In volunteer organizations, you often have to play the hand that you are dealt. In a previous post, I talked about having the VP's take a greater role in specific areas of chapter business. It seems to me, after discussing with my mom, that this is probably something that we should have been doing already. Our recent troubles with a president, in which he claims he didn't know what he was getting into & no one helped, might have been averted had he been asked as 1st VP or 2nd VP to take a larger hand in chapter business. I guess the presidents of those years wanted to do too much themselves & had difficulty delegating responsibility. Or maybe, they were simply playing the hand they were dealt & felt others would step up if they trully wanted to step up.
I have no idea who my 2nd VP will be. I have discussed the 1st VP previously. I don't believe I want to stand pat & let her coast as she has been, missing meetings, etc. Perhaps I should put her in charge of membership recruitment & retention....
I will have to play with the officers and board that are given to me. To a certain degree, I have to play with the committee chairs I'm given. We seem to have constant vacancies, so how can I ask someone to step down who's willing to serve?
I probably need to define roles, both in my own mind & to the individuals, with an eye to chapter history, so that everyone knows what he or she needs to be doing. Let's start with the VP's & committee chairs.
Previously, I said 1 VP should assist in membership recruitment & 1 VP should assist in chapter management (programs, house, planning, special events). Which is more important? Probably right now the membership, so that should go to the 1st VP. I need to better define the "chapter management" portion for the 2nd VP.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Committee Agendas
How should I handle the committee agendas? I mean, the individual committee chairs should come to the President with an agenda for discussion, but I don't think anyone does that. How long have we had an Academic Affairs committee with no real action? Our membership committee is floundering. Education, Finance, Certification, Handbook, House kind of hold status quo.
I made a binder for committees. Should I begin to jot notes for the chairs & then meet with each in the summer? Or, once elected, should I meet with each prior to the summer? That's probably the better idea. If we announce the results of the election at the end of April, I need to spend May meeting with committee chairs to go over agendas.
I made a binder for committees. Should I begin to jot notes for the chairs & then meet with each in the summer? Or, once elected, should I meet with each prior to the summer? That's probably the better idea. If we announce the results of the election at the end of April, I need to spend May meeting with committee chairs to go over agendas.
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Leader's Resources
I'm at work trying to print out all the Administrative References the Institute offers. We complain mightily about the Institute, but they seem to have some good information on the Internet to help Chapters & their leaders conduct their business. I may or may not read all this BS, but I'll definitely keep it handy should I need it.
Did a bunch of work on the web site yesterday and got it mostly updated. There's a couple of things that are redundant, so I may just eliminate them from the site. For example, there's a separate page to list the chapter meeting programs. What the ___?!?!?! If this information appears on the home page, why show it somewhere else? That sort of stuff.
Our Chapter Secretary gave me a packet of stuff she thought I might find helpful. She agrees with me that the web site should be simple & up-to-date.
Did a bunch of work on the web site yesterday and got it mostly updated. There's a couple of things that are redundant, so I may just eliminate them from the site. For example, there's a separate page to list the chapter meeting programs. What the ___?!?!?! If this information appears on the home page, why show it somewhere else? That sort of stuff.
Our Chapter Secretary gave me a packet of stuff she thought I might find helpful. She agrees with me that the web site should be simple & up-to-date.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Binders for the Present & Future
I'm going to stop by Staples on the way home & get 3-ring binders to create binders for the present & for the future. How many do I need?
1. My work with the Planning Committee - I need tabs for my notes, agendas, minutes, e-mails, others?
2. I need to consolidate & somehow track my thoughts for the future presidency.
3. I need one for current work - notes from board meetings, notes on web site issues, treasurer's reports, etc.
4. 1 for my educational activities - power points, etc.
I also need some zippered envelopes to put small brochures & such in. This is getting expensive!
1. My work with the Planning Committee - I need tabs for my notes, agendas, minutes, e-mails, others?
2. I need to consolidate & somehow track my thoughts for the future presidency.
3. I need one for current work - notes from board meetings, notes on web site issues, treasurer's reports, etc.
4. 1 for my educational activities - power points, etc.
I also need some zippered envelopes to put small brochures & such in. This is getting expensive!
