A few months back I was asked to be on the board at the museum. Of course I was flattered to be thought of, but I had to think about what I was getting myself into before I gave an answer. My teenage fears of working in a group started to come back! Do I want to become so involved with a group? Am I up for the task? Will I make a positive impact? Is this the right thing? These are all questions that came to mind when deciding to join. After much prayer and thought I did decide to accept the offer. By putting my fears aside and stepping out I was able to become a part of a great group of people.
The board is a wide variety of talents, knowledge, and skills. We each bring a unique element to the table. Up until now though we have not been completely organized. I began to worry that the group project of old was creeping back into my life! We have been able to make this diverse group of people work until now but it has not been completely smooth. We outgrew our simple tasks and decisions of the past. The museum is now hosting more events for the community, it has a large “Evening With . . .” crowd and are working on needed exhibit improvements. Because of this increase toes are being stepped on and thoughts are not being communicated properly. The job of many is being taken on by only a few people.
Again, the group project nightmare is coming back. What are we to do in this situation? How should anyone handle this? As an answer to our problems Jackie, our business manager, noticed that roles were not defined and that the museum board had no clear direction. After some research about how boards of other non-profit groups are conducted Jackie sent out an email to address the problem. The email gives some guidelines for a board to follow such as having a clear mission and set goals for the year. Communication is also another big factor that we need to look at. Our board does not express their opinions and ideas easily. As my mother always says, “Communication is Key!” If you do not communicate how will anyone know what is going on?
All these issues will be addressed in full at our next board meeting in April. We will be communicating what changes need to be made which will be a big step for us. It is nice that the museum is finally realizing that change is good. All it takes is one step at a time to reach progress. I myself am no longer fearing the group project. I now realize that we are not graded on what we do or judged for silly ideas. Instead, we are all working together to make the museum a better place. It is more like a group development than a group project.
- I shared this post with you today to show that we are not perfect. We have a lot of things to work on. This is true for any organization. The museum is going through a growing experience that I believe should be made transparent. We are just a group of people who really love history and want to share that with the local community through what we believe is an amazing museum.