| What drew me to Leadership and the
Board.
A year ago I said that the timing was right in
my personal and spiritual growth path to engage in a leadership
role with the Board of our Congregation. I wanted to contribute to
a community-oriented, nonprofessional organization that respected
the concept of a vision; that was caring; and had unlimited
potential for growth. In exchange for the opportunity to
serve in this role I offered my community and professional
experience and my willingness to embrace the work at hand.
My vision was that I could strengthen the
Congregation’s governance; orient the Congregation’s
capabilities to help build the unfolding national community; and
yes, just help keep the place running.
Being sensorial I prefer to grow through experience,
not through study. Of the many Small Groups that I could have
joined I thought the Board would best enable me to embody the
principles of this organization. The Board may not be a quiet,
contemplative, meditation group. But it is a Small Group with its
own rituals, exploration of meaning, and interface to the rest of
the congregation.
So, where am I in my growth?
After the first item of the first
Board meeting I chaired – I barely survived a non-confidence
vote. By my third meeting I couldn’t construct an agenda with
relevant content. Then I heard that voice that told me I was
missing an opportunity and needed to redirect my energy. Of
course, the voice was Donna’s and the message was to engage the
Board in the shared responsibility of owning the future and
mobilizing around a vision. So at that meeting we established a
small vision. Interesting for me, the team’s vision did not
match mine of a year ago. Instead of governance, national identity
and survival we had intimacy, local identity and
celebration.
Through my Board experience I have experienced
how leadership goes beyond management, beyond the
governance process that enables management, and beyond the
establishment of a vision. It is not found in dealing with
administrative details, not in lobbying for volunteers to
do initiatives, and certainly not in waiting for
guidance. And the test for success? Does this organization support
your individual ministry and service for a common good?
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