dblahnick(at)gmail.com
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 Posted: Tue Jan 03, 2012 1:03 pm Post subject: Part III: moving away from cabals |
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Part III: Moving away from the culture of cabalist leadership...
In 2005/6 I had stayed an extra year as president to get the new regionalized bylaws written and through the vote, and went searching for the next presidential "volunteer". I had a very specific goal in mind, not for an individual, but a concept; he should be a non YPA insider. We had a few volunteers, but I called non-volunteer, Condor, nationally a relatively little known Yak 52 owner and successful land developer who had written us some well thought out ideas on corporate sponsorship. After about 45 minutes on the phone (ok, maybe longer), he agreed to run. His resume was strong in business and aviation.
Why did I search out an outsider to run first under the new bylaws??
I watched over the years something that I just couldn't see as healthy long term for this organization; the constant recycling of the same individual(s) running departments, controlling the message and content, the selections of who and what gets heard. And I'm not talking about the President elected by the Board. For some people, the "need" to be in control, via the front door or back door, goes beyond the trappings of altruism and volunteerism, regardless of how much they believe they are the most qualified or capable, or, as often heard "there is no one else".
Believe it or not, your organization is largely maneuvered from within by the efforts of one individual who does quality work, but orchestrates a level of control that unless challenged, tends to muffle communication and, sometimes, even good logic. I didn't think that was healthy in 2004 and attempted to make changes as president in certain key positions, I searched out Condor a few year later to further insure the RPA would be free to invite in any and all, take any course or path. While anyone can and should continue contributing as volunteers over time, I absolutely believe the nesting of a persons influence over an active, board managed committee-based structure is unhealthy today. Cabalist leadership is like insider trading, a few folks make the calls, a few more may be invited to participate, the rest of you are fed information and largely kept in the dark.
How does it survive? By political maneuvering for sure, by insuring friends are in position who support the system, by having no objective board committee process that sheds light on the condition, and, most importantly, counting on the apathy of the membership themselves.
Your magazine is not unlike that Southpark episode where the world is going to sh_t, so the government takes over the airwaves and just shows "puppies" on TV; it immediately focuses our attention away from broader issues and services (see part IV). You get used to it, expect it. It's not an association, it becomes a content producer for the personal glorification and needs of individual ego, wrapped around the trappings of your filtered contributions. But it's not the RPA, not as it was envisioned.
Finding out the hard way you screwed up the bylaws....
In 2005 I thought this culture I adopted from the YPA would be removed with the new regionalized bylaws. But only a few years later, I realized I had made a *huge* oversight. I wanted to empower the new board to set the agenda, but left in place the institution of a National President over and separate from the Board of Directors, "as it has always been". This is not a "check and balance" system, it's a system that further separates *you* (and in fact, the Board) from what the association is or should be doing. As a former YPA board member I could see it was flawed, as the RPA president I felt frustrated by it while at the same time using it to forcefully get through the required RPA changes, as a member and volunteer it just plain sucks! It allows the board to rely on the national officers too much. The president and vice president are fundamentally separate from the board, this sets up a us vs them agenda debate, poor execution of services, cabalism, apathy on the bod and in committees (if they even exist) and significant lack of communication, both horizontally and vertically.
20/20 hindsight....
Your six regional board of directors are your go-to-guys/gals, you should have their emails, if you have an idea, you should be telling them. In meetings online or over the phone they should be identifying service priorities, setting up committees to tackle the services, and then asking (communicating) with their membership to volunteer, and telling you why you're needed. If it sounds like a worthless service, you will vote with your feet.
The change that is needed:
The (current) three national directors are elected by *all* of you, via national voting. Combined with the 6 regional directors, that is all the pointy head leadership the RPA will ever need in the future.
The Board now, under a system we carried over from the YPA, must then elect still another power center; the President, separate from the bod itself. Why?
The Solution:
The national directors now serve for 3 years, each should serve as chairman of the board, vice chairman and secretary for one year and cycles positions by seniority. The chairman guides the debate of the regional directors in setting services, programs and treasury priorities. If he runs amok, or fails to execute, the board simply votes him out of the chairmans seat if all or some large % agree, but not off the board. He is one of them, not separate from them. The YPA adopted system of separate President is abolished; the rule going forward is "no agenda, but what comes from the regions via directors and ultimately from the members via active member communication. No one over the directors you elect, separate from them.
And member communications should be priority number one. Priority number two should be the advancement of team-based committee style project execution. To let you participate, to solve, to speak - instead of the constant recycling of one, it should be the constant invitation of the many.
______________________________________
Strive for one knee down in life, but never two.
(1000 Year Old Road Racing Proverb That I Just Made Up)
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