Avoidance of Controversy Michael Collins President’s Column (Last) May 2003
Our Chamber of Commerce has grown dramatically over the past few years. Not just in its ability to serve our community, but in the community’s eyes. It has developed a mutual respect with not only local business, city government, but with the public at large.
This type of growth and respect can be attributed to either one of the cyclic historical curves, (where history repeats itself), or to the positive commitment of its leadership. Frankly, I like to think of it as a positive commitment from our Board of Directors and its staff. We as the board and our staff have worked relentlessly in the pursuit of not just recognition, but in positive influence in business, legislative, and community matters.
Very simply put, leading is establishing direction and influencing others to follow that direction. However, there are many variations and different areas of emphasis to this very simple definition. Experts assert that, whether you're an executive or an entry-level worker in an organization, it's critical for you to have strong skills in leadership.
I believe that one of the major problems our Chamber of Commerce has been present within years past had to do with conflict avoidance. Basically put, it was easier to give in to the squeaky wheel than to confront a situation and deal with it appropriately. Sometimes leaders must be tough and objective and make difficult decisions quickly and decisively while maintaining the best interest of who they are representing. While this may be true for many business dealings, some leaders have a blind spot -- or a weak spot -- when it comes to confronting people's problems. The results can be disastrous to an organization such as ours, particularly in the case of a president or executive director who ignores or avoids conflict. For example, a poor-performing executive can survive because the president doesn't investigate or act on employee complaints; conflict can become malignant because there is no tiebreaker to force a resolution, and ineffective managers are passed from one board or one year to the next because the executive would rather play "pass the turkey" than cook the goose. This game of “pass the turkey”, however, is not our current style.
Although last month should have been my last column, I felt compelled to share a few more of my thoughts and beliefs that brought our Chamber to where it is today. To our new Board of Directors, I wish you love for your community and passion for your work.
Respectfully,
Michael Collins The Last President’s Column May 2003
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