This topic contains 7 replies, has 8 voices, and was last updated by 
jodibee 4 years, 9 months ago.
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With 9 different personalities, backgrounds, and perspectives on the board, your opinion may not always be the one chosen by the group.
How will you handle this? Can you tell us about a time this has happened to you?
Climbing To New Adventures
**The views expressed here are that of myself only and do not necessarily represent that of the WGA board.**
As a hopeful new member to the board, my first job is to listen. I want to make sure I get to know the people I would be serving with. Each individual has different tenets of the organization that are important to him or her and it is important that those values are heard and recognized. My second job is to ask questions. There are a lot of ‘wonders’ or ‘what if’s’ that I think about and it is comes from a place of genuine inquiry.
With other organizations I have been a part of and other boards I serve on, one of the things we start the new session with is a values chart. This can be done individually or as a group. What are the primary objectives, the secondary objectives, and the things that are nice but not necessary. We are currently working to move Badger Girls State to a virtual platform this summer for a variety of different reasons. Identifying those key objectives allows us as a board to hone in on where efforts need to be focused. Yes, everything seems important because it is a program that is very near and dear to our hearts, but what can we potentially live without for a year. Did everyone walk out of that committee meeting happy? No. Did everyone get to share what was important to them? Yes.
I believe that starting out with values establishes a mutual respect amongst board members and allows conversations to be productive and mission focused. At the end of the day, the WGA is about what we do for the members and not our own personal advancement. I would love the opportunity to serve on the Board of Directors because I love the game and I want to give that same enjoyable experience to other cachers.
The views expressed here are that of myself only and do not necessarily represent that of the WGA Board of Directors
Another great question! The best part of the WGA BOD is that it is composed of nine different personalities who have nine different backgrounds and nine different perspectives. As a person who will potentially be on the WGA BOD, I get super excited to even think or imagine all of the ideas that can and will come from nine different people, many of which will be ideas that never crossed my mind. I love that ideas can be discussed among a group of people and that after discussion it will be a group of nine people who will collectively decide which ideas are the best to implement at the given time. What is important is that everyone’s opinion is heard and taken into consideration. There is very little that upsets me more than someone just shooting down another person’s opinion without allowing the person with the opinion to be heard. In my job as the Regional Development Manager for PAX, it is my job to hire, train and mentor Coordinators and I can assure you that as we plan a year’s activities for our students, my Coordinators come up with some ideas that are better than any I could think of. So it will be with nine different personalities. Over a two-year tenure, it would be my guess that each person will have an idea that will take flight.
The views expressed here are that of myself only and do not necessarily represent that of the WGA board.
Variety in backgrounds and personality is the best thing for a BOD. In order to best fit a tiny snippet of the overall membership’s lives and ideas, that difference in the board’s 9 members is essential. As the long as everyone who has an opinion/idea is given equal time in the discussion and a fair vote is taken, the result should be what is best for a majority of the membership.
I work in the trades and at times in charge of a good number of people on my crews. Not only do I have to deal with all the differences in my crewmembers, but I have to work out situations that occur almost daily with the different trades on the jobsites. After all is said and done, these projects are for a customer; they are not for me personally. I realize that when we can iron out our differences to give the best possible product to the customer we will have success.
I have sat on some type of board for 15+ years. I’m guessing that I have sat next to well over 100 different personalities throughout the years. Yes, some discussions have been much more difficult to come to an agreement on than others, but in the end votes were cast, decisions were handed down and many more times than not success was had.
What?! I’m not going to be right all the time? Well, my wife could’ve told you that I guess.
Seriously, I value others’ differences of opinion. I like to have an open mind and I would come into board without any preconceived notions. I think I am good at stimulating conversation and finding compromises. I often weigh the pros and cons of decisions, exploring multiple options before coming together to decide on the best. I will try and be an advocate for WGA members and the growth of the WGA.
I was talking at lunch yesterday with a couple of others and how much this question amusingly reminds us of an job interview. It got me thinking about my role as a pharmacist at a hospital. One of the roles Ive had is a clinical coordinator for my old hospital. The coordinators for the other hospitals in the system would all get together once a month to determine what medications should be added to formulary. It was important to weigh the benefit of the medication against the risks of the medication against the costs. Each meeting required preparation and good communication. It also was full of mutual respect for other’s positions.
I think majority voting is important. I think it’s important to trust but evaluate those choices as a group. Any decisions made can always be reevaluated at a later time if there is a concern or need. If anyone would feel jaded or upset by a decision, I would hope they would be comfortable communicating that to me and vice versa.
Please note: my comments are mine alone and may not necessarily reflect an official stance of the WGA Board of Directors.
It would be very odd for 9 people to agree all the time. It is hard enough for two people to agree all the time. The best you can do is listen, voice your opinion and then respect and support the majority decision as best you can even though it isn’t what you wanted.
As disagreements happen, they are a fact of life. Whether it is work or personal related. The best you can do voice your concerns clearly but then respect the decision that is given. As my son is learning, throwing hissy fits is not going to get you anywhere.
As a “senior” WGA BOD member, ah yes, over the years we definitely have had so many different personalities and people with different perspectives on the BOD. While it can be challenging, it also brings some different ideas as well. The biggest frustration has to be the years we have BOD who just fade into the sunset and do not contribute. I would far rather have some good discussions that result in some new positive changes than that. It takes listening to gain an understanding of their perspective, sometimes it takes discussion of past practices, sometimes it takes looking at what the common practices currently are to then come to an agreement or understanding.
I had to chuckle when I read this topic. I am a Planner at a factory, so when things are happening, I often am involved in discussions about how things should be handled. I generally sit back and listen to the information being delivered, asking questions to better understand the differing perspectives and options. Then, I will present my position, with my reasons (I was in Debate in 4H and high school, so I’m used to trying to explain my side of the topic!). Mine is not always the winning side, but I understand that sometimes I need to stop arguing and support the decision of the team, in the best interest of the company.
It is the same for any Board or Leadership team, and I’m sure the WGA BOD isn’t any different. I enjoy hearing from different people because their experiences in life give them a unique point of view. Often, someone will mention something that I never would have considered without hearing their side of the discussion.
jodibee
Views expressed here are my own and do not necessarily represent that of the WGA Board of Directors.
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