Electing your route leaders and appointing them to specific leadership portfolios is perhaps the most important yearly responsibility of the route members.

As an Open Africa route subscriber to the Open Africa Charter, you are committed to transparent governance. As an organisation with its own founding document (constitution for a voluntary association, memorandum of association for a nonprofit company or trust deed for a trust). As an Open Africa subscriber, you are obliged to follow specified procedures in electing and/or appointing people to leadership positions. You should follow the exact procedures described in your founding document for elections and appointments.

In this Guide, you will not find the detailed instructions on the process that should be followed. The exact steps will vary from route to route, based on what is provided for in the particular founding document.

What this Guide provides is general guidelines on what you should consider in electing your route leaders and their appointment to fill specific leadership portfolios. You will find this useful in understanding who the best people would be to trust with the leadership responsibility and how to ensure wide support of the leadership by your membership.

It is worth distributing this Guide to members as part of the annual process of asking for nomination before elections take place – and to send it every year. The Guide may also be useful for training purposes when the roles of the route leadership are covered.

Why is it important to appoint the right leaders to the best positions?

Your route leaders play a very important role in determining the success of establishing and/or expanding a successful destination route. They have to inspire the members to remain active in route activities, to act as the public representatives of the route who interact with other organisations and recruit new members, and to make plans and implement projects. Above all, they are the people entrusted with governing the route as an organisation.

It does not matter which legal formation your route chooses as the best option – a trust, a nonprofit company or a voluntary association – since all organisations need leaders to take responsibility for key elements of healthy functioning. This is as true for a newly established route as it is for a well-established route. The calibre of the leadership will largely determine the route’s success.

Since the route leadership plays a key role in determining the route’s success, it is worth spending some time as route members on what the issues are to consider in electing the route leaders and appointing them to portfolios.

The election of route leaders is not a measure of determining the popularity of the nominated individuals. You will make a big mistake if you only focus on how well the candidates get along with everyone, although this is a very important success factor. There are many other considerations to take into account.

The two most important considerations in putting your leadership in place are:

• Transparency with full member participation in the election process.
• Allocating the best people to the positions that match their strengths.

What is involved in electing and appointing leadership?

The identification of route leaders will generally follow some basic steps, such as:

• Request nominations – commonly a circular is sent to all members (mostly along with notice of the AGM).
• Receive nominations – in many cases, it must be written, signed by the nominee as well as the person nominated plus a seconder, and must to be delivered to the Secretary.
• Appoint a presiding officer – at the meeting where the voting is to take place, the current Chairperson, or another person appointed by the Chairperson, or a person specified in the founding document will preside over the voting process.
• Motivate for candidates – this would take place at the meeting where the vote is to be taken.
• Vote – generally, each member (or appointed proxy) will have one vote that is exercised through a ballot (a ballot is mostly preferred above a show of hands when it comes to voting for people).
• Count – this is generally done at the meeting by the presiding officer and one or two generally trusted assistants.
• Announce the results – the names of those elected will generally be announced. If members request the detailed counts, this may also be announced, but is generally not required.

Many founding documents do not ask members to vote on the portfolios allocated to the elected leadership, but only for the people to serve on the executive structure. At their first meeting, those elected will then appoint from among themselves the individuals to portfolios such as the Chairperson, Treasurer and Secretary. However, the founding document may require that the vote takes place at the General Meeting to elect leaders portfolio by portfolio, which implies that the full process (from nomination to announcing results) will apply to each portfolio separately.

We have now covered the technical detail of the election and appointment process. It is very important that this process is managed in a transparent manner and that all members participate fully and are kept and informed.

The election of the best leaders and their appointment to the portfolios they are best suited for are very important aspects of setting the route up for success. Members should therefore be aware of what it is that they should look for in their leadership, and they should seek to ensure a good spread of competencies in their leadership team.

