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Boards should have a singular focus |
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Wednesday, 05 December 2007 |
Last week's front-page story concerning the Taber Exhibition Association seems to have generated a lot of buzz.
It appears, as more and more people are heard from on the issue, the TEA board has indeed been very divided recently. Call it a generational gap, as some have called it, or a personal issue, as others have referred to it as, or analyze it any other way - one things remains certain.
As the new TEA board has put it, board members need to be on the same page. The environment has to change and as a recent meeting confirmed, according to the new president, the underlying message was the group needed to be more united.
As one member of the executive put it, even if a board member leaves a meeting after a decision did not go his or her way, a unified position must be projected out to the public.
Now, it may be unrealistic to think everyone is simply going to bury the hatchet and the board's "generational" and "personal" problems, as some have perceived them, are gong to disappear overnight.
However, what the past few weeks should have taught everyone is that community organizations like the TEA exist for the common good of Taberites.
They are volunteers, giving up their time, energy and in many cases, their money, for the good of people other than themselves.
In a perfect world, every similar organization would run smoothly, with that principle in mind. We all know, however, that personalities can get in the way, as can egos.
The TEA board is certainly not the only local board that has faced these dilemmas. In fact, most boards probably have at one point or another had similar difficulties.
It is certainly difficult, if not completely impossible, to achieve 100-per-cent agreement on each and every issue up for debate.
Be it town council, boards for local sports organizations or the TEA, there will also be heated discussions and disagreements.
The key is to not let those disagreements become personal, and to not let them spill over and fester to become much larger problems.
No one knows exactly what has led to the contentious nature the TEA board has found itself in recently, except the people who have been involved in the organization consistently over the years.
However, whether you are new to an organization, and do not know the history behind it or the personalities that drive it, or have had longstanding ties to something, your goal should be the same - working towards the common good.
Every volunteer organization should strive to meet this ideal, and put aside differences to make their organizations as strong as they can be. |
