Leadership philosophy
From Bgx
The following was adapted from an email Marty sent out about camp organization & dynamics
Contents |
Working in & for the camp
... I don’t want anyone to feel obligated to work on this project. I feel like I’ve tried to make that clear before, but maybe it can’t be overstated. I want this to be a project in which everyone involved is there by choice. Along the same lines, I want everyone to feel that they’re welcome, even if they choose not to volunteer. I’m uncomfortable with this project being an obligation that entitles someone to our camp infrastructure. We have resources, and I feel that those resources can be shared whether you lift a box or not. If people in the camp feel otherwise, maybe now is the time to start that conversation.
That being said, I think that just about everyone on this list has told me either they do want to help, or they don’t want to help. I’d like to re-emphasize that those choices can change when they need to change and that they can become as specific as you’d like. If there are jobs that you specifically want or don’t want, I’m more comfortable with us knowing that and working around those needs than with someone getting stuck with a responsibility that they hate.
Leadership & Structure
The next thing I want to talk about is leadership, and perhaps even approach the questions of “who’s in charge”, “who’s the head of the camp”, and “whose fucking project is this, anyway”. ... Joy recently pointed out to me that whether or not I wanted to call myself the head of the project last year, I was still the person holding the most pieces of the puzzle. So, with all that in mind, I’m hoping to avoid future frustration and more specifically communicate my interests in what I’d like leadership to look like this year.
What I’m not interested in: I’m not interested in an executive structure in which all authority flows upward. That, to me, is too diminishing of everyone else’s efforts and demands a level of management skill that I lack. Nor am I interested in a democratic structure where all decisions are made by vote or committee. I think that structure is too cumbersome, requires too much communication, and results in too many instances of “But no one asked ME!”. ....
What I am interested in: I’m interested in well-defined positions working within a larger collaborative structure. ... That’s the kind of structure I’m familiar with and have known to work well. I like talking about this as my project because I like to take personal ownership of projects that I’m proud to be a part of, not because I see myself as some kind of authority figure. I think we all have more or less the same level of experience on this project, so any one of us being a bona fide authority is a little absurd.
To me, the idea of well-defined positions within a larger collaborative structure might look like this:
- Individuals or teams volunteer to take responsibility for a specific element (or plan) of the project. They are then the Plan Leader(s)of that element. The Plan Leaders define the parameters of the plan and of their position. They decide what they are and aren’t capable of doing and communicate those abilities to the group.
- The larger collaborative nature of the structure empowers any individual to suggest specific elements be added to a plan.
- The larger collaborative nature of the structure also empowers any individual to volunteer and take responsibility for an element that has not yet been suggested or that is not being followed up.
Example
- Evalyn (my fictional poly girlfriend WHO JOY HATES) wants to take responsibility for the camp kitchen, so she works out what she does and doesn’t want to do, what she is and isn’t capable of doing, and posts an email to the group that includes these details:
- Evalyn volunteers to be the Kitchen Plan Leader.
- Evalyn’s primarily interested in cooking pre-made meals for the camp.
- Evalyn would like someone else to take responsibility for wrangling gear for the kitchen (stoves, gas, pots & pans, utensils, surfaces, etc.).
- Evalyn has no car, no Costco membership, and no credit card. So the Kitchen Plan needs someone to volunteer for purchasing ingredients and delivering them to [[Evalyn’s house. That will be no more than 2 trips.
- The Kitchen Plan will provide everyone in the camp with one pre-cooked meal per day, as well some light snacks and a couple non-alcoholic beverage choices. The meals will be individually packaged in Ziplocs.
- At this time, the Kitchen Plan does not intend to include breakfast, or more than one meal per person per day.
- The anticipated budget for the Kitchen Plan is $60 per person.
- Sar emails Evalyn suggesting that the Kitchen Plan include labeling the individual meals and labeling the coolers.
- Evalyn agrees to make that part of her responsibility.
- Joe emails Evalyn and volunteers to wrangle the kitchen gear.
- Joy emails Evalyn and volunteers to provide breakfast food, coffee and cocoa.
- Damien emails Evalyn and volunteers to provide Eggdogs on Sunday.
- Evalyn forwards Damien’s email to Joy, since Joy has taken responsibility for breakfast food.
Etc.
Using the Wiki
Each Plan will have a document posted on the wiki.This document will:
- describe the scope of the Plan
- bullet point the elements in detail
- list who is responsible for which elements
- be updated as elements, collaborators and specifics change.
That way, at any time, anyone in the group can view the online document and get a reasonable idea of where things stand with any part of the plan.