Here are some pointers for members to consider:

• Experience: There is no substitute for experience when it comes to the appointment of leaders – however, this does not imply that younger people are disqualified, since experience is not only related to time, but also to the exposure the candidates had to relevant contexts.
• Commitment: The level of contribution from leaders is dependent on what time and effort they can offer the route; it is not only a matter of their dedication to the route, but also the degree to which they may already be overstretched.
• Neutrality: Strong personalities may be controversial too, and may not be able to maintain healthy relationships with all the stakeholders and members. In this regard, it may be better to prefer candidates who are perceived to be neutral on any controversial topics or who are not seen to be representative of any “factions” in the local community.
• Trustworthy: Trust is something people earn over time through their actions, which is why trustworthiness is such an important indicator of the suitability of a person to serve as a leader of route members.
• Expertise: A variety of expert competencies are needed to form balanced leadership – from networking, to business management, to financial systems, to marketing, to product development, etc.
• Dreamers and doers: The route leadership should ideally include both the visionaries who see the possibilities others are missing as well as those who get things done and who work with great efficiency.

The route leadership will be assigned specific portfolios. In allocating these portfolios, it is very important to match the strengths of an individual with the requirements of the portfolio. You would ideally want to put the best person in the right position, just like a sports coach would aim to assign the team players to the positions on the field the individual players are best suited for.

Here are some pointers that could help decide which individual should fill which portfolio:

• Chairperson: The role of the Chairperson is to inspire members and encourage action. A suitable person will have a strong vision of how the route can contribute to local development. It will be a person who demands respect while showing energy and drive. The Chairperson should also be fairly well organised since he or she will be running meetings, doing presentations and evaluating the effectiveness of route projects. A very important consideration is that the Chairperson will act as the “face” of the route and must therefore be proficient in public appearances.
• Treasurer: It is very important that the Treasurer has an impeccable record and is trusted by members to look after the assets of the route and to manage the membership fees and other income. It is essential that the incumbent has knowledge of bookkeeping systems, but he or she does not need to be an accountant or bookkeeper.
• Secretary: The position of Secretary is ideal for a person who is meticulous in organising information and who understands the importance of sticking to the rules and keeping a good internal communication system going.
• Route Development Coordinator: The ongoing development of the route and the members’ businesses is a very important element in ensuring the route’s long-term sustainability. An energetic and well-organised person with a natural curiosity to explore new ways of doing things would suit this position.
• Marketing Coordinator: An energetic and outgoing person who easily connects with others is good for this portfolio. Passion for the region and its people is also a must.

Who is involved in electing and appointing leaders

Then election of route members should involve as many as possible if not all the active members of the route – both in the nomination process and the actual voting.

During the time that the route is being established, the Route Establishment Working Group will be responsible for getting the founding documents (constitution, memorandum of association or trust deed) drafted, they will organise the launch meeting where the founding members will sign the founding documents, and they will make all the arrangements for the first election to take place. It is important during this period that the Working Group involve as many as possible prospective members in the process and that they all have the opportunity to nominate candidates for election onto the leadership team.

Subsequent elections will be guided by the provisions in the founding documents. It is common for the Secretary to be the designated person to receive nominations and manage the election process, but founding documents may have different specifications in this regard, so you will have to familiarise yourself with the provisions of your route.

How to run elections and make appointments

As an organisation constituted through your founding document (constitution, memorandum of association or trust deed), you are obliged to manage your elections and appointment of office bearers in accordance to the provisions in the founding document. Study the document carefully and then plan the process leading up to the elections (which will most likely take place at your AGM).

When your elections have been concluded and the portfolios of the leadership team have been assigned, you should inform the Open Africa Head Office of the new leadership and their portfolios.

Use of this Guide

This Guide is suitable for distribution to members in advance of the election process and specifically when nomination for election to the leadership team is sought. It may be sent to members along with the notice of your AGM and other documents relating to the election process.

It is also useful in providing content for internal route training, when the election of office bearers and the leadership team are discussed.

The Route Chairperson fills one of the most important roles in your route and is probably the individual with the most influence over the route’s success. More so than with other leaders, the Chairperson is the one to ensure that route members are supportive of a shared vision and that the various activities of the route are all aligned to this vision. There are also many organisational responsibilities assigned to the Chairperson, which will make the effective functioning of the route as an organisation possible.

