So the Chairperson of our Board of Directors for our non-profit un-resigned
the chairmanship and said she was considering resigning from the board as well all because someone asked her a question about pricing 2 meetings ago.
Have you ever been in an allegedly democratic group only to have one person decide that the group in fact needs a leader, a strong leader? That's her. She always takes the seat at the head of table. If it is a round table she stands up or leans on something so she is above us all. At the meeting when she melted down, she started the meeting with a timer in her hand and said the 6 of us had 2 minutes each to talk -- this was a one hour meeting so I guess she wanted to talk for the other 48 minutes (?).
She asked what was going on with Marketing and marketing told her that they were still waiting on her to supply a list of goods and prices. She got so angry she left the room then she came back crying. After the meeting she told another board member that she wanted a formal apology from marketing and that she was resigning the chairmanship and probably from the Board.
We had a meeting without her which went very well and things moved forward. The meeting was actually democratic and fun but after the apology she unresigned and re-assumed chairmanship (!?) At which point another board member resigned because of the atmosphere she creates at meetings.
I joined this effort because I wanted a challenge and because I work on my own all week and it is nice (in theory) to be part of a group of like minded people trying to accomplish something but at this point I am kind of embarrassed to be part of this and I wish marketing had not apologized. It has made me see how spoiled I am in running my own business and never having to attend useless, ego-trip meetings.
Any advice on how to restore democracy?
= new reply since forum marked as read
Last edited Fri Jul 14, 2017, 04:07 PM - Edit history (13)
but it sounds like she's more interested in simply having the visual symbols of leadership and management than actually using them.
WAS it her responsibility to provide marketing with the list of goods and services? Then it was marketing's responsibility to keep asking her for it until they got at least an estimated time of arrival. On the other hand, your chairperson shouldn't have reacted like a spoiled adolescent -- leaving in a huff, crying, procuring an apology through an intermediary rather than confronting the "culprit" herself, then audaciously re-assuming her role.
Boards of directors are not democracies per se. But when guided by knowledgeable and competent leadership, they don't neeed to be. The fact that it didn't occur to any of you to install a new chairperson at your first "meeting without her" says to me that you're on a sinking ship -- stay on board if you wish, but keep a life vest handy.
rocktivity
Last edited Sun Aug 19, 2018, 11:37 AM - Edit history (4)
Leaderless, egalitarian, democratic cooperatives and non-profits are NOT "safe havens" from the office politics, chains of command and bureaucracies of for-profit organizations: the buck STILL has to STOP with SOMEONE.
rocktivity
