Day 20 ... Another Wednesday, another sailing race, another time as crew. But it wasn’t “another” sailing experience. Today was very different. The sailing lesson between races is what made this experience very different. In this sailing lesson, rather than focusing on sailing where the wind took me, we simulated a race of sorts. I used the wind to take me where I wanted to go. And that path included around buoys like in the race. For this lesson I was the captain. And what a difference that made in my job as crew. I did better at anticipating turnabouts, understanding the wind and being in the right position as we took the buoy.

There's a lot of talk about leadership succession planning for chapters. It regularly comes up as the top 1 or 2 pain points for chapters. Most associations provide a succession planning guide and tools forchapters. Many offer training at the chapter leadership conferences and webinars. So what's missing here? If we're doing all this talking, why is still the pain point?

Could it be that all this talk is missing the point? That these tools don't get to the point?

I looked at the succession planning tools provided by four national associations for their chapters. And yes, they are missing the point ... it's not succession planning, it's succession management. This is not a linear process with a starting point and an end point. And its not about filling positions. It should be about an ongoing focus on developing leaders.

By reducing this conversation to a "who's up next?' search to filling positions, we're missing the point entirely. And by giving our chapters lenghty plans and detailed charts, we're directing energy to paperwork rather than creating relationships.

My suggestion is simply that we step back and tell our chapters that succession planning isn't planning. It is creating a culture of service and leadership in our organizations. It is getting to know our members and engaging them in the work -- and fun -- of the chapter.Two strategies that will help build this culture are:

(1) Engage members ... talk about engaging first, volunteering comes next. Plug members in from the beginning (or at renewal if you're starting this now) by asking them (a) why they are involved and (b) what types of skill sets are they looking to develop or activities they would enjoy being involved in. The goal is to help your member create an individual engagement plan.

(2) Create a Volunteer Team ... this is your HR team that actively seeks "talent" and matches them to jobs. The team can be led by a "coordinator" and have a team of "talent scouts." The goal is to develop a talent pool and a "pool of activities". This pool of activities shoudl include big and small jobs. It should offer variety. The focus on connecting members.

Let's change the conversation...

It is so unpleasant. But I noted in a recent post, it is more unpleasant to live with the consequences of not firing – or at least addressing – a poor-performing volunteer.

I did in fact have to fire a volunteer. In most cases I have been able to work around the situation with some counseling and shifting of positions. But there came the day, where firing was the best option. I followed the basic HR recommendations:

1. Schedule a private meeting with the person.
2. Be prepared. Plan what you are going to say and stay on task.
3. State the reasons for the termination. You should also present them in writing. Focus comments on the performance and avoid personal issues or value comments.
4. Discuss any recommendations for future volunteer work with the person. This may include whether and under what conditions the person may return and volunteer at your agency.
5. Secure the return of any items (keys, documents) before your conclude the meeting.
6. Stay calm. Say only what needs to be said and nothing more.
7. Document the meeting.
8. Exercise damage control. To the degree you can, let key people know the volunteer will not be returning. You must protect the confidentiality of the person let go, but still don't allow this to be a flashpoint.

It wasn’t easy. But what helped was remembering that this was for the good of the whole and really for the good of the person. What I found was that by doing a few things upfront, we could reduce if not eliminate situations like this. A good volunteer management program should:

• Put in writing the behaviors that will not be tolerated under any circumstance. This information should appear in the volunteer handbook and reviewed in orientation sessions.
• Outline a process for handling poor performance and misbehavior. Depending on the organization this could be a formal process moving from verbal to written warnings to suspension and finally dismissal.
• Put into practice a regular volunteer evaluation. This should be a 360 – engaging the volunteer, the volunteer’s “manager” and his or her team members.
• Establish metrics for all volunteers. These metrics help volunteers know what success is and isn’t.
• Establish a withdrawal policy. This is an “out-clause” that helps volunteers back out. In associations, we know that many volunteers don’t have control of their time. Add the current economy and we know that good intentions can’t always be fulfilled. We understand when a volunteer can’t live up to their commitment. If we know in enough time, we can usually shift gears. But volunteers don’t want to bail. They are concerned about their image. So, it’s very important for our – and their – success that we make it easy to “save face.”
• Offer coaching and mentoring to volunteers. Help them be good volunteers.

 There are many resources - really - to help us navigate this. I find Energize list to be a good resource.

Do you want a good volunteer workforce? Getting it means subscribing to good HR practices – from hiring to firing.

It is so unpleasant. But I noted in a recent post, it is more unpleasant to live with the consequences of not firing – or at least addressing – a poor-performing volunteer.

