Re: Dealing with a common problem - your help please
Re: Dealing with a common problem - your help please
- Subject: Re: Dealing with a common problem - your help please
- From: Doan Stafford <email@hidden>
- Date: Tue, 27 May 2003 23:50:11 -0700
On Tue, May 20, ~9:40pm, Chris Kiltz of jomacs.org asked:
> How do you get people involved on board?
> How do you make it clear that there is responsibility & work involved?
> How can you motivate them to jump in & shoulder the load?
Hey Chris!
Wow! So many great replies! I won't respond to each one, but I did
want to offer my two cents... For our group, we:
(1) list what positions are available and what they entail
<
http://www.qmug.org/LA/qi-qore/_future.html>
(2) hold elections for one-year terms every July
(3) hold new officer orientations to:
* find out what they have already done
* find out what they would like to do
* acknowledge that this is a volunteer position, and that no one
will
ask them to do something they don't want to do
* reassure them that delivering bad news is okay, and that that
is better than not saying anything or disappearing, and to
* show them what resources are available to them as officers
<
http://www.qmug.org/forum/Resources.html>
(4) have QORE meetings as needed, not necessarily monthly, and
(5) thank them at the end of our year w/ Certificates of Appreciation
<
http://qmug.org/LA/qj-qudos/Certificates/9th-Anniversary--2003.html>
On Wed, May 21, ~11:30pm, Jim Foster of mause.ca responded:
> Our Executives are failing to do what they said they would do, or are
not
> self-starters waiting for someone to tell them what I want them to do
>
> It was actually better to have NO ONE in the position than to have
> someone in the position who either can't or won't fire on all
cylinders.
>
> In too many cases, the President ends up being the meeting MC, agenda
> maker, and guest speaker all wrapped up in a bow-tie!
I totally agree. At times, doing something yourself is easier,
faster, better than finding someone, showing them, following up w/
them, and thanking them, or maybe ending-up having to do it anyway.
And at times, you have to realize you can't do everything, and if no
one else wants to do it, maybe it just won't get done. Sometimes you
just have to acknowledge and accept the distance between the ideal and
the real.
On Thu, May 22, ~3:30am, Chip Griffin of ??? chipped in:
> We have no by-laws, and our officers are elected on a as-needed basis.
> I have always been interested in the club becoming more, but it exists
> as the masses desire and that is good (and much better than nothing).
This is our group as well. Nine years and no by-laws. For us, the
group is ultimately about trying to have fun and helping people and not
getting bogged down in business.
On Thu, May 22, ~6:20am, Pat Fauquet of wap.org enumerated:
> (1) your elected board is way too small.
> (2) form committees to take over large jobs
> (3) get these people to your board meeting and ask for committee
reports
> (4) do not micro-manage tasks
> (5) give your general members a job
> (6) be ready and willing to accept resignations from board members
> (7) tell your board how long you plan to be the President
I think every group is different, therefore every group has different
organizational structures that are appropriate. I'm glad yours works
for you. I personally would not involve myself w/ committees and
reports.
On Thu, May 22, ~10:25pm, Macbeth of ncmug.com added:
> Concrete carrots!
> (1) volunteers/leaders have membership fee waived
> (2) budget for leadership meeting breakfasts, lunches or dinners
> (3) first dibs at review items
> (4) last dibs at review items
> (5) "free" raffle tickets
> (6) recognition awards, dinner, etc.
> (7) the fun of being amongst others that are willing to talk Mac
>
> Some are just waiting to be asked rather than letting you know that
they
> would be willing. What lets me continue to strive for more is knowing
> that I do what I want because "I" like to do it
>
> One thing that is a definitive, you must have a club charter or bylaws
> or standing rules that outline the club organization and the duties in
> specific BUT NOT minute detail
I love your ideas: fee waivers (if we charged any), and expense
budgets (if we had one). And I totally agree that I couldn't continue
if I didn't enjoy making it happen. Not every group fails, though, w/o
by-laws.
On Fri, May 23, ~10:50pm, David Krafchick of dbug.org thought:
> I think there should be terms for all positions which build change and
> freshness into the mix. When a person leaves, the gap [is as wide as]
> the number of years they stayed in position.
I agree. As I already said, our group has one-year commitments, but
that doesn't prevent us from filling the same position the following
year as that's a new term. To prevent gaps, we have guidelines.
Interestingly, AUG Advisory Board and Regional Liaison descriptions
were changed from 2 and 1 year limits respectively to essentially
indefinite. I love Chuck, and I would hate to see him not mentor a
replacement.
On Fri, 23 May 23, ~1:50pm, Stephen Morgan of ppcuginc.com
> (1) Start asking members to do small tasks
> (2) After several months, ask them to switch to something else
> (3) Ask them to attend a short board meeting of lots of members
> (4) Alternate board officers
I'm glad this works for you, but this kind of musical chairs would
make me kind of crazy as I wouldn't know at any given month who was
doing what, and whom to go to.
Sincerely,
Doan Thiel Stafford *
http://www.qmug.org * (323) 222-QMUG/7684
Co-Chair -- QMUG/LA * email@hidden * (323) 860-7346 fax
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