Seventeen Years Later...

 And I'm back to working on....

Great Leaders

 Saw this somewhere and liked it:

Great leaders

don't set out to be leaders;

They set out to make a difference.

It's never about the role—

it's about the

goal.

Getting Stuff Done- Setting Goals and Rewards for Myself

I’m occasionally asked “How do you get so much done? Do you ever sleep?”

Yes, I sleep. And I eat and shower and keep the house relatively tidy. The key is that I’m hyper organized and a list-maker.

As Communications Officer, I keep two running lists on my little desktop notepad application: A TO-DO list for my several Mensa functions and a WHAT I DID list for the same categories.

As I think of things, or read questions or comments on various threads, I jot down action items for my To-Do list. For example, I might read a post from a LG Webmaster expressing a wish for a clickable owl icon that would lead to the Group’s Steemit account so their members can participate and earn money for the Group. I'd add “Clickable owl for LG Steemit account” to my To-Do list. A conversation at an RG hospitality might result in “Develop training for how to moderate a Mensa Connect community.”

Some of the items on my To-Do list are tiny, such as “Ask staff to confirm the ACE Awards are gone.” Some items are large: “Establish clear guidance on local group the websites & social media.” Some are medium: “Discuss Bulletin advertising policy update ideas with Staff and Marketing Officer” and “Find a spreadsheet guru for the Volunteerism Task Force project.”

I have an overall goal of doing at least something for Mensa every day. As I sit at my computer noodling around unproductively, I’m constantly seeing the To-Do list and scrolling through it to find a task that is the right size for my mood and energy at the moment. Sometimes I’m just not feeling super productive, so I pick an easy one like dashing off a “Hey Charles, whatever happened to the ACE Awards?” email. Somedays I’m swirling with ideas and energy and tackle a larger thinking and writing project. Occasionally, all I manage to do is bump a discussion post in one of my committees so it will get noticed again.

Some of the items on the To-Do list can be broken down into smaller steps. “Find a spreadsheet guru for the Volunteerism Task Force project” becomes “Draft ad for Volunteer Marketplace,” “Send ad to staff to upload” “Ask Staff if there have been any applicants,” “Review applicants and contact them with a yay or nay,” “Ask Staff to add new spreadsheet guru to the Vol Task Force.” Lots of tiny, doable tasks that I can reward myself for.

Which brings me to my second list—the WHAT I DID list. This is my reward—being able to add a bullet point of accomplishment. 

Here’s October 23-November 23, 2021 (yes, this covers only a single month):

Communications Officer 

• Asked CB to confirm that ACE Awards are no longer and to update the website accordingly.
• Asked past Comm Officers what they know about Com3
• Some back and forth with Tim V and staff about a couple members not being able to  have access to their regional MC community. Responded to the people who’d been suspended from the Region 8 MC—basically told them it’s not my bailiwick.
• Dug into whatever became of Com3, which is still listed in the TOS for MC.
• Reviewed Nov/Dec Bulletin
• Teleconference with staff and Vogt about MC issues and needs.
• Mucked around learning how to be an admin on MC.
• Long phone call with CommComm member about ideas and training materials.
• Drafted intro post to new MC community for admins. Leanred that there is great need for manuals and training.
• Two hour zoom call with staff to learn how to be a super admin.
• Participated in a Meet the AMC session at HalloweeM.
• Consulted with Lead MC Moderator on improved wording for automated moderation messages.
• Sent a letter to LG communications people covering return addresses, communication preferences, and using MC for sharing content fodder.
• Curated library content of Pubs Officer MC community.
• Long productive video conf with IT and Comm staff regarding many topics: Mensa Connect use, training, & promotion; AML’s servers and PHP upgrade plans; Wordpress sites on and off the AML server, LG Editors’ software & content; how the NO can safeguard LGs’ Facebook presence if the member who created it stomps off in a huff; and Website organization.
• Checked back and closed out on suggestions made for onboarding email to editors.
• Nudged CB again for a few things on the September and October request list.
• Helped several editors find the library section of their MC community.
• Began editing & updating MC TOS.
• Attended AMC meeting in Charlotte & presented an LDW on Communications.
• Created graphic explanation of Comm Pref options.
• Asked Writer’s SIG for contributions to the Editors' library.
• Worked with RVC2 to draft a document of members’ rights & responsibilities.
• Responded to more inquiries about Oral History Project communications.
• Filled out form to do a M&G session at the 2022 AG.
• Clarified newsletter indicia information and LG membership directory rules for LG Editors.
• Wrote article about Mensa Connect for Bulletin.
• Began clarifying regulations about Known Office of Publication for LG newsletters using periodicals permits.
• Discussed policy on advertising in the Bulletin with Marketing Officer and Bulletin editor.
• Attended Webinar on using WordPress.

