Restoration
I
remember coming home when I was eighteen with an enthusiasm that could not be
contained. I had finally reached the age to register to vote and I was beaming
with anticipation and excitement to show my voter card to my father. My father
regularly engaged in political discussion around the dinner table. I absolutely
love the volley that takes place during good, rigorous debates. It helped to
sharpen my ability to formulate and articulate well-founded arguments. In
addition to being able to show my father my voter card, I was also anticipating
his reaction as his eldest child announced she had registered as a Republican.
You see, my father, and his father, and the majority of the adults in my family
were life-long Democrats. Talk about political conversations! To this day, I
remember the look on his face. Shocked would be an understatement; but, once I
had explained my reasons, he respected my decision. Needless to say, our
debates sharpened.
Political
back and forth and camaraderie is something I enjoy. Most people do not realize
the critical role each political party, and the many sub-organizations, particularly
local political clubs, play within the community. For all of our advances in
technology and the information highway, nothing, at least in my opinion, can
take the place of attending an event to hear and meet with a candidate, local
leader, or future President. McKay, Davis, and Fanning (2009) identify the
benefits of non-verbal cues and how that impacts communication and perceptions.
Albert Mehrabian cites statistics that indicate 93% of messaging is
communicated through non-verbal methods (McKay et al., 2009). Local political clubs
meet on a regular, usually monthly, basis, on a given day and at a given time.
In addition to providing speakers with platforms from which to share
information with the audience, political organizations are often successful
because of high-performance teams. Because of recent events within our county, the functionality of the Republican Party became a concern, so much so
a group of exceptional women began to organize to address trepidations
expressed by many.
Denning
(2011) defines a team as a collection of folks who have a collectively shared
obligation to achieve a commonly shared goal; but are otherwise interdependent.
A community, which is beginning to appear in organizations, is similar to a
team; however, members of a community share “common interests, practices, and
values” (Denning, 2011, p. 152). Members of a community concentrate on
acquiring more knowledge on topics of common significance (Denning, 2009).
Additionally, community members are usually volunteers and their “personal
investment” is directed toward “an area of shared interest” (Denning, 2011, p.
155). Whereas high-performance teams may be associated with Denning’s (2011)
concept of team, they align with characteristics of communities (Denning,
2011).
In
May of this year, five exceptional women met around a kitchen table, brought
snacks, poured goblets of wine, and began the process of addressing the very
real concerns facing this county. The group knew the
2016 elections were fast approaching and candidates for all offices would need
a place to come. Additionally, Republicans and other citizens wishing to learn
about candidates, issues, and other information would need a place to come that
was both welcoming and committed to educating those seeking knowledge. Each of
the five had been members of the historical club that had suddenly experienced
a non-renewal of its charter. It was devastating news that shook local
Republicans. Fortunately, a friend had shared information with me that provided
a path for us to not only organize a club that could use the name Republican;
it gave us the autonomy we would need to revive a damaged brand.
Denning
(2011) states high-performance teams have a “clear goal, appropriate leadership
and membership, and adequate resources and support” (p. 156). Further, such teams:
·
Shape and exceed expectations
·
Adjust, innovate, seize, and use setbacks to
their advantage
·
Grow and become stronger
·
Realize individual member growth
·
Experience increased nobility
·
Share passion for the cause (Denning, 2011).
Peter Senge wrote that
high-performance team members recognize and revel in “the meaningfulness of the
experience” (as cited in Denning, 2011, p. 156). Our team, even though we have
been organized for five short months, exhibits all of these characteristics.
Our shared purpose, shared values, is to repair the damage that has been done
to the Republican Party, and provide an inviting environment. By the end of
July, our group had crafted a mission statement, written bylaws, identified a
slate of acting officers, created public relations’ materials, held our first
organizational meeting, elected officers, and submitted our paperwork to the
State organization for charter approval. Next week, the secretary of the state organization will present us with our charter.
While
our president has provided us with “direction, membership, resources,
recognition, and accountability”, she recognizes the importance of conducting
our organization in a non-hierarchical manner (Denning, 2011, p. 157). Our
executive board is comprised of women with past experience in the Federal government,
decades of public service, parliamentarian experience, and resumes of
accomplishment. In short, the board knows how to get things done; and, as
Denning (2011) notes, conventional management would stymie our creativity and
passion. Since our inception, we have had but one negative situation. A
situation arose that needed to be addressed before the first organizational
meeting. Although the concern and remedy were discussed before the meeting,
hurt feelings resulted, and subsequently led to a resignation. I have thought about
this often and asked what if anything I could have done. I had been asked for
my opinion before the meeting took place. I provided an honest assessment. If
the outcome was to retain the member, I imagine I could have been less than
forthcoming; but, that would not have benefited the team. Although I agree with
the concept of “if one fails, we all fail”, I also agree with Mr. Spock, ‘the
needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few, or the one’ (Denning, 2011,
p. 156). It was sad to learn of the member’s decision to leave the
organization; however, I believe all of did all we could to encourage her to
stay. In the end, the decision was hers to make; and, I believe the group is
stronger as a result.
Next
week, our group will formally announce its formation to the community. The
primary positive that has come about as a result of this incredible group of
women is we identified concerns, developed positive solutions, and stand ready
to restore the functionality of the Republican Party needed in this community.
The thrill of political banter and the camaraderie I so enjoyed with my father
exist once again. I, along with others, will be able to attend regular meetings
and gather information about candidates and issues. We will be able to take in
verbal and non-verbal cues from elected and non-elected officials so informed
decisions can be made. Finally, we will restore the sense of community to many
Republicans who desperately want to work toward common goals, through an
exchange of shared values, and exceed expectations whenever possible. This is
one of the best teams of which I am proud to be a member and I cannot wait to
see where we are in one year.
References
Denning, S. (2011). The Leader’s Guide to Storytelling:
Mastering the Art and Discipline of
Business Narrative. San
Francisco, CA. Jossey-Bass.
McKay, M., Davis, M., & Fanning, P. (2009). Messages: The Communication Skills
Book. Oakland, CA.
New Harbinger Publications, Inc.
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