[Businessmtg] chair requirements

[Linda F]

I want to make some comments on this in light of these Concepts of Service:

Concept 3: The right of decision makes effective leadership possible.

Concept 7: The Trustees have legal rights while the rights of the
Conference are traditional.

Concept 8: The Board of Trustees delegates full authority for routine
management of Al-Anon Headquarters to its executive committees.

Concept 9: Good personal leadership at all service levels is a necessity.
In the field of world service the Board of Trustees assumes the primary
leadership.

Concept 10: Service responsibility is balanced by carefully defined service
authority and double-headed management is avoided.

What these concepts say to me is this:
--Everyone performing service for ASP needs to be viewed as a trusted
servant.
--When we elect someone to a service position, such as the Secretary, List
Administrator, and other elected roles on the Steering Committee, we are
trusting them to do the necessary work of keeping ASP running smoothly so
it can carry out its primary purpose of serving families and friends of
alcoholics through regular meetings
--we have a responsibility to ensure that our trusted servants have the
tools they need to carry out their designated service roles, including
respecting their right of decision
--we have an obligation to give our trusted servants the authority to carry
out their service positions to the best of their ability without our
interference

With these principles in mind, I believe that while whenever possible we
want our chairpersons to have at least 6 months experience of active
participation in ASP, it would be a good idea to give the Secretary the
flexibility to consider persons who have been in Al-Anon for years but
slightly less than 6 months in ASP if the Secretary is unable to fill the
chair positions otherwise.  I think it also makes sense to ask the
Secretary to exercise this option in consultation with  the Steering
Committee.

HUGS (Helping Us Gain Serenity), Linda