[Businessmtg] Agenda & Greeter Chair Situation

[Steve Rankin]

Hi folks,

 

Here's my take on this situation . . .

 

A. We announced that the Greeter Chair position is vacant. While this was
well known since last Summer, it was formally announced in the Business
Meeting on January 2nd so that we could hold an election. Elections in
Al-Anon are often formal affairs with well established protocols. ASP has
its own protocols and policies.  Our Founding Statement and Policies state
quite simply:

 

e) A period of seven (7) days will be available following each: motions
brought before the entire meeting, trusted servant vacancy announcements,
and balloting period.

 

This policy says "seven (7)". This is very explicit. It does say "at least 7
days".  It doesn't say "a minimum of 7 days". It simply says "seven (7)
days". I'm an old-timer that went to school before 'new math' but I'm pretty
certain that 7 is still 7, and not 5 or 6, or 8, or 9 or any other number. J

 

This policy was written to be very explicit for good reasons. 

First, we wanted to make sure that every member had an opportunity to be
aware of the announcement and to take action if they wished. 

Second, we didn't want anyone or any agenda item to be able to stall the
business of ASP. Just like individual members of Al-Anon, a healthy meeting
sets boundaries. In this case, the boundary is a seven (7) day deadline to
respond to the call for resumes. 

 

The Chair left this agenda item on the floor for 15-16 days, depending on
how you count. In any case, over twice the seven (7) day policy. This MIGHT
have been OK if the fact that the deadline had passed, and the group reached
a consensus to extend the deadline. However, there was no mention of the
deadline passing, no discussion and obviously no consensus to extend the
deadline. Nor was there any evidence that extending the deadline would
change anything. No hints of someone considering standing for the position.
At least not until Monday, January 15th.  

 

The issue should have been tabled and the Business Meeting should have moved
onto the next item on the agenda over a week ago. 

 

Now, that is not to say that someone couldn't submit their resume after the
deadline after we had moved on. IF the Chair received a resume after we had
moved on, then the Chair could have acted on the fact that a resume was in
hand, and THEN AS A RESULT OF RECEIVING A RESUME, we could have properly
agreed to re-open the tabled issue. 

 

Sadly, that's not the way it was handled. 

 

As some others have commented, this looks like a forced solution. Someone
complained to me that the Steering Committee didn't explain 

 

I'll repeat what I said to Barbara near the end of the October meeting
regarding the vacant Greeter Chair position:

 

"Hi Barbara, when we've had vacancies in the past, our practice has been to
discuss the situation in the Steering Committee.  Then the Steering
Committee reaches a consensus a temporary solution in the interim.

 

   Sometimes, we have decided to ask one of the officers to fill in for a
while. Other times, we have decided to do nothing and leave the slot open
and unattended.

 

   I can't speak for the SC so I really don't know what course of action
will be taken in this situation, except that the steering committee will
discuss it and reach a consensus.

 

        Hugs,

        Steve"

 

Please note: One of the options was to leave the position open and
unattended. 

If the group fails to fill a crucial service position, that is NOT the
responsibility of the Steering Committee to take on the duties of that
position, any more than it is the Al-Anon's responsibility to take on the
duties of the alcoholic when they fail. Does that result in consequences?
Absolutely.

 

 

 

 

B.  Yes, we need a Greeter Chair. Next to the List Administrator position,
the Greeter Chair position is the most crucial to the long term survival and
health of ASP. In fact, ASP hummed along just fine for years with only the
List Administrator and Greeter Chair positions filled. Those two positions
are the only positions in the Steering Committee that have duties to perform
day in and day out. Everything else is optional. 

 

 

 

 

C.  What if we don't have a Greeter Chair?  Well, as I mentioned last
October, this is something that the Steering Committee should discuss and
reach a consensus on. Why a discussion and consensus? Because (a) that's
what we do in Al-Anon, and (b) because not everyone has all the good ideas.
Not even me.  Sigh.  L  

 

When this did finally come up when Anne told the SC 2 days ago (Monday the
15th) that she was considering submitting her resume, I suggested the
following options to the Steering Committee:

 

a.  Jerry assuming the duties of the Greeter Chair. That is the solution as
it exists currently. 

b.  The SC discusses the situation and asks someone to perform the duties
during the interim. That someone could be anyone on the Steering Committee.
I know that I had recommended to someone in the SC that we ask Kim to do
exactly that. Anne was another alternative. Of course, we could have asked
Jerry, but it seems to me that stepping up to the task of doing the LA job
as suddenly as it happened was a big enough task without adding the duties
of the Greeter Chair, too.

c.  The SC could decide to let the job do dormant while waiting for someone
to step up to the plate. That might sound extreme, but the reality is that
doing what we are doing allows the group to avoid the consequences of the
group's failure to fill the position. IMHO, a classic case of Al-Anon's not
being willing to experience the consequences of someone else's behavior. 

 

Perhaps, these options should have been presented to the Business Meeting
earlier. One member said to me . . . 

 

 

D. Something that I've learned in Al-Anon is that Al-Anon's are experts at
excusing someone's behavior if that is the easier, softer way. If that seems
less painful than sticking to our principles and boundaries. If that seems
to accomplish something we want. But, what happened to principles above
personalities?

 

 

As most of you know, we recently experienced some tough times as a result of
trusted servants not following ASP policies and procedures. The problem that
bothers me is that we are still having problems with that sort of thing.
Sure, the motives of the trusted servants are probably better today than
before, but I'm not here to judge the motives of either. OTOH, any member of
ASP has the right, and perhaps the duty, to speak up when stuff is going on
that's not in compliance with our policies and practices. 

 

My wife likes to say "I want you to judge me by my motives, not my actions."

"Sorry, hon' but I'm still lousy at reading a woman's mind, so I can only go
by what I see you do."

 

 

 

E.  Do I have a problem with Anne serving as the Greeter Chair. Not one bit.
Not with Anne, at least. It does bother me that no one else was willing to
serve, though. 

 

 

So, what to do now that we're in this sticky wicket?

 

My suggestion is to focus on the principles first, what many/most of us want
second, and the personalities last. What might that look like?

 

   1. Re-open the request for resumes for Greeter Chair. That'd be a new
7-day period starting when the resume was posted. 

 

   2. Move on with the meeting during that new 7-day period. 

 

   3. After 7 days, table the other topic and re-open the comment period for
the resume(s). 

 

   4.  Open the poll after the comment period. The poll would remain open
for a full 7 days. Yes, that would be sometime in February, but that's been
done before. 

 

   5.  Continue with the Business Meeting during the polling period until
the end of January. Adjourn the BM on Jan 31st. 

 

   6.  Post the results of the voting after the polls close. 

 

 

And finally, try to learn from this. I try remember that it's my best
thinking that got me here. 

 

 

Hugs,
Steve