corporate Cultures™ Winner!
What a thrill it is to be honoured as a 2022 Most Admired Corporate Cultures™ Winner! This award celebrates the Bold Attitude and Entrepreneurial Spirit each of us embodies.