Control What You Can

I’m in New York right now, wondering if I’ll actually get home on Sunday.  Flights being delayed, cancelled….the already stress of flying magnified.  And yet, I find myself aware but undaunted.  I cannot control this, so all I can do is make the best of it.

The best, of course, is just enjoying New York and my visit with my sister.  The city is glorious—so much cleaner than when I lived here.  And Central Park is the definition of the word amazing.

So much of what Central Park has become is thanks to the Central Park Conversancy (centralparknyc.org) and their horde of volunteers, who care passionately about the park and work ceaselessly to make it better.

Yesterday we walked to the North Woods.  The last time I was there it was neglected, tatty, not appealing.  Now it is glorious—a place to delight in.

Volunteers, of course, are the lifeblood of so many nonprofits. But too often we don’t utilize their skills or their commitment in a productive and positive way.  We complain about how hard volunteers are to deal with; how they don’t understand how we work.

That’s doubly true of so many of our boards.

I truly believe that no one joins a board to be a bad board member.  Of course, there are those who join for their own—sometimes selfish—reasons.  But mostly board members join because they care about the organization, the cause, and sometimes (yes) about another board member.  But if that board joined because a trusted friend asked them to, they mostly stay because they become committed to the cause.

But if we aren’t clear about expectations and provide training and tools so they can meet those expectations, we cannot be surprised if they don’t fulfill what we want them to.

In one of my online classes, I ask students to share their best and worst volunteer experiences.  When there is someone clearly in charge and there are clear directions, the experience is always good.  When there is chaos, no one seemingly taking command, then the experience is not a good one.

Making sure that you understand what you (and your organization) need from your board members and other volunteers is the first important step.  Then figuring out how you can best help them be successful will absolutely change your dynamic and make for a more fulfilling engagement and more commitment.

  (Note: It is now Sunday, and while I haven’t been canceled, we’ve been sitting on the Tarmac for 2 hours, with the pilot thinking it will be anther hour until we take off!  But still trying to make the best of it—enjoying my seat-mate, an interesting Australian businessman!)