This Guide covers the responsibilities of the Chairperson. It is essential for the route Chairperson to familiarise himself or herself with this Guide so that he or she can fill the position as an effective leader. And the Guide is also good reading for other route leaders and members, since it will give them a good understanding of what the role of the Chairperson should be and what support they could be offering the route Chairperson.

This Guide offers should be read together with other Guides covering the various leadership positions.

Why the Chairperson has a key role

There are many reasons for your route to assign the responsibility of route Chairperson to te best possible candidate. Much will depend on the capacity of the Chairperson – both in terms of his or her leadership abilities and the time he or she can allocate to route activities. Having said this, leadership does not entail getting overworked in doing everything that needs to be done, nor sitting back and enjoying the status of recognition.

The Chairperson’s role is simply to ensure that the route’s objectives are met through the collective efforts of the members and employees (when staff are appointed by the route). It is an all-inclusive responsibility that involves almost every aspect of the route activities.

While the route may expect support and guidance from Open Africa, it should not be expected that leadership and direction will come from outside of the route. The Chairperson along with the Executive Committee members should provide such leadership. This does not imply that the route cannot rely on the Open Africa Head Office to offer help! But it does imply that the route leaders, and specifically the Chairperson, should be seeking such help when needed.

You are coming together in the route to achieve your shared objectives with building and promoting a destination route that will bring more economic activity to your area, which will lead to growing local tourism businesses and will improve in the quality of life of your local communities. It is the task of the leaders, specifically the Chairperson, to ensure that the bigger ideas are reflected in the route’s activities and that these activities lead to positive results.

The Chairperson’s duties

The Chairperson (of the Executive Committee, voluntary association, Board of Directors of a nonprofit company, or the Trustees of a trust) is ultimately responsible for ensuring that the route achieves its overall objectives and that the plans made for the current period are implemented successfully.

When staff members are employed, and specifically when a chief executive or route manager is appointed, many of the organisational responsibilities that the Chairperson initially took responsibility for, will be assigned to this person. However, most routes will have to grow substantially to get to the point where such appointment becomes feasible, so in most cases it would not be something to take into account soon.

The route’s founding document (constitution, memorandum of association or trust deed) will specify what the Chairperson’s formal obligations are. These are important aspects of the Chairperson’s role, but the responsibilities go far beyond those formally listed in the founding document. It is important for the Chairperson to study the founding document, to understand the document’s general intentions and the tasks and/or responsibilities specifically assigned to the Chairperson.

But we should look beyond the narrowly defined tasks included in the founding document.

Broadly speaking, there are three areas of responsibility for the Chairperson:

• Outward representation of the route as an organisation.
• Internal leadership in keeping the members involved and the Executive Committee working.
• Duties in maintaining the route as a well-functioning organisation.

Let’s look at these separately to identify the detailed tasks and responsibilities associated with each. In listing these, it should be noted that the specific context of the route and the provisions in the founding document may direct the route to assign responsibilities differently.

Outward representation

Represent the route

During the initial period of establishing and building up the route, there will be a need for many meetings with other parties, which is the responsibility of the Chairperson to take charge of. When the route starts function well, it will become a key player in the development of the local economy and will have to interact with various other parties that are also involved in the development of the local area such as business associations, government departments, development agencies and community organisations. It is the responsibility of the Chairperson to represent the route in its interactions with these external entities.

The route may also receive invitations to attend events, speak at conferences or address the media. The Chairperson should fulfil these tasks, or assign another members if he or she is not available.

It is also the responsibility of the Chairperson to represent the route at Open Africa.

Community relationships

Your route will only be able to succeed if there is substantial local support for what you are setting out to achieve but, as with any other organisation, there will be instances where misunderstandings may arise or where other local organisations may have expectations of the route that cannot be fulfilled. The Chairperson needs to stay in touch with other local organisations and, if there are any local organisational forums, it will be the task for the Chairperson to represent the route there.

