Let me introduce you to Shirley. She is known for eagerness to serve a diverse skill set. She doesn’t feel comfortable relying on anyone else, but she always gets the job done. Shirley is your new president. As a board member, you are probably thinking Shirley will be a great president. Not so fast!
When a Shirley type gets elected president, the organization will likely suffer. Shirley only knows how to get things done by doing them herself. She brings that model to the presidency.
Shirley is slow to appoint committee chairs, and when she does appoint them, they are inexperienced.
Board meetings become sessions where Shirley reports to the board on her accomplishments. Board meeting attendance falls off.
Shirley may let the committee chair assist her in doing the committee’s work.
The committees are generally not fleshed out.
The work gets done, so nobody is too concerned. Shirley gets praised for her hard work. The year goes by, and now it is time for elections again. Shirley wants another term as president. Nobody else steps up, so Shirley is reelected.
About midway through her second term, Shirley starts to resent that she is having to do so much. The thrill is gone, and Shirley is off to new, more intriguing challenges with another group.
Your group finds itself with committee chairs and officers who have not been doing anything. They are intimidated because they don’t think that they can do anything as well as Shirley did. Shirley never made it look easy.
At this point, the group may even dissolve for lack of leadership. A reorganization may remain the best way to keep the group alive.
Of course, it would have been better not to have ever elected Shirley as president.
