BOARD OF GOVERNORS
Evolution
of a Governor
Board of Governors
by Dan Stakoe
T
he Club used to be a place where I played volleyball and enjoyed a burger. Now I play TAC three-ring rollerball as treasurer, governor and member of the Transition Working Group (TWG). It may not require painkillers, but it is as intense as any contact sport. It’s all good fun, but if you want to get things done at a Board of Governors meeting, you have to be prepared to throw down your gloves, quote a General Rule, get buy-in for any motion you plan to propose and rally related committees. This is democracy in action, and you better bring your “A” game. While all three rings of Club government (the Board, committees and management) want to build a better TAC, sometimes breakdowns occur due to communication difficulties, ambiguity over responsibility and differing interpretations of rules or motions. In all of this, the general manager takes on the unenviable role of ringmaster, overseeing the flow of information and negotiations between the various groups. Since I was appointed treasurer in the middle of the budget season, I have had to up my rollerball game. My job is to ensure a solid budget process. Theoretically, after the Finance Committee and management have prepared the budget for the coming year, they present it to the Board for approval. In recent memory, however, there has been little oversight. It took a few body checks, but this year, through the Board, Finance and Food & Beverage committees and TWG, the Membership has retaken control of the budget. The Board set conservative operating cash requirements, the Finance Committee reacted positively to its newfound authority and the Food & Beverage Committee chair is confident that the committee can deal with the financial challenges ahead. The TWG, meanwhile, is providing analysis to support restructuring efforts.
Lance E Lee (2010)—President Amane Nakashima (2011)—Vice President Jerry Rosenberg (2011)—Vice President Norman J Green (2011)—Secretary Dan Stakoe (2011)—Treasurer Tim Griffen (2010), William Ireton (2010), Hiroyuki Kamano (2010), Per Knudsen (2010), Jeff McNeill (2011), Brian Nelson (2010), Rod Nussbaum (2010), Mary Saphin (2011), Dan Thomas (2010), Deborah Wenig (2011), Ira Wolf (2011), Shizuo Daigoh—Statutory Auditor (2010), Barbara Hancock—Women’s Group President
In one of my favorite books on business, Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies, the authors, James Collins and Jerry Porras, say that one common element in great organizations is leaders who set “Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAG).” Whether or not you voted for the redevelopment of TAC, I hope we can come together as a club to achieve our BHAG. To achieve that goal, a different kind of collaboration between Members and management is necessary. Since the Club’s directors have to grapple with the day-to-day issues, they are bound to have different perspectives than part-time volunteers. We need to listen carefully and genuinely consider their opinions while maintaining our objectivity. Everyone involved in the budgeting process is working hard to ensure that the benefit proposition for Members isn’t diminished while restructuring measures are taken. Hiccups during this transition period should be expected, though. It is up to us as Members to keep the Club feeling like a special oasis in Japan and to preserve its 82-year legacy of goodwill and grassroots diplomacy. Yes, the job of being a governor has its challenges, but the more you get involved in the running of the Club, the more fun and rewarding it becomes. At that point, the Club appears less like a place with restaurants and a gym and more like the tree fort you built as a kid: it’s ours and everyone in it is cool. ®
azabudai
update
by Wendi Hailey
Ayano Sato
A mere four months out from the opening of the new facility, around 500 contractors are now bustling about the massive workplace as progress chugs swiftly along. “September 12 will mark two years since we broke ground on the construction and only two months before the start of the final inspections,” says Redevelopment Director Alistair Gough. With the final pieces of the building façade in place, carpets on the lower levels have been installed and work on the indoor finishes continues to rise from the basement up. New trees and bushes have arrived as landscaping starts to take shape as well. “The scaffolding has all but been removed, revealing the exterior of the new clubhouse,” says Gough. “[It] has created a visible level of excitement amongst the Membership.” ®
6 September 2010 iNTOUCH
To learn about the tantalizing array of restaurants to be unveiled in the new Club, turn to page 34.