Would you like to join a committee?

Yesterday I reflected on meetings. The meetings we have in life. Let me today narrow this down just a little to a specific kind of meeting, a committee. As I have said before it was a committee that designed the camel how else could that happen?

I am sure it is little committee that have nothing to do who decide to put little white dots in the road and call them roundabouts.

I am once again back taking part in committees a new veenture at this stage of my life. This time I am once again secretary but this time not of a glof club so that is something different.

I often ask myself why I do it because for most of my life committees have played a large part and I have seldom if ever thought much could be achieved. I could have had a haircut and a dental appointment and had more pleasure than sit at a meeting listening to people work out who was to be the custodian of a set of keys.

There is an amazing and very true story that I share today and leave with you to consider.

The next time a committee is appointed and the committee names several task forces to do its job, think of this story if you might be tempted to join it.

To highlight its annual picnic one year, a company rented two racing shells and challenged a rival company to a boat race. The rival company accepted. On the day of the picnic, everyone entered into the spirit of the event. Women wore colorful summer dresses and big, floppy hats. Men wore straw skimmers and white pants. Bands played and banners waved. 

Finally the race began. To the consternation of the host company, the rival team immediately moved to the front and was never caught. It won by 11 lengths. 

The management of the host company was embarrassed by its showing and promptly appointed a committee to place responsibility for the failure and make recommendations to improve the host team's chances in a rematch the following year. The committee appointed several task forces to study various aspects of the race. They met for three months and issued a preliminary report. 

In essence, the report said that the rival crew had been unfair. "They had eight people rowing and one coxswain steering and shouting out the beat," the report said. "We had one person rowing and eight coxswains." 

The chairman of the board thanked the committee and sent it away to study the matter further and make recommendations for the rematch. Four months later the committee came back with a recommendation. 

"Our rower has to row faster," it said. 

Get your backs into it and have a great day I am off to play golf and clear my head of committee thought.