Communications Committee

• Added Michael F.
• Tweaked draft of Editors Survey
• Michael conducted a 4 question PHONE survey of all 124 LocSecs to find out what software is used for newsletters, what SM venues are used, and a bit about LG websites. Results are interesting and generating many items on the growing To-Do list.
• Created a training video on the basics of using Mensa Connect.
• Began creating training videos on the basics of Administrating/Moderating Mensa Connect.

 Volunteerism Task Force

• Reviewed an old LDWs on the topic.
• Reframed some questions topics and posted to get everyone back on task. Bumped a few times.
• Looked at massive data pull staff did to correlate each groups’ geographical square milage and general population density.
• Generated and refined a list of volunteer role categories in Mensa.
• Reviewed and re-posted questions the TF wants to answer.
• Drafted Vol MP ad for a spreadsheet wizard.
• Wrote up more reviews of LDWs.
• Drafted scale for RVCs to use to rank their groups’ volunteerism levels.
• Wrote up summaries of two more articles.
• Discussed AML’s current “Volunteer management system” with Trevor.
• Asked RVCs to rank their groups volunteerism levels.
• Created second draft of formal report so far.

The Relationship between a BoD and Staff

Members (and some AMCers) are complaining about the lack of input/review/approval the AMC had over the Oral History Project. We were informed that it was happening, and the general timetable and expectations, but that’s it. 

This is a good time for a quick lesson on the relationship between a Board of Directors and the paid staff.

 

The BoD handles the big picture stuff. Visions, goals, general values and direction of the organization. They hire an Executive Director to “make it so.” The Board communicates their big goals to the ED and approves a budget. From there, The ED is responsible for hiring and supervising other staff to get stuff done. The Board is apprised of things, consulted when there are problems, but generally stays hands off on the details. This is a good thing—the Board comprises members who may or may not be diligent and skilled, and the turnover rate is high. 

 

If the Board doesn’t like how the ED is or isn’t getting stuff done, they replace the ED.

 

So as an illustration, let’s say the AMC has as a grand goal “make it easier for members to gather in person” and after much discussion, determines that it would be really super awesome to have physical Mensa clubhouses. The AMC would then tell the ED “we want clubhouses for members, and we’re authorizing $1,000,000 towards that goal.”

 

The ED can then decide to make one big clubhouse in the most populated city, or three smaller clubhouses in cities where the groups are wobbling. They might decide, after research, that the best way to allocate the million dollars is to rent rooms on Thursdays in 500 park districts across the country. The ED would apprise the AMC of this decision, and at this point, the AMC could say "gosh no, we want to own buildings, even if it’s only two." The ED would change course or lay out the case for renting in many cities instead of buying in one or two.

 

The AMC does NOT get consulted on furniture, which internet company to contract with, or what color the carpeting will be.

 

Back to the situation at hand—somewhere along the way, The AMC said, among other goals, “preserve our history” and "increase membership." The ED, or more likely the staff responsible for marketing and increasing membership, thought "personal anecdotes and stories are effective tools for bringing in members," heard about this history publishing company, cut a deal with them that seemed good, and made it happen. The AMC was informed of this deal in a general sense, and for whatever reason, didn’t say “gosh no!” The AMC was NOT informed of the specifics and certainly not the wording of each communication, any more than they’d be consulted on the decision to paint the clubhouse walls griege with puce accents or which direction the refrigerator door should swing.

 

What we’re learning, or at least I am, is that there needs to be some tweaking of the “hands-off; don’t micromanage” division. 

 

The next AMC meeting is going to be interesting.

Further thoughts on the Oral History Project email/postcard

Further thoughts on the Oral History Project email/postcard (which I've shared with the AMC), somewhat colored by having been the person taking the brunt of the outrage for this in several online forums:

It was an ok idea. Little effort and cost from Mensa in exchange for some good fodder for future marketing campaigns and perhaps some ego strokes for those who participate and like to see their names in print.

