When I do good, I feel good;
when I do bad, I feel bad, and that is my religion.
-Abraham Lincoln (attributed)
Good engineering is a work of art.
Good management is an act of love.
-Stu Anderson (to therapist)
When I get excited, I wet myself.
-Coco (the wonder-dog)
It was six months ago (March 28th, to be precise) that we met in the Palmer Library to discuss the future of the Buildings & Grounds Committee. Ben Platnik and John Roodhuyzen had recently resigned as co-chairs. The challenges for Buildings & Grounds had been growing for years - increasing maintenance demands, budget constraints and decreasing volunteer involvement.
My consulting business was on hold while I re-trained myself in new methods of project and information management. Reverend Tom Owen-Towle quoted Ralph Waldo Emerson recently, "God has need of a person here." It was in that sense that I agreed to chair the committee. I recognized that I had the time, the skills and a need to put my methods into practice.
I have also spent twenty years in the Men's Group at this fellowship with Cris Crisler, a mentor, psychologist and proponent of Shared Leadership. I attended the Pacific Southwest District's Leadership School in 1992 when Cris was Coordinator, then served as a small group facilitator a couple of times, myself.
Initially I was inclined to reincarnate the "good old days" when I joined the Fellowship in the mid-'80s. We were self-sufficient with minimal budget and did all the maintenance ourselves. Small was beautiful.
It became clear that the "decisions for growth" of the '90s were irreversible. We have sophisticated new buildings and their mortgages to feed. The only way to avoid prolonged anguish is to follow through on those decisions and grow from about 150 to about 250.
That kind of growth requires a fundamental cultural (attitudinal) shift. So I changed my attitude. Ultimately we need to evolve a culture of shared leadership throughout the Fellowship. I hope you'll help - we are the persons here.
Use management terminology: a mission statement, the objectives that support it, the strategies to implement them and ways to measure success.
I propose that promoting shared leadership should be part of the committee's mission and eventually incorporated in the larger Fellowship.
Promote shared leadership with three objectives:
- Establish distributed committee structure
To cope with larger responsibilities the committee must let go of some familiar forms. B&G needs to change from a flat structure of a chair and members into a decentralized structure of a steering committee and working groups.
- Invite, inspire and reward involvement at all levels
This is classic liberal leadership and management - essential in a volunteer organization. Universalism has dispensed with Satan - there is no stick, just carrots. As we grow larger, even the stick of guilt will no longer reach. Be creative and positive.
- Facilitate engagement and dis-engagement at all levels
As the committee decentralizes, we need to make it easier for folks to sign up for positions of responsibility and to transition out of them. The latter is key to inviting involvement. A job without an exit is called a trap.
Pursue those objectives using these strategies:
- Open access to information
This is the linchpin on which the rest of the cultural shift hinges. Free-flowing information lubricates all other processes. These days, this means web-pages that can be read by anyone and updated easily by the committee leaders. E-mail is not open enough. Keep content simple, efficient and clearly organized.
- Well-defined roles and tasks
Leadership roles, projects and tasks are defined briefly in written form and posted openly. This assuages the primary fear of potential volunteers - open ended commitment.
- A few ambitious projects
Tackling ambitious projects - and succeeding - is inspiring to the participants and the rest of the Fellowship. These projects prove that together we can do big things.
- Many small tasks
Large projects are organized as a many well-defined small tasks. Everyday jobs are listed publicly to recruit volunteers. Small tasks yield immediate gratification and remind us that every little bit helps.
- Foundation of commitment
Commitment requires leadership by example. Commitment breeds trust and invites commitment from others, in return. Leaders commit to plan and initiate work. Task sign-ups commit recruits to follow through.
- Develop infrastructure
Develop policies and procedures, document templates, organizational structures, and all manner of other tools which facilitate future operations of the committee. This is the path to progress.
Measure success of shared leadership by these symptoms:
- Few meetings, lots of conversations
Open access to minutes, projects and tasks allows members throughout a distributed organization to know what's going on without formal meetings. Conversations break out as needed between those involved.