I did in fact have to fire a volunteer. In most cases I have been able to work around the situation with some counseling and shifting of positions. But there came the day, where firing was the best option. I followed the basic HR recommendations:

Attitude.

I just finished a blog posting by Mike Myatt excogitating on how attitude reflects leadership.  Talk about hitting the nail on the head.  We know intuitively that the right or wrong leadership can have a devastating impact on our associations. This is felt all the more at the chapter or component level. Yet putting our finger on the problem isn’t as obvious.

We talk about needing to do skill assessments, training and coaching, and even term limits as solutions. Yet when it comes right down to it – a positive person overcomes most all weaknesses of leadership skill. They tend to attract competition, passionate, positive people. They tend to invite meaningful dialog. They tend to work hard. They tend to be team players and inclusive.  By drawing in individuals with complementary skills and creating a positive work environment, the group is empowered. The leader has led.

Attitude is a game-changer.

So where does this lead us – those of us who are both trying to be good volunteer leaders and those who are managing volunteer leaders?

1) Start talking about the power – no the importance – of attitude in leadership.  Make this part of our leadership training script. Host facilitated conversations or training on attitude. Cover how to test your own attitude – Myatt gives us 5 test questions that are useful.

2) Confront the “elephant in the room”.  Too often groups point their collective fingers at a multitude of reasons why they have failed when the real cause is the negative environment. It is our responsibility as we sit on the team to broach this subject. It is our responsibility as volunteer managers to work with the individual. And if need be, it is our responsibility to remove the person.

I would propose, following on Myatt’s reflection, that very often this negative attitude is the result of a bad habit. We take on the habit of reviewing the negative issues to either appear as empathic or a realist. Soon this becomes a script. So if we confront and then coach, we could actually turn-around some leaders. The key is that we have this conversation.

3) Encourage self-assessment and group assessment for leaders.  This is perhaps one of the glaring missing links in association volunteer programs. I remember upon completing my tenure as chair for the ASAE Components Relations Section Council I asked for feedback and when there wasn’t formal assessment, I openly asked for feedback. I didn’t receive any. Well, maybe I did in that I was selected to serve on another council. But that simply says I was a reliable volunteer not if I was a good leader.

It is important that we ask our teams to rate its leaders and, we in turn, as leaders rate ourselves. The next step is having a candid conversation about the evaluation.

4) Have a positive attitude. Modeling the behavior is one of the most powerful methods of change. As many leadership coaches say leaders may have bad days, but they can’t show it. I’d like to tweak and say that when a leader has a bad day, they show demonstrate how to rise above it. The benefit to being candid is that it becomes a “teaching moment.”

How will you nurture good attitudes?

photo credit: photobucket.com / wolfie01_01

Let’s face it – being a leader of a group of members is tough. Doesn’t matter if we’re talking about chapter or a Special Interest Group or a virtual community. We’re all busy, busy, busy. Getting face-to-face is near impossible.

I led a webinar today for National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) volunteers who lead the association’s networks (formerly called branches, regions, and sections) and committees. We talked about being a leader for today and how that requires us individually to change. The dilemma in preparing such a conversation is that the topic is huge and the time we have to coach our volunteers is so short. Add to that, for many of our volunteer leaders this is part-time, part-time job.

Just returned from my son's 8th grade Back-to-School night held I should add in the midst of the rain storms which meant we had a number of teachers who couldn't make it. Still, the evening produced a number of aha's and learning moments for me.

• Younger teachers are, well, just more connected to their students. It shows up in the conversation where they are relating to the students (you know talking about how they are used to learning visually not through reading and how to bridge that) while the older teachers related to the parents (you know commiserating with how those kids are). Plus, these younger teachers integrate technology into the classroom. They embrace more enthusiastically our online system, Teachers Ease. They talked in terms of integrating visual, interactive activities into the classroom. And one even has his presentation set up in Prezi! We must meet our members/customers/employees/volunteers at least half-way!

In a recent post for SmartBlog Insights, I asked the question "Have your members evaluated the board?" As we know, board members are our most involved members. They also have a very different view of the association. A view that can be detrimental. It seems that there are checks and balances at the national level that aren't available at the local level.

The Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) hosted the 2010 Regional Association Council’s 11th annual Leadership Development Workshop (LDW) last month in Grapevine, Texas. And while it was focused on its 175 executive directors and volunteer leaders from all 28 regional associations, it offered lessons – and lots of ideas – for associations which are planning leadership conferences.

I had an inside view and the opportunity to give the keynote Back to the Future for Associations and a break-out session The Secrets to Creating an Exceptional Volunteer Experience.  I took away so many great ideas on logistics, on involving the members and leaders in the planning and the event, on managing volunteers and more. And I relished the opportunity to be at a volunteer and staff event that had an abundance of energy.