By Rachel Newcombe
Thirty-three. This is the number of upcoming vacancies on various boards and commissions in San Juan County. I’ve been wondering, why do any of us volunteer to serve on a board or commission? Is it a calling? A humanitarian quest? Or maybe it’s an opportunity to become intimately involved in one’s community while having fun creatively problem-solving. Whatever the reason one thing is for certain, the composition of a board is crucial to its success.
I decided to ask some folks who serve or have served on Orcas Island Boards what characteristics aid a board’s effectiveness. My willing samples include: Diane Berreth; President of the Orcas Island Community Foundation, Tom Welch; Past President of the Orcas Island Library (space constraints prohibit mentioning the numerous boards he has served on) Sage Macleod; Director of Early Childhood Education Assistant Program (ECEAP) and ECEAP Representative to WA State Association of ECEAP /Head Start Executive Board and Ann Lister; who is currently a board member of The Funhouse Commons, Orcas Open Arts and Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Services (DVSAS).
A characteristic that Diane, Tom, Sage and Ann all share is a keen sense of timeliness as evidenced by their collective alacrity in answering my questions.
The two questions I asked this dynamic Island foursome are/were:
- What do you feel are the most important personality traits of a successful board?
- What suggestions do you have for dealing with conflicts and/or power struggles during board meetings?
All questions have an autobiographical backstory and I am no exception. As a psychoanalyst, I have a desire to understand the conscious and unconscious motivations that influence behavior and this curiosity extends to what propels a successful board and what behaviors distract a board from reaching its goals. Ann Lister emphasizes that “no matter what the composition of a board, there must be the collective desire to make decisions together.”
What exactly enables a diverse group of people to work toward a common goal?
Diane Berreth believes it is a willingness to share perspectives and this depends on “building a safe environment where people feel comfortable sharing different opinions.” Tom Welch seems to be in agreement with this when he says, “No individual member is more right or important than the other.” Tom also reminded me that fairness and humility are traits that benefit everyone. In fact, both qualities are key ingredients in creating group cohesiveness.
Sage Macleod offers an interesting insight when she says that a board member “should be an organized risk taker.” She believes that board members need to remember that “there is more than one way to accomplish a goal.”
And what about the inevitable power struggles and conflicts? Ann believes that conflicts usually occur “because the two parties are not understanding or caring about each other’s motivation. It is crucial to listen and truly understand the motivation of the other person.” Tom, Diane and Sage also seem to agree with this philosophy. Each of them in their own way explained the importance of self-awareness and team work.
Why is it so difficult to listen to an opinion that is not familiar to us? It is human nature to feel slightly anxious when confronted with new ideas that don’t immediately fit into our perspectives and plans. But the ability to tolerate anxiety is the very thing that allows us to listen to new ideas. Rather than experiencing anxiety as something foreboding perhaps it can help to remember that anxiety also signals a processing of new information.
Sage mentioned conflict resolution training as one of the many solutions available to help boards learn how to work together. It can also be helpful to talk to individuals on boards other than your own in order to share strategies.
Diane, Tom, Sage and Ann provided thought provoking answers and the similarity in their responses was striking. I strongly encourage individuals in San Juan County to consider joining one of the many vacant positions. The positives far outweigh any negative. Serving on a board or a commission is an opportunity to meet new people, learn leadership skills, understand island politics, and there is always the delight that comes from never knowing what to expect.
The December 14th post of Orcas Issues lists the [intlink id=”14840″ type=”post”]thirty-three vacancies[/intlink]. If you are interested in serving please call the San Juan County Council Office and ask for Maureen See, 378-2898.
Rachel Newcombe is an Orcas Island Library Trustee.
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“As a psychoanalyst, I have a desire to understand the conscious and unconscious motivations that influence behavior and this curiosity extends to what propels a successful board and what behaviors distract a board from reaching its goals.”
This is an example of asking what time it is and instead being told how the clock is made.
A simple answer to the question of why people serve on one or more boards is that they want to make a positive contribution to the community because they feel, among other things, that it is a privilege to live on Orcas.