Web Master
I spent a decent amount of time this weekend as "web master" for the Chapter web site. As I sit & type this, the only thought I have is how easy this is & I was correct in stating it should occupy about 1 hour of my time each month. Here's what has to be done each month:
1.) Update the meeting date & program description for the following month.
2.) As new meeting programs are set, add them in order to the upcoming list at the bottom of the page.
3.) When the new newsletter comes out, change its file name to "current.pdf" & upload it.
4.) Take the "current.pdf" down from the site, change its name to "last.pdf" & reupload.
5.) Take the "last.pdf" down from the site, change its name to the month and year, & add it to the archive page.
Not sure how the President's Message will work. I'll get to that later.
Most of this I edited without using FrontPage, although the redesign will have to use FrontPage or some other software.
1.) Update the meeting date & program description for the following month.
2.) As new meeting programs are set, add them in order to the upcoming list at the bottom of the page.
3.) When the new newsletter comes out, change its file name to "current.pdf" & upload it.
4.) Take the "current.pdf" down from the site, change its name to "last.pdf" & reupload.
5.) Take the "last.pdf" down from the site, change its name to the month and year, & add it to the archive page.
Not sure how the President's Message will work. I'll get to that later.
Most of this I edited without using FrontPage, although the redesign will have to use FrontPage or some other software.
Committee Reports Part 3
I hope the idea of continuing thoughts with the same title in "parts" makes it helpful to follow my trains of thought & experiences. I hope its also helpful to me as I begin to plan for next year remembering my thoughts!
I spoke to a past-president last night. He said during his presidency he too got the committee reports before hand & asked his committee chairs to merely hit the high points during the Board Meeting. He said that freed up a tremendous amount of time at the meetings to discuss new business.
I spoke to a past-president last night. He said during his presidency he too got the committee reports before hand & asked his committee chairs to merely hit the high points during the Board Meeting. He said that freed up a tremendous amount of time at the meetings to discuss new business.
Binders for the Future Part 2
It occurred to me last night at the Board meeting that there is a lot of information about certain things in our Chapter that resides with only 1 or 2 people. The web site for example. It took us several months to gain control of it back from a member who had simply become too busy to deal with it. Had more than 1 person been in a position to do it, we could have simply asked the Web Master to step aside & allow a new Web Master. As I become Web Master, I'm taking steps to prevent such an occurence in the future.
Specifically last night we discussed taxes and the Perpetuation Fund. Our current Treasurer had a time getting in contact with our past Treasurer to try to get the taxes squared away. Had the past Treasurer written up some instructions, a meeting and much angst would have been prevented. Our Perpetuation Fund is a series of Certificates of Deposit that are controlled by a group of trustees. No one is certain who these trustees are, but the Secretary has them listed somewhere. I suggested a binder that is handed down from President to President where this stuff resides. One member suggested space on the web where only officers can get to it. I'm not sure we're that high tech yet. A 3-ring binder should work nicely. If our current President doesn't start one, I will in June.
What format should this binder take? 1 thought would be to have tabs for each committee. This could contain basic information about the committee & perhaps some of the information from the Institute's web site for committee chairs. You can then include each month's committee report. Other tabs could be:
Essential Chapter Info - taxes, finances, bank accounts, trustees
Tabs for individual projects - mine would include National Convention 2007, 50th Anniversary in 2009, Region Conference 2009, etc.
Tabs for each meeting
Help for future Presidents - tips, hints, tricks (like last night the past President told me he called each board member before the meeting to make sure they could make it & make it on time. He said his meetings typically started on time. We always seem to start late.)
Specifically last night we discussed taxes and the Perpetuation Fund. Our current Treasurer had a time getting in contact with our past Treasurer to try to get the taxes squared away. Had the past Treasurer written up some instructions, a meeting and much angst would have been prevented. Our Perpetuation Fund is a series of Certificates of Deposit that are controlled by a group of trustees. No one is certain who these trustees are, but the Secretary has them listed somewhere. I suggested a binder that is handed down from President to President where this stuff resides. One member suggested space on the web where only officers can get to it. I'm not sure we're that high tech yet. A 3-ring binder should work nicely. If our current President doesn't start one, I will in June.
