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Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsSo 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?
MiddleFingerMom
(25,163 posts).
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... during her absence?
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Some folks just weren't meant to work in a cooperative situation.
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sharp_stick
(14,400 posts)but if I wanted to stay with the organization I'd openly work to try to change leadership.
I've been in situations with people that sound a lot like her and it's just poisonous IMO. I tend to take my outside interests home with me and I wouldn't stick around, if she did if I had the option to leave.
KurtNYC
(14,549 posts)either change the leadership or leave.
rocktivity
(44,580 posts)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
KurtNYC
(14,549 posts)so it is supposed to be a total democracy among all the owner/members. Basically the board should be hashing out ideas and direction and then taking it to the other owners to vote up or down. There hasn't been an all member meeting in over 6 months because the board consensus has been that we "don't have our act together."
I really believe in the cause which is to create a market that sells locally grown fruit, veg and meats but I completely agree with your last paragraph and, at least emotionally, I have one foot out the door and am looking at other ways to achieve what I feel is a worthy goal.
rocktivity
(44,580 posts)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
Kaleva
(36,360 posts)If you think your non-profit can be more effective or even just as effective without her, then talk to the other members about formally removing her.
ceile
(8,692 posts)If she resigned, wouldn't she need to be re-elected to the chair?
KurtNYC
(14,549 posts)the by-laws say that there are to be 3 classes of board members each serving for 3 years (so the whole board doesn't roll at once). They weren't doing that when I joined the board. The prior board tried to vote to dissolve the cooperative but that failed to pass so 4 of them resigned and said the by-laws require 5 board members so you have to dissolve. We elected 6 board members to replace the 4 that left.
She did some work for the prior chairman, never paid into ownership but he gave her a "membership" and put her on the Board. Technically she isn't eligible to sit on the board or vote but the election in June was not done according to the by-laws so it's a total mess.
I run a non-profit and getting the board to follow the bylaws can be trying. At one point, a committee started to rewrite them as they wanted (gave the pres. and their committee more power, gave me less), but one member stood up to them- the rest of the board followed- and they were stopped. Maybe you can be that member...