Internal leadership

Meetings

The Chairperson is responsible for determining the date and venue of Executive Committee meetings and membership meetings, and is responsible for creating the agendas for these meetings. Ideally, the agenda for a meeting should be compiled before the meeting – perhaps a week or so – and should be distributed to those who will attend so that they can prepare for the meeting.

Most organisations follow a standard agenda format consisting of:
1. Present and apologies
2. Minutes of the previous meeting
3. Matters arising from the previous meeting
4. Reports
5. Financial report
6. New matters
7. Other matters and announcements
8. Next meeting

At the meetings, the Chairperson will be responsible for facilitating the proceedings. The name of the position of Chairperson refers to the “chair” of the person taking charge of a meeting, and this is exactly what the Chairperson is expected to do – to manage the proceedings at the meeting in such a way that views and opinions are heard, decisions are made, people are kept accountable, and the agenda is completed.

Mediation

The Chairperson should intervene when disagreement emerges between members working together on route projects, or when friction between members arise owing to issues outside of the route activities but that affect the route.

In some instances the involved individuals may approach the Chairperson themselves, or other members may bring the issues to the attention of the Chairperson. When such disagreement or friction is noted, the Chairperson needs to act quickly by consulting with all the relevant parties to develop a good understanding of what is at stake and to offer the parties guidance in finding a way forward that will be to the benefit of the route as a whole.

If it is an issue of substance, it may be required to also involve other Executive Committee members in the consultations and discussions.

Organisational functioning

Functioning of the Executive Committee

Leading the Executive Committee is one of the most important tasks of the Chairperson, since a well-functioning Executive Committee will allow the route to achieve good results. The role of the Chairperson is not only to facilitate Executive Committee meetings, it is also to support individual Executive Committee members in fulfilling their duties. This does not entail doing the actual work alongside them,  but rather ensuring that each Executive Committee member is able to deliver what is expected of their portfolios.

Regular meetings and adherence to good meeting practices are essential components of a well-functioning executive. It is generally required that the Executive Committee meets at least once a month and that each Executive Committee member reports on their achievements and responsibilities at these meetings. It is also considered to be good practice to keep minutes of meetings, or at least a record of decisions and assigned tasks, so that the Executive Committee can refer back to what was covered and/or promised at the previous meeting.

Co-ordinate key committees

The Chairperson will not be involved in all the route’s committees and project teams, but key committees or projects my deserve the Chairperson’s attention as member of that committee or project. However, it may also be appropriate for the Chairperson to be the Co-ordinator or chairperson of such committees or projects, should it be relevant to the route’s medium-term prospects and long-term sustainability. However, it may be advisable to encourage other route members to step into the role of Co-ordinator of projects and subcommittees, so that the route develops leadership capacity beyond that of the Chairperson.

Monitoring projects

The implementation of projects should be assigned to project teams, reporting to the executive through a project co-ordnator. However, it is the responsibility of the Chairperson to ensure that the impact of these projects are measured, and that the project teams are functioning effectively so that he or she can intervene to resolve challenges should a project team or committee not function as it should.

Discipline

The route founding document and the Open Africa Charter define clear guidelines for members to adhere to. When members do not follow there rules, procedures will have to be initiated and a process of hearings and/or disciplinary measures will have to follow. If not otherwise defined in the founding document, it is the task of the Chairperson to take charge of such situations, or to assign such task to another route leader.

Use of this Guide

This Guide will help you understand the role of route Chairperson. It does not provide you with detailed instructions on the requirements of your founding document. This is why it is important to read this Guide along with the route’s founding document (constitution, memorandum of association or trust deed).

Other Guides and Case Studies

These Guides and Videos in the Open Africa Route Toolkit will also be of use:

• Guide: How To Lead Your Route
• Guide: How To Have Effective Meetings
• Guide: How To Serve As Treasurer
• Guide: How To Serve As Secretary
• Video: Ken Blanchard On Situational Leadership

Other resources

• Robert’s Rules of Order: www.robertsrules.org