What format should this binder take? 1 thought would be to have tabs for each committee. This could contain basic information about the committee & perhaps some of the information from the Institute's web site for committee chairs. You can then include each month's committee report. Other tabs could be:
Essential Chapter Info - taxes, finances, bank accounts, trustees
Tabs for individual projects - mine would include National Convention 2007, 50th Anniversary in 2009, Region Conference 2009, etc.
Tabs for each meeting
Help for future Presidents - tips, hints, tricks (like last night the past President told me he called each board member before the meeting to make sure they could make it & make it on time. He said his meetings typically started on time. We always seem to start late.)
Hail to the Chief
Well, its almost official. After the formality of an election, I will be the next president of our CSI chapter. The young woman who is 1st VP isn't ready to move up, so she will remain as 1st VP during the next FY. We'll have to recruit a 2nd VP & he/she has to be a Professional member (Architect, Engineer, Specifier, etc.). Our by-laws stipulate that 1 VP has to be an Industry member (manufacturer's rep, contractor, etc.) and 1 VP has to be a Professional member. Our by-laws also stipulate that the President can serve 2 consecutive FY's, so I told the board I signed up for the full 2 yrs. They seemed good with that.
Now, do I have a LOT of work to do to get ready!
Now, do I have a LOT of work to do to get ready!
Committee Reports Part 2
In an earlier posting, I asked about how committee reports should be handled. Our Board meetings run TOO LONG & I'm looking for ways to shorten. Our President is trying to get committee reports via e-mail ahead of the Board meeting, so we can merely summarize at the meeting & the minutes will reflect the entire report. I love it!
The Nature of a Leader
Had lunch with 2 colleagues from my Construction Specifications Institute chapter today. Both of these ladies are in sales - 1 for a large, international drywall company & the other for a family-owned, regional paint manufacturer. 1 a past-president and the other a committee chair & Director. The topic of next year's presidency came up. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am 2nd VP & the 1st VP is uncertain if she will step into the President's position in June of this year or not.
We discussed the fact that our chapter is in mild disarray and strong leadership is needed. That lead us to discussing what qualities a leader needs & what support a leader needs. The past-president told us she is more comfortable as a "worker bee" not as the leader. I think I'm a little more suited to leadership. I typically have a hard time taking the time to put the details together & following through with my volunteer activities. In my professional life, I have no problem with that - in fact, I'm happiest at work noodling out details, editing specifications or helping solve problems on the construction site.
In CSI, I've noticed, I prefer to sit, listen and offer guidance. Frequently in our Board Meetings, either myself or another Director speaks up to bring the discussions back to a logical realm when they go off course. I am also frequently the one who speaks for fiscal conservatism and responsiblitiy. Is this the attitude and action of a leader? If I become president, do I need to take a more hands on approach? I don't think so. Since I've been in CSI, our chapter has had 7 presidents. It seems that the best President I've worked with was a gentleman who had a vision, had ideas and voiced that vision and those ideas & delegated the work to others.
Previous post have begun to formulate my vision and ideas. I think that's what our chapter needs and what I'm best suited to do. In June 2007, our chapter will host the National Convention. We have much work to do between now & then. We need vision, we need ideas, but we also need worker bees.
We discussed the fact that our chapter is in mild disarray and strong leadership is needed. That lead us to discussing what qualities a leader needs & what support a leader needs. The past-president told us she is more comfortable as a "worker bee" not as the leader. I think I'm a little more suited to leadership. I typically have a hard time taking the time to put the details together & following through with my volunteer activities. In my professional life, I have no problem with that - in fact, I'm happiest at work noodling out details, editing specifications or helping solve problems on the construction site.
In CSI, I've noticed, I prefer to sit, listen and offer guidance. Frequently in our Board Meetings, either myself or another Director speaks up to bring the discussions back to a logical realm when they go off course. I am also frequently the one who speaks for fiscal conservatism and responsiblitiy. Is this the attitude and action of a leader? If I become president, do I need to take a more hands on approach? I don't think so. Since I've been in CSI, our chapter has had 7 presidents. It seems that the best President I've worked with was a gentleman who had a vision, had ideas and voiced that vision and those ideas & delegated the work to others.
Previous post have begun to formulate my vision and ideas. I think that's what our chapter needs and what I'm best suited to do. In June 2007, our chapter will host the National Convention. We have much work to do between now & then. We need vision, we need ideas, but we also need worker bees.
