President’s Message . . .
Communication & Board Decisions By President Cyndi Green, C.P., Cyndi Green Wallcovering, LLC, Monroe, Louisiana
My fellow members, I have served on this board many years in different capacities. Every position has its challenges and it takes a special dedication to give of your personal time to serve a volunteer organization. I have great admiration for all of our board members. As dedicated leaders, they are driven by a desire to pump out good, actionable decisions and make them happen while trying to search for the best consensus for their fellow businessmen and friends in this organization. Every member on this board has a desire to please everyone. After serving as your President and As dedicated leaders, (our watching how hard the region directors board members) are driven and committees by a desire to pump out work, I feel it would good, actionable decisions be helpful to give you some insight as to and make them happen while what we do and how trying to search for the best we work as a board. I consensus for their fellow think this information will help us all realize businessmen and friends in this the need for better organization. communication as we encourage you to participate and stay aware of where we are going, so that your Board can assure we are moving with the majority of your wishes. That is the key word here…majority. I think when most people begin to serve as a leader they have the well-meaning intent to search for 100% consensus on every decision. I know 13 years ago, as a naïve new leader that I did. While that happens for good reasons (genuine concern for the feelings of others; a wish to not seem dictatorial; the desire for unity) you learn that working toward 100% agreement will ultimately bring growth and programs to a grinding halt. It is just not reality, so you reevaluate your definition of consensus. Equating “consensus” with “all must all agree July/August 2013 - Page 2
with this” is both counter-productive and actually debilitating for the entire organization, because you will never move forward. To keep this organization from suffering from consensusgridlock, we must shift to define consensus as “100% acceptance of the majority decision”. It works like this: 1. We discuss and debate issues powerfully, honestly, and openly. For acceptance of the majority decision to take place, it’s necessary that everyone on the team gets to say their piece fully in an open, transparent forum. We use the “majority vote” system because it is the most productive. Even though our discussions can be confrontational and sometimes argumentative, it’s that freedom to argue, to make a point strongly that generates rich discussion. 2. When it’s time to make a decision, the majority rules. Our decision-making process has a time limit because if you place a firm time limit on the discussion and everyone knows there will be a vote at a specific time we get better decisions and more accomplished which serves you better. 3. When a decision is made, we take cabinet responsibility. For this process to work everyone on the team should agree that they will fully, completely sign on to any and all decisions made by the majority rule – and the majority vote prevails. That makes us a team that can make things happen. If you are not a part of the team, you are holding back progress. As a member of this body, unless you believe the decision to be illegal or unethical in the extreme, you have a responsibility to embrace, support, and implement that decision as if you voted for it at the time.
This process “will work” to make us more programs and changes in the discussion stage effective and productive. It is not bullet proof, and look forward to serving you. As with any though. This year our choice of a date for project, programs need money to run, but we the convention affected some members to strive to make our investments count. where they felt they were unable to attend the I hope this gives you an idea of the dedication convention. For this we are truly sorry. Every your board members give you; however, your member is important to us and we did add a input is part of this team effort and contributes policy to avoid conflict in the future. But it has to our success. As always, I encourage those of to go further than that. This was an unfortunate you that would like to become more involved to conflict with earlier decisions that were made, let us know. We need future leaders, committee but we still have many future decisions to make. volunteers, and new ideas. This is how we We can use this to bring a realization that we continue to grow. have to improve communication. I am asking I’m very honored to serve you. you as members to make an attempt to stay in touch with your region director. Stay aware of our event dates, and share your input. If you have a strong opinion on anything, reach out to them. Remember, these board national associate members members serving you also have jobs and they are volunteering their time to Advance Equipment Roman Decorating Products Manufacturing Company serve you, but it would help so much Roos International, Ltd. Bradbury & Bradbury Art Wallcovering if you didn’t depend on them knowing Wallpapers, Inc. Roysons all wishes. Be interactive with your Cavalier Wall Liner Rust-Oleum Corporation, Zinsser voting region director. We encourage Concertex Brands your input; we base our programs on Custom Laminations, Inc./The CLI Schooner Prints your input. We are in this together, Group Scotch Paint Corp. but we have to have a system to Designtex Group (The) Sean O’Connell Painting Corp. run our meetings that helps us stay Environmental Graphics Sherwin Williams productive. Fabric Mate Systems Sherwin-Williams Company Our web committee is working on Fidelity Wallcovering, Inc. Stark Wallcovering a total overhaul of the web site and I Gardner-Gibson Steve’s Blinds & Wallpaper, LLC. would like to see our region director Jacaranda, Inc. Tajima Tool Corporation forums utilized more. We will work to Jack Loconsolo & Company, Inc. Textile Wallcoverings International, keep you informed of plans as they Jacobsen & Balla LTD (TWIL) reach a point of solidifying. KC Sales Group The Williamson Free School of I would also like to point out that Mechanical Trades Koessel Studios we have made an effort in past years Thibaut Wallcovering Len-Tex Wallcoverings to pare down the size of our board Total Wallcovering LSI Wallcovering to save money. We have limited Vahallan Papers Maya Romanoff Corporation our in-person meetings to two per Wallauer’s MDC Wallcoverings year. We have four meetings a year Wallpaper Wholesaler Metro Wallcoverings and we are keeping two of them as Warner Wallcoverings, Division of teleconference calls. While we find National Wallcovering/Tapo-Fix RJF International teleconference calls difficult, it has New Era Portfolio Weitzner become necessary to keep down OLFA - North America Wolf-Gordon, Inc. costs and still remain productive. I Pacific Laser Systems (PLS) XIM Products, Inc. will say that our in-person meetings Phillip Jeffries Ltd. York Wallcoverings, Inc. are our brain-storming meetings, Purdy Corporation where we really seem to thrive and Rife RE Enterprises LLC make progress. We have some great July/August 2013 - Page 3