BNI 818: Other Members Listening In To New Applicant Interviews - BNI & The Power of One

Summary5 min read

Summary of Podcast Episode: BNI 818 - Other Members Listening In To New Applicant Interviews

Podcast Information:

Title: BNI & The Power of One
Host: Tim Roberts
Episode: BNI 818: Other Members Listening In To New Applicant Interviews
Release Date: May 12, 2025
Description: This episode delves into the processes surrounding new membership applications within BNI chapters, focusing on member involvement in interview sessions and the implications of such practices.

Introduction

In episode 818 of the "BNI & The Power of One" podcast, host Tim Roberts addresses a pertinent question submitted by Brian from Central Maryland. The query revolves around the newly developed process in Brian’s region, where all chapter members are informed about membership applications and are invited to listen in on the Membership Committee's Zoom interviews with applicants. The discussion explores the effectiveness, potential challenges, and best practices related to member involvement in the membership approval process.

The Proposed Membership Application Process

Brian's chapter has instituted a system where:

Notification: All chapter members are informed via email when a new membership application is submitted.
Interview Attendance: Members are invited to sit in on the Membership Committee's Zoom interviews but are restricted to listening only, without the ability to ask questions.
Feedback Mechanism: After the interview, members can provide their feedback or reactions and then leave the meeting.
Decision Making: The Membership Committee deliberates and votes to approve or decline the applicant based on the interview and member feedback.

Brian’s Questions:

Should all chapter members be notified of new membership applications?
Should members be invited to provide feedback via email, especially if they believe the applicant's business overlaps with theirs?
Should members be allowed to sit in on the interview sessions?
Can parts of this process be made non-confidential?

Tim Roberts’ Insights and Recommendations

1. Notification and Feedback Solicitation: Tim supports the idea of notifying all chapter members about new membership applications. He emphasizes the importance of soliciting comprehensive feedback from the entire membership to gather diverse perspectives on the applicant.

“Anytime you receive an applicant to your chapter, it is wise to email the entire chapter to say that you got that application... ask for any feedback from the membership...” ([02:30])

2. Confidentiality and Role of Members in the Interview: While Tim agrees with seeking feedback, he strongly advises against involving chapter members in the actual interview process. He points out that having multiple members listen in during the interview can create an uncomfortable environment for the applicant and potentially lead to conflicting interpretations of responses.

“They should not in any way be a part of the interview though. I don't think that makes any sense at all... it's getting members too involved in the membership committee's business.” ([04:15])

3. Managing Feedback Effectively: Tim highlights the risk of feedback being provided after the interview has concluded, which can render timely input ineffective. He underscores the necessity of collecting feedback early in the process to avoid last-minute objections that could complicate membership decisions.

“If somebody doesn't reply and the membership committee does the interview and they really enjoy it and they accept that application, well, it's too late at that point for the member to say anything.” ([05:00])

4. Maintaining Confidentiality in Decision-Making: Emphasizing the importance of keeping committee decisions confidential, Tim notes that while acceptance should be public, the reasons for declining an applicant should remain within the committee to prevent misunderstandings and conflicts.

“All decisions of the membership Committee are confidential to that membership committee... you don't want it to be hearsay and all these other negative consequences.” ([05:45])

5. Simplifying the Process: Tim advises keeping the process straightforward by focusing on soliciting feedback without involving members in the interviews. This approach minimizes potential conflicts and ensures that decisions are based on a collective yet streamlined evaluation.

“So keep it simple, keep it simple, get the feedback... That's really good advice.” ([04:50])

6. Positive Engagement: Encouraging chapters to view member feedback as a valuable resource, Tim suggests that positive experiences shared by members can greatly facilitate the membership approval process.

“There could be some members who have really good experiences with them and they want to share it and that's just going to make your decision that much easier.” ([05:20])

Key Takeaways

Effective Communication: Notifying all chapter members about new membership applications fosters transparency and collective insight.
Structured Feedback Collection: Implementing a systematic approach to gather member feedback via email ensures timely and relevant input without overcomplicating the process.
Maintaining Interview Integrity: Keeping the Membership Committee solely responsible for conducting interviews preserves the confidentiality and objectivity of the evaluation process.
Balancing Transparency and Confidentiality: While openness in feedback is encouraged, the decision-making process should remain discreet to prevent conflicts and maintain professionalism.
Streamlining Processes: Simplifying the membership approval process by avoiding unnecessary member involvement during interviews can lead to more efficient and amicable outcomes.

Conclusion

In this episode, Tim Roberts provides a thoughtful analysis of involving chapter members in the membership application process. He acknowledges the benefits of transparency and collective feedback but cautions against overstepping boundaries by involving members directly in interviews. His recommendations aim to balance member engagement with the need for a confidential and efficient decision-making process, ultimately fostering a healthy and professional chapter environment.