Members were notified about it, and how to opt out, several times and via several means. That many chose to not receive or read or remember those notices is an all-too common problem. It’s on my CommComm plate to figure out solutions to this, if possible.

For several days, while scurrying around trying to spread explanations and smooth ruffled feathers, I said that no one, AMC or Staff, had seen the actual copy that would be used on the emails/postcards. I have since been corrected on this. I presumed that no one who has a clue about Mensans would ever in a million years word something in such a phish scammy manner. I was wrong; at least one person on the staff DID see and approve that wording before it went out.

When I learned that, my jaw dropped and shattered on the floor so significantly that I’ve had no comebacks at all.

The Board of Directors and the Staff should be partners towards a common goal, and that goal (aka Strategic Plan) is determined by the Board of Directors and implemented by the Staff, under the supervision of the Exec Director.

I’m supportive of the notion that the Board should not micromanage the professional people we’ve hired to get stuff done. However, refraining from micromanaging does not mean refraining from managing completely.

The Board should have input regarding what is said and how to the members they represent. This is the reason the Communications Officer reviews every page of every Bulletin before it goes to print. There is a line between input/review and meddling/bogging down. Should I review the Bulletin? Yes. Should Tabby review every single tweet in advance? That’s ridiculous. Should Kimberly review and approve every email sent to a member? Of course not.

That said, Tabby should be expected to tell the Staff person who types the tweets “please never mention eugenics. and do throw in a picture of a cute kitten now and then." Kimberly should be expected to have input on the topics to be included in the updated onboarding emails that get sent to every new LG Officer. 

Which brings us to this fiasco—

Two things need to change in the future:

1. Someone who is on the AMC should be expected to have input and review on future projects that are intended to solicit money from members or that are intended to bring in revenue from sale or exchange of members’ information.

2. The Board should not have to wait DAYS to learn details they are expected to defend or refute to the membership, at least not without higher quality flak jackets with sequined targets on the back.

A Firehose of Information- and Still Members Complain About Not Getting It

Communication requires a sender and a receiver. The problem I see is that many members, for a variety of reasons, choose not to receive messages via the several means currently employed. Historically, the solution has been to add more communication vehicles. So far, we have LG newsletters, the Bulletin, Mensa Wired and Mensa Leader, Mensa Connect, direct emails, Twitter, and Facebook. Other than an old-fashioned phone tree, what other options are there (which won't work- many of us have filters on our phones to automatically reject incoming calls from numbers not in our contacts)?

What will inspire members to consume Mensa-related information?

I actually started pondering this issue before I took office— a firehose of information members should or might want to have, but they’re not getting it because they choose to opt out of reading it. I was casually chatting about this  with three 25 year olds, and their response was a major “ahah” moment for me— they told me that they pretty much ignore all messages that are shoved at them, but instead pay close attention to information that they sought out on their own.

I’m not quite sure what to do with this revelation, however.

Suggestions are welcome.

That Verify Your member Data Email and postcard

I had Mensa stuff on my to-do list for today. All sorts of small but useful this and that sorts of tasks. I ended up spending the entire day dashing from Mensa forum to Mensa forum answering questions and smoothing feathers.

The big kerfluffle today was the email and post card everyone got about the Oral History Project. Now it might not have been quite such a big deal, except for a perfect storm of several issues:

 

1. Despite telling the membership over and over in many ways, people either didn’t read or forgot about it.

2. The actual email/postcard was sent from the publishing company, and I have no idea who on the Mensa side saw it before it went out. Despite being Communications Officer, I certainly didn’t. Had I, I would have made more than a few suggestions for improvement.

3. The email/postcard looked like phishing. It came from a non-Mensa address, with a non-Mensa number to call WITHIN 7 DAYS.

4. Mensans are smart enough to recognize an expensive vanity publication when they see one.

 

Then, those who were gullible or curious and actually called the number on the message, after verifying their name, phone number, and address, were asked a series of questions about why they joined, what it’s done for their career, what’s the best part about being a member, and so on— the actual oral history stories the project is to collect. To be fair, the email/postcard DID state “We are also collecting stories from our Mensans to memorialize the history of identifying and fostering human intelligence for the benefit of humanity.” But somehow, since that wasn’t in the alarming bold “Please call 1-855-242-9245 (toll free) to take care of this important matter today” print, I and probably others missed that part.