- Responsiveness
Small groups are nimble and responsive. Publication of the TODO list gives immediate feedback to those concerned and expedites finding a respondent. Monthly work parties keep the process moving. Attitudes shift from "If I jump in, I'll drown" to "If I hesitate, I'll miss out".
- High participation, low pressure
Roles and tasks that are well defined and clearly communicated, attract the efforts of those able to carry them out. The primary motivation for volunteer work is intrinsic satisfaction, rather than arm-twisting or trinkets.
- Leader rotation, volunteer retention
A healthy organization rotates leaders regularly, while retaining its volunteer base indefinitely.
My unilateral implementation of shared leadership (the irony of the phrase, notwithstanding) has been underway for several months. Here are some elements that have been put in place, in roughly chronological order, and how they relate to the mission.
- UUBG-NNN Web Pages
These web pages constitute Strategy 1. Open access to information. They are validated against the W3C standard so they work with any browser. A standard header with table of contents and links to indexes minimizes the navigational learning curve. Simple outline formatted text (no images) keeps the pages small, about 1/10th the size of UUFSD's public website pages. They load quickly even with a dial-up modem. This difference in degree becomes a difference in kind for many users. The pages are written and posted using software tools that are free to anyone (though not "user-friendly").
When Patricia Weld e-mails me a Buildings & Grounds issue I just cut and paste it into UUBG-042 Tasks: TODO List , then e-mail or phone a few likely volunteers. If the issue relates to another project or document I embed the link with the item as I did two sentences above. This provides context which otherwise would involve repeated explanations and confusion. Metric b. Responsiveness has improved.
When RE teachers approached me about service projects for their JRUU class I was able to direct them to the TODO lists. Now they know where to look anytime they need to occupy idle hands. The chair stops being a bottleneck in the process. We are distributing responsibility (Objective A.) and inviting involvement (Objective B.).
- UUBG-007 Project: Replace Fiberglas Roof in Office
This was an ambitious project (Strategy 3.) organized as smaller tasks ( Strategy 4.) and several crews each with its own chief ( Objective B.). Although crew chiefs were generally reluctant to come forward, this was the maiden voyage of my project management style and trust takes time to accrue. Ultimately the project was a success, completed on schedule and within budget. Participants seemed satisfied with their accomplishments.
- UUBG-011 Project: Reorganize Tool Shed
Definitely Strategy 6. Develop infrastructure. I found the floor of the toolshed. Went through the paints with Lou Gutierrez. A working toolshed has made subsequent projects easier to tackle.
- Work week August, 2007
I declared a "back to school" work week in August with a couple of medium size projects: UUBG-005 Project: Umbrella Chest and UUBG-006 Project: Replace Kiosk Roof . I built the chest while three B&G stalwarts replaced the roof then a painting crew finished the job. I was able to step away from the roof project and let others take the lead. Come Sunday, we were all pretty proud of ourselves.
- UUBG-035 Organization: UUFSD B&G Committee
This series of documents (UUBG-035 ~ UUBG-041) define an implementation for Objective A.Establish distributed committee structure. It remains to be seen whether a couple more Group Leaders will step forward to complete the organizational chart.
- UUBG-042 Tasks: TODO List
This ad hoc TODO list and the maintenance task documents for each of the working groups (UUBG-043 ~ UUBG-047) represent Strategy 2.Well-defined roles and tasks. Currently these are outlines to be fleshed out as we learn what needs to be done during the course of a calendar year.
Thus far, I have collaborated with stalwarts who were supporting Buildings & Grounds before I arrived. I've been working alongside them, facilitating their efforts and cheering them on - but just "preaching to the choir", one might argue. By contrast, UUBG-048 Event: On-Site Saturday recruits volunteers from the Fellowship at large on a monthly basis. I've made a commitment (Strategy 5.) to personally host these events for the next twelve months.
The success or failure of On-Site Saturday events will be the true measure of shared leadership in Buildings and Grounds. OSS depends on all the strategies working together in a continuous process.
