We asked our committee members to share their experiences.

 Over the past few weeks, we’ve explored what committee leadership looks like in practice.

We’ve talked about the difference between governance and management. We’ve reassured new committee members that they’re not expected to know everything from day one.

This time, we decided to ask the people who know the role best.

Not industry experts and not our team of Owners Corporation Managers.

Committee members themselves.

We invited committee members from across our entire portfolio to answer five simple questions about what makes a committee effective, the challenges they’ve faced, and the advice they’d give to someone stepping into the role for the first time.

We expected to hear about legislation, budgets, maintenance plans, perhaps even the Owners Corporations Act.

Instead, it wasn’t about technical knowledge. It was about people.

Despite representing different communities, different personalities and different levels of experience, committee members kept returning to the same themes. In fact, when we analysed every response, four themes consistently emerged, with communication, structured decision-making and collaboration accounting for almost 9 in every 10 comments about what makes committees effective.

The strongest committees weren’t defined by what they knew. They were defined by how they worked together.

THE FIVE QUALITIES THAT STOOD OUT

None of these require legal qualifications or engineering knowledge.

Every one of them is a leadership behaviour.

COMMUNICATION CAME FIRST. EVERY TIME.

If there was one message that echoed throughout almost every response, it was this:

Great committees communicate well.

It wasn’t just a common opinion. Communication-related themes appeared throughout the feedback and, alongside collaborative decision-making, accounted for almost 50% of everything committee members identified as making a committee effective.

And not just during meetings but also between meetings.

Committee members described:

• Regular email updates
• WhatsApp discussion groups
• Open and constructive conversations
• Clear agendas
• One agreed committee voice when communicating with their manager

One committee member shared that their committee agrees on an issue internally before approaching their Owners Corporation Manager.

The result? Clearer instruction with fewer mixed messages leading towards more productive conversations.

That’s not just good communication. That’s good governance.

Interestingly too, when committee members later shared their advice for newcomers, communication again emerged as the most common recommendation, with 36.4% of all advice centred on communicating openly, asking questions and sharing ideas.

THE BEST COMMITTEES DON’T AVOID DIFFERENT OPINIONS.

They welcome them.

More than 1 in 4 responses about committee effectiveness centred on collaboration and inclusive decision-making (27.3%), making it the second strongest theme in the survey.

Several respondents spoke about working through differing views with patience, respect and reasoned discussion.

One committee member summed it up beautifully:

“Different values and opinions within the group… typically overcome by reasoned discussion.”

Another shared:

“Value all team members’ experience and opinions.”

Healthy committees don’t always agree, they simply know how to disagree well.

CURIOSITY BEATS CONFIDENCE.

One of the strongest pieces of advice wasn’t about being an expert.

It was about being willing to learn.

Committee members encouraged newcomers to:

• Read the meeting papers.
• Ask questions.
• Listen.
• Be open to learning.
• Don’t be afraid to contribute.

That reinforces something we’ve said throughout this series.

You were never elected because you know everything. Perhaps most encouragingly, experienced committee members didn’t tell newcomers to become experts.

Instead, 36.4% of all advice focused on communicating openly, while teamwork (27.3%) and a willingness to learn (18.2%) featured repeatedly.

Knowledge comes with experience, but curiosity is what gets you there.

TEAMS OUTPERFORM INDIVIDUALS.

Several responses highlighted the importance of recognising that every committee member brings different strengths.

Some have financial experience. Others understand construction.

Some simply ask thoughtful questions that others may not have considered.

Very few people described the success of just one individual committee member.

Instead, committee members overwhelmingly described collective behaviours such as listening, contributing, respecting different perspectives and making decisions together.

One committee member wrote:

“Our committee works very well together, and we ensure we have input from each member before making a decision.”

Another added: “Work as a team.”

Simple advice but powerful impact.

GREAT COMMITTEES NEVER LOSE SIGHT OF WHO THEY SERVE.

Perhaps the most encouraging theme was this:

Committee members consistently looked beyond themselves. Across every question we asked – whether discussing effective committees, overcoming challenges or giving advice to newcomers – the conversation repeatedly returned to the community itself rather than individual committee members.

They spoke about:

• Taking pride in their community.
• Responding to residents’ concerns.
• Making decisions in the community’s best interests.
• Respecting different viewpoints.

That’s an important reminder.

A committee isn’t there to win debates. It’s there to make decisions that strengthen the community for everyone.

ONE RESPONSE MADE US STOP AND THINK.

Not because of what it said. Because of what it couldn’t.

One committee member wrote to us after receiving the questions.

They’d only recently joined their committee and didn’t yet feel they had enough experience to answer many of them.

Instead, they asked whether we’d be sharing the advice from more experienced committee members because they wanted to learn.

To us, that response perfectly captured what committee leadership is really about.

The best committee members aren’t necessarily those with the most experience.

They’re the ones who remain curious, who ask questions, seek to understand and recognise there’s always something new to learn.

Ironically, those qualities were exactly what many experienced committee members told us make great leaders.

OUR BIGGEST TAKEAWAY

Successful committees aren’t built on technical expertise alone.

Legislation, budgets, maintenance plans – they all matter.

In fact, not a single dominant theme in the survey related to legal knowledge, engineering expertise or accounting qualifications.

Instead, committee members repeatedly described communication, teamwork, preparation, curiosity and a genuine commitment to working together as the qualities that made the greatest difference.

Perhaps that’s the most valuable insight of all.

THANK YOU

To every committee member who generously shared their experiences – thank you!

Your insights will help shape future committee education resources, support new committee members stepping into the role, and continue the conversation about what good governance looks like in practice.

Because sometimes, the best people to teach committee leadership are the people already living it.

Whether you’re joining an Owners Corporation committee for the first time or have served for years, these leadership behaviours consistently underpin effective committee governance.

A NOTE ON THESE INSIGHTS:

The experiences shared in this article come from committee members within Quantum-managed masterplanned communities, many of which comprise predominantly free-standing homes with shared community facilities and spaces

While many of the leadership principles discussed are likely to resonate across different Owners Corporations, committees governing high-rise or mixed-use developments often face additional operational, financial and technical complexities that may require their committees to draw on a broader range of technical expertise, experience and governance approaches.

Even so, the recurring themes of communication, collaboration, curiosity and community-minded leadership are likely to be relevant regardless of the size or complexity of the community.