Being Stuck
I drafted a post yesterday about the slippery slope of nonprofit organizations taking a stand on issues in a public forum. I spent some time looking into the recent Proposition 8 controversy in California and the backlash on members of the Church of Latter Day Saints for their role in advocating for a particular outcome. Despite my best diplomacy I was unable to craft a reasonable post that addressed the role a nonprofit organization needs to consider when taking a ‘side’ on a controversial issue. The national media attention and energy surrounding Proposition 8 had me writing in circles and at the end I was sinking into a hole. All this made me think about how the language we use when we meet as an organization. How do we speak to each other in a committee meeting or board meeting compared with our one-on-one conversations? One observation I notice to be accurate is that the real decisions are made in the parking lot or lobby after the board meeting adjourns. I use the think this was an insult to the organization and the other board members but now I believe there is another perspective. Sometimes we communicate more effectively in a small group standing around in a public location. We quickly get to the point and make our case and usually we are talking with people we feel can influence the outcome. What if we were able to have a ‘parking lot’ conversation within the structure of a board meting? How do we hear from everybody and get their insights without an edge towards parliamentary procedures? Sometimes the best decisions are made while standing on a street corner.
What-if-concepts 