Team Leadership
As the newbie on the leadership team, I have lots to learn! Much of what happens in leadership is process driven. In an organization of the size, 1.14 million members, and complexity of ours, there is a lot to do and a tremendous amount to study. While engaged in that process, you cannot help but notice how great the ‘system,’ works.
Specifically, there is an amazing collaboration between the volunteer leaders and our professional staff. Each year the volunteer leaders change, people leaving the team, people joining the team. These include, the President (Charles Macmillan), President-elect (Vicki Cox Golder), First Vice-President (me), Treasurer (Jim Helsel), and Immediate past President (Dick Gaylord), Vice President of Committees (Steve Brown), and Vice President of Government Affairs (Gary Thomas). The annual transition happens seamlessly. That is the result work the professional staff does. Dale Stinton, is the Chief Executive Officer. who with his equally amazing team, forwards the ambitious agenda and critical mission of this organization. This is not an easy task…You cannot help but smile when you think about the different personalities of the volunteer leaders that pass through leadership. As soon as the professional staff gets used to one presidential personality, a new one is in office.
What is amazing is that it works and no one sees or knows of the challenge. (Sometimes staff protects leadership from itself). It is always a balance. The volunteer leaders are responsible to map the strategic course of the organization. Dale and his staff work with us on the plan, but they are responsible for the execution of the programs.
Also amazing is the ‘espirit de corps.’ that develops among the leadership team. You have friends, mentors, and co-leaders. Each one is so committed to doing right by the organization and the membership. Sometimes we commiserate. Sometimes the challenges are overwhelming, but the team members support each other. When we need to fill in for each other, we do. When we deliberate issues, it is issue centric not personality driven. It takes time to create that level of trust and respect.
The Right Tools, Right Now program is a great example of the effectiveness of the model in place. Last fall, the leadership team meeting included a discussion of how bad our individual members were faring. This was as the result of an email sent by Realtor member from North Carolina. As leadership, we were listening, but” felt” unable to do more that encourage people to simply ‘bear it.’ After the first of the year, Dale and his team stepped up and came up with the Right Tools, Right Now program. More people have used it than we would have imagined. It is the effective.
The leadership team model works. Leaders listen and things happen.