 

After the interview questions, the sales pitch began. It was expensive, pushy, and even when I declined, I was asked if my current address is the one I’d like my package delivered to.

 

So as a result, across Mensa today, people were confused, suspicious, angry, and accusatory. I responded as best I could, after alerting the National Office that we have a big fire spreading that needs putting out. I corresponded with several key staff people in-the-know and crafted and shared long explanatory posts here and there.

 

Nearly everyone I read on several Mensa outlets said they considered it spam and were absolutely not going to participate. Most postcards and emails went in the shredder or trash file.

 

 ___________________________________________

 

After a day of speaking as a Board member, I finally get to compose my personal opinion thoughts here:

 

* Yeah, ok, it’s a vanity publication. Some people dig that sort of thing. Mensa will end up with a bunch of stories which is great marketing fodder, and Staff didn’t have to do much work to get all the useful copy. It didn’t cost Mensa any money, beyond potential lost dues revenue from members who quit over this issue.

 

* I hope this teaches all the higher-ups a solid lesson that messages sent to the membership should be reviewed by a couple actual members-with-a-clue before going out.

 

* I wish I knew the interview questions in advance so I could have been prepared to tell my fabulously interesting Mensa stories.

 

* Holy crap, what they’re trying to sell me is a lot of money! My ego is not worth the price they’re asking.

Agenda for Communications Committee Zoom Meeting Sept 22

In an effort to jump-start CommComm into action, we're going to have a Zoom meeting next week. Here are the topics I hope to cover: 

• Intros & why you’re on this Comm. What are your passions & skills?

• LG newsletters need attention. Editors are burnt out and feeling burdened. How can we make newsletters better, easier, & cheaper (besides more electronic subscribers)? I'm starting a “Sharehouse” for content already and will be working on creating templates much like Tabby has done for websites. What else? How can we help LGs who simply don’t have an editor at all?

• Would removing or lessening the publication requirements for LGs help editors & LG costs or result in more groups not bothering to do one at all, and if so, how might “National” pick up the slack so those members get something?

• Johnathan mentioned that we should ponder “how Mensa can use various technology platforms to increase user engagement in a way that respects the desire for free discussion between members while avoiding toxicity.” Clarify what is actionable for this; pick some good platforms and..um….?

• “Heat Map” Project—I need a list of LG FaceBook, Discord, and MeetUp groups, LG Twitter, Instagram names, and any other SM LGs are using.  Ideally with numbers of people signed up for each. How can we split up this task to get it done?

• I need a CommComm techie person to figure out how LGs can add a Discord icon to their web pages. Who can take this on?

• Brainstorming: We already have a pile of useful info for leaders and members, and several communication pipelines,  but too few bother to access it or even click and read at a high enough rate when it's shoved to them. How can we improve this? 

So How was the WG in Houston?

 Small, but nearly all the components of an AG were in placed worked. I didn't attend any of the evening social events, not even Misster Mensa ( I'm just not a late-night person and wanted to mitigate my Covid risks).

Kudos to Taz and the entire WG team!

I managed to do a reasonable amount of schmoozing with people about various concerns and projects.

The biggest happy surprise was the revelation from the Treasurer (Taz) that the money borrowed from the Life Members' Fund ( and 3 & 5 year funds, too, I think) has been restored fully. Wayback when that lawsuit happened, the AMC made grand plans to restore it within 14 years. Those intentions were chucked within a year or two because of other financial pressures. Now it turns out we refilled those coffers within only ten years!

Feeling Frustrated

 

What I've Done July 10-Aug 5 (3 1/2 weeks) 2021

I used to do this way back when, and if nothing else, I find it handy for my own record keeping and to point to for anyone considering taking on these positions.

As Communications Officer 

• Attended July AMC orientation and meeting.

• Reviewed all Communications sub committees’ discussions from previous terms.

• Identified and contacted all committees’ members about staying on with CommComm.

• Reviewed August Bulletin.

• Had some back and forth with CB about getting added to the MC communities where LG editors and webmasters hang out.

• Dug into Mensa Leader e-newsletter process and how subscribers are chosen. Suggested adding national-but-not-active-LG-officers volunteers to the list. Began creating list of topics to be included in occasional issues.