The On-Site Saturday process is a monthly cycle with these steps:
- Propose Tasks - for next event
- Update Lists - of tasks and sign-ups
- Finalize Tasks - based on sign-ups
- Prepare - buy food and supplies
- Host Event - on-site
The process begins with figuring out what needs to be done. After each OSS event the steering committee (i.e. working group leaders) selects the tasks to propose for the next event. These may be tasks from the prior event that were not completed, tasks from UUBG-042 Tasks: TODO List or maintenance tasks from the working groups (UUBG-044 ~ UUBG-047).
Since these documents are online, this step occurs by phone and email without a formal meeting. If planning requires on-site reconnaisance or face-to-face design collaboration, OSS lunchtime or the following Sunday service are opportunities that require no extra driving.
The chair revises the UUBG-048 Event: On-Site Saturday with the proposed list of tasks. These are the "minutes" of the virtual meeting of the steering committee that just occurred. The chair sends a "form" email out to a subscriber list with a link to UUBG-048 telling them it has been updated and inviting sign-ups by phone or e-mail. As the newsletter deadline approaches, the chair submits a brief list of the tasks and lunch menu (if available).
The chair updates UUBG-048 as sign-ups come in over the next four weeks. Quick turn-around here is important - the leaders and recruits who have already signed up become the draw for others. The core B&G folks may actually enjoy the work, but we can also offer a steady stream of opportunities for volunteers to socialize or plan RE curricula while painting, pulling weeds, cleaning windows, etc.
Wednesday before the event is the sign-up deadline. Tasks that don't have a leader and enough recruits by then, are dropped from the list. (This leaves recruits who signed up for tasks that were dropped in limbo???). The chair confers with the Group Leaders and Task Leaders on these decisions then posts a final update of UUBG-048.
On Thursday, the chair checks the weather forecast then sends an email to all Leader and Recruit sign-ups as a confirmation / reminder of their participation on Saturday (or cancelation due to weather). The Chef and the Task Leaders buy supplies and otherwise prepare for Saturday. One person should make one trip to the hardware store with all our shopping lists.
On Saturday, Task Leaders arrive at 8:30am to set up before Recruits arrive at 9am. Punctuality is a valuable cultural norm to establish up front. When recruits arrive they should be briefed and provided any tools they need.
At 11:45, it is time to declare success, put tools away and clean up for lunch. In a group setting it is as important to quit on time as it is to start on time. Many of us are excellers - it's hard to let go. But those who persist erode the well-deserved job satisfaction of those who met their sign-up commitment and have other obligations. If you want to hit it again after lunch, that's fine.
Noon is time for lunch and socializing.
At 12:30pm, kitchen clean-up begins. Task and Group Leaders finish putting tools away and lock up. This is an opportunity to review progress and plan for next month's event.
As a committee chair with a penchant for project management, I have proposed an organization and documentation structure that I believe will move this committee forward. That's as far as I can go alone. Shared leadership requires:
- Consensus on mission
Consensus refers both to a decision making process and to its result. The process arrives at a decision after all aspects of of the issue and possible solutions are heard and dealt with and all members of the group feel that the group choice is the most workable under the circumstances. The result is an emotional commitment to the decision by the group.
Consensus takes more time and effort to achieve than other methods of decision (such as doing nothing, flipping a coin, letting an authority decide or voting). But it is appropriate when deciding major changes in the philosophy or direction of the group.
- Agreement on strategy
Agreement is more of an intellectual exercise - discussions and logical arguments with a conclusion that the approach presented or some other is the more logical path.
- Group Leaders
The structure outlined requires 2 or 3 Group Leaders to step forward and complete the committee organizational chart. As a Group Leader you will serve for a year on the Steering Committee which does its business by phone and email in an hour or so per month. I will handle finances and update the web-pages. You will probably lead a few tasks at Saturday work parties.
This year, Caroline DeMar is Leader of the Landscape Group. Leader positions are available in the Hardscape, Structures and Furnishings Groups.
I call for a meeting of the Buildings & Grounds committee and those concerned with its future. Let this document serve as the agenda.
Sincerely,
Stu Anderson
Chair, Buildings & Grounds