Notable Quotes

On Soliciting Feedback:

“Anytime you receive an applicant to your chapter, it is wise to email the entire chapter to say that you got that application... ask for any feedback from the membership.” ([02:30])
On Member Involvement in Interviews:

“They should not in any way be a part of the interview though. I don't think that makes any sense at all... it's getting members too involved in the membership committee's business.” ([04:15])
On Confidentiality:

“All decisions of the membership Committee are confidential to that membership committee... you don't want it to be hearsay and all these other negative consequences.” ([05:45])
On Simplifying the Process:

“So keep it simple, keep it simple, get the feedback... That's really good advice.” ([04:50])
On Positive Member Feedback:

“There could be some members who have really good experiences with them and they want to share it and that's just going to make your decision that much easier.” ([05:20])

Stay Connected: For more insights and to engage with future topics, visit bnipowerof1.com, submit your questions, or leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred platform. Your support helps elevate the podcast to reach more BNI members worldwide.

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Transcript3 lines

[00:00]
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Sam Foreign.
[00:39]
B
Welcome back to BNI and the Power of One podcast. Back with your show Topics Questions topics submitted@bnipowerofone.com if you ever have one go there, leave it. Happy to get to them. Today comes from Brian in Central Maryland. It says our region has developed a process to inform all chapter members when someone has submitted an application for membership. We announced the date and time of the Membership Committee Zoom interview and invite anyone from the chapter to sit in on the interview. Members are only allowed to listen and can can't ask questions. When the interview is over they can give their feedback slash reaction to the interview and then leave the meeting. Membership Committee then discusses the interview, votes on whether to approve or decline the membership. We what do you think about this process? Should membership be notified of all submitted applications? Should they be invited to weigh in via email if they think the applicant is in overlap with their business? Should they be allowed to sit on the interview? And this doesn't have to be confidential. Okay, so yes and no. So yes, anytime you receive an applicant to your chapter, it is wise to email the entire chapter to say that you got that application. It would be a you know we're super excited. We just got an application for Jim Smith at XYZ company and ask for any feedback form from the membership if you have any concerns about this application the applicant, you know, anything you think we should be aware of or if you have anything positive to say if you have a great experience with them. Either way, please let us know via email to the Membership Committee that you should be trying to get as much information on every applicant you can get, good positive or negative it is on the members. It is the members responsibility ultimately to inform the Membership Committee if they feel an applicant is in any way impeding on the their profession or seat in the chapter and the Membership Committee then takes that into account. But if you're sending an email to every member and kind of soliciting that advice, you should get that anyway. So it's a good approach. They should not in any way be a part of the interview though. I don't think that makes any sense at all. I think it makes it extremely awkward for the person being interviewed to get on a zoom interview and see, you know, to at least two membership committee members because you need at least two, you don't want it one on one. But then to have, you know, potentially multiple other people just there to watch the interview, I don't think that's really creating an environment you want to create puts people in a very awkward Position just, it's just a weird way to do that and it's getting members too involved in the membership committee's business, for lack of a better term. So yeah, I think it makes a lot of sense. It's really good advice for you to solicit feedback from any applicant you get. You should be excited about that they applied. Please tell us any good positive interactions you've had. Please share any concerns you might have about this applicant because then if somebody doesn't reply and the membership committee does the interview and they really enjoy it and they accept that application, well, it's too late at that point for the member to say anything. We've seen that in the past where member goes through the entire process, they get approved, then a member of the chapter suddenly has something to share. Well, it's too late at that point. So that's really good advice. That's a really good process. But I would cut them out of the interview part. They should not be a part of that. It. I can see that just opening up a can of worms of issues potentially some really unattended consequences to a move like that. So keep it simple, keep it simple, get the feedback. Because again, I like to think on the positive side, there could be some members who have really good experiences with them and they want to share it and that's just going to make your decision that much easier. As a membership committee, all decisions of the membership Committee are confidential to that membership committee. Okay. So if the membership committee decides to accept or decline, obviously accept as public, but decline it. People know why and everything else they don't have to go into great detail on because again, you don't want it to be hearsay and all these other negative consequences to it. And I think if you, if you got like five, six people listening to your interview, they can all interpret an answer differently. And then if the member's like, well, I didn't really like that answer. Another member's like, I didn't mind that answer. It just there's more potential conflict and issues. So there you go. Very easy, very good. Quality question. Congratulations, Kudos that your chapter is taking that step to, to solicit the information. I bet you most chapters don't, even though it is trained to do and, but I think you've gone a step too far and so I, I'd pull that part back. As always, appreciate everybody who continues to listen and engage. If you got questions, go to bnipower of1.com submit it there. If you have any feedback, you can submit it there. Or leave us a review. Apple Podcast Spotify however you might be finding the podcast, it does help elevate. The show is a free thing we're doing. It helps elevate it to other listeners in BNI as well. So I appreciate that. Have a fantastic rest of your day.
[06:06]
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