Binders for the Future
When I was younger & more handsome, I was a member of JayCees in Mississippi. One thing they do as an organization is CPG's - Chair's Planning Guides - for every committee or project they do.
Some of us in CSI try to do this, but perhaps in this planning for the 2007 Convention here in Baltimore, we should do more of it. We could then share this resource with other chapters & ease some of the angst we're now feeling.
Some of us in CSI try to do this, but perhaps in this planning for the 2007 Convention here in Baltimore, we should do more of it. We could then share this resource with other chapters & ease some of the angst we're now feeling.
Committee Reports
Should an organization of committees who report to the Board of Directors once a month merely summarize their reports to the Board with little to no discussion? Could the committee chairs issue the reports to the Board via e-mail ahead of time & then the Board only discusses what is necessary?
Our Board Meetings are running too long. We need ways to shorten them while still conducting the essential business of the Chapter.
Please, if you happen across my blog, give me your thoughts!
Our Board Meetings are running too long. We need ways to shorten them while still conducting the essential business of the Chapter.
Please, if you happen across my blog, give me your thoughts!
CSI - no not the TV show
I am currently 2nd Vice-President of the Baltimore Chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute, a professional organization of Architects, Engineers, Specifiers, Product and Manufacturers Representatives, Contractors and anyone in the construction industry. Our chapter is in mild disarray after a series of leadership issues. We have righted the ship for now, but the 1st VP tells me she cannot step up to President in June as planned. That will mostly likely leave me to be President. Here are some thoughts on what our chapter needs:
1. The vice-presidents should serve the Chapter & President in very specific ways. Each should be assigned a task, similar to SPX H.S.A. One should assist in membership recruiting & retention. The other should assist in chapter management – programs, house, planning, special events.
2. We need to grow as a Chapter in membership & retent those new members. This will lead to better involvement & more people to share the load. The best ways to grow are:
a. Make people feel wanted.
b. Provide good value for their money – GREAT PROGRAMS
c. Ask people to be members
d. Ask people to be involved
3. Some committees can no longer be a one person show – PROGRAMS, MEMBERSHIP. Recruit a Board Member &/or Past President to assist the chair in recruiting & running the committee.
4. Without GREAT programs, we cannot effectively recruit & retain members. We MUST give GREAT value for dues & dinner costs. Remember Edna's comment - the $35 is for the meeting, not just the food.
5. Perhaps we should consider doing something other than educational programs - what might be fun for the group to do as a whole? Have 1 or 2 meetings each FY that are purely social.6. The board meetings should have a published agenda that is strictly followed. We can no longer have our board meetings run into the happy hour. It appears that we can no longer start these meetings at 4:30PM. Is there an alternate date or time?
More on this later.
1. The vice-presidents should serve the Chapter & President in very specific ways. Each should be assigned a task, similar to SPX H.S.A. One should assist in membership recruiting & retention. The other should assist in chapter management – programs, house, planning, special events.
2. We need to grow as a Chapter in membership & retent those new members. This will lead to better involvement & more people to share the load. The best ways to grow are:
a. Make people feel wanted.
b. Provide good value for their money – GREAT PROGRAMS
c. Ask people to be members
d. Ask people to be involved
3. Some committees can no longer be a one person show – PROGRAMS, MEMBERSHIP. Recruit a Board Member &/or Past President to assist the chair in recruiting & running the committee.
4. Without GREAT programs, we cannot effectively recruit & retain members. We MUST give GREAT value for dues & dinner costs. Remember Edna's comment - the $35 is for the meeting, not just the food.
5. Perhaps we should consider doing something other than educational programs - what might be fun for the group to do as a whole? Have 1 or 2 meetings each FY that are purely social.6. The board meetings should have a published agenda that is strictly followed. We can no longer have our board meetings run into the happy hour. It appears that we can no longer start these meetings at 4:30PM. Is there an alternate date or time?
The Great Schism
I went ahead & created a new blog to split out my CSI work from my Husband, Father, Architect work. I called it "The Accidental Leader" because I find myself as Chapter President-elect about 5 years ahead of schedule. Boy do I have a lot of work to do!
The first 10 or so posts are going to be copied directly over from my other blog, so they'll all have closely matching date & time stamps.
The first 10 or so posts are going to be copied directly over from my other blog, so they'll all have closely matching date & time stamps.
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