😬 Ever have an unexpected moment of worry?
Yesterday I gave evidence at the Levelling Up, Housing & Communities Select Committee as part of their enquiry into the Office for Local Government (OFLOG). You often see clips on the news of select committees, the camera angles making the rooms look huge. In reality, it’s much more intimate, and the committee clerk has usually shared the likely questions and approach with you, so you can prepare your responses.
Someone once described the call to be an expert witness at a select committee as being somewhere on a barometer that stretches from a lovely opportunity to share your experiences and thoughts (which definitely covers my first appearance at a select committee, talking about #stokeontrent’s bid to be UK City of Culture 2021) right through to being there to answer for your role in something having got horribly wrong. Thankfully, I’ve not had that experience yet!
Being called to attend is often as a result of your submission from call for evidence - and yesterday’s appearance came on the back of the Local Government Association’s. The policy committee I chair leads in this area, hence my name at the bottom of the submission, and invitation to attend. Lots of briefing last week, a run through with a fellow panel member yesterday lunchtime, and sitting through the slightly earlier evidence session to get a feel for the questions - and still I’m slightly nervous.
Luckily, the first question is fairly easy - what’s your name and who are you representing today - which gives me the opportunity to take a quick sip of water, press down on those nerves and do what I’m here to do, representing local government on what someone helpfully told me was ‘the most important enquiry affecting local government this year.’ No pressure then!
I often think a little bit of angst is not such a bad thing to keep you on your game though. Reminder to focus on the questions, carefully consider your response, and ensure you get your key points over. Listen to your fellow panellists, note down what you need to land based on their responses, and build on those contributions.
And afterwards… a sigh of relief, it’s over so soon. The walk back through the Houses of Parliament takes a different form as you can properly take in the surroundings. This was my third appearance, and hopefully won’t be my last. It’s an interesting experience, playing a part in democracy and the work of Parliament, and influencing the government’s policy. I shall look forward to the committee report soon…
#leadership #localgovernment #whatabididnext
𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝𝐈𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 & 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 ► Author & Public Speaker ► Board Certified Coach (BCC) ► NACE Career Coaching Presenter ► Award-Winning Higher Ed Professional
2wThe Hebrew word for miracle is actually "נֵס" which is pronounced NACE! The miracle of Chanuka is pronounced "NACE Chanuka"! Happy Chanuka to all my fellow NACE members!