• Began discussions with new ComComm about Strategic Plan components that we should be focused on, and asked for ideas. Had to nudge a few times to get any responses.

• Created my own list of ideas in the categories(from the Strategic Plan) of Helping members form communities, Delivering an attractive Local Group experience, and Non-strategic logistical stuff.

• Reviewed the work done by Marketing/Emerging Social Media committees regarding viability of various SM venues. Made notes, asked questions in prep of expanding To-Do list for CommComm.

• Worked on reading August LG newsletters online (read all 70 available as of Aug 5).

• Filled out reimbursement forms and such.

• Reviewed AMC Handbook, and glanced at the other handbooks online- omg, so out of date!

• Drafted a suggestion for a new Quarterly Report form.

• Facilitated response to member’s concern about being locked out of MC.
• Created spreadsheet of known Online communication venues Mensans gather in (FB, MC, e-newsletters, MeetUp). Asked RVCs for help getting the info on the groups in their regions.
• Nudged CB again about Mensa Leader e-newsletter access and the topic of improving subscriber levels and open rates for Leader & Wired.
• Looked for (and failed to find) reports detailing the how’s and why’s of choosing Higher Logic for Mensa Connect.

• Asked Tabby about reporting N&L violations found in newsletters.

With Communications Committee 

• Populated committee and eliminated existing subcommittees.

• Initiated introductions and discussion topics, centering on goals and projects for this term.

• Shared thoughts on this term’s To-Do list

• Began discussion about CoC for online interactions and whether or not it’s really something any online group (other than Mensa Connect) wants or would be willing to implement. Reached out to admins of M- Hospitality and M-Firehouse asking if they needed anything from this committee. M-Hospitality admin said they don’t need more CoC; they need backup when they try to enforce it.

With Volunteerism Task Force (This reflects 8 weeks; we started on June 16)

• Gathered general input from M-Leaders forums on Mensa Connect and FaceBook to create a list of current issues and concerns on the topic.

• Reviewed and began discussion with Trevor on his thoughts regarding Mensa’s Volunteer Program

• Generated a list of questions to find answers to.

• Reviewed and wrote up summaries of relevant previous Mensa-generated research. 

• Generated a long long list of articles to read and summarize in our quest to become experts on the topic.

• Tweaked committee composition.

• Read and wrote up summaries of 16 articles so far.

• Generated additional questions as we learned more.

• Began collaboration on creation of a survey for LocSecs regarding volunteerism in their Groups.

• Added Jennifer Jewell to the TF.

• Began drafting a satisfaction survey for LG volunteers.-Killed it when we learned that the NO already does this annually.

• Requested a spreadsheet of LG newsletters and editors.

• Revived the notion of using the PDQ to find volunteers. Did a quick snapshot poll on FB M-Leaders group to see who knows about it (as hypothesized, it is not widely known and certainly not used much)

• Added BethAnne Demeter to the TF.

As Chair of National Awards Committee

Confirmed retention of committee members.

Prepared article about winners for Awards ceremony and Bulletin.

Made a list of possible new additions to the committee after August.

Biggest Takeaway from the VolTF project so far

While I wait for CommComm to get going, I've been keeping busy making progress on the Volunteerism Task Force project. We've already covered a lot of ground as far as researching in and outside of Mensa. I'm finding lots of good stuff. My biggest takeaway so far is...

OMG, we gotta do something about updating and distributing Officer Handbooks!

Local Groups Expressing Opinions

I appear to have drafted this back in June of 2015 but never hit "post." I'm publishing it now mostly because I'm tickled by my illustration in the last paragraph.

In a long long long Facebook thread, I commented that Local Groups are allowed to express opinions. One member reasonably requested that I point him to the policy upon which I based my statement. Here it is:

Constitution of Mensa

II. The Policy of Mensa

B. Mensa encompasses members representing many points of view. Consequently, Mensa as an organization shall not express an opinion as being that of Mensa, take any political action other than the publication of the results of its investigations, or have any ideological, philosophical, political, or religious affiliations.

C. Members or groups of members may express opinions as members of Mensa, provided their opinions or actions are not expressed as being those of Mensa as an organization.

So no one can say “Mensa endorses Jenny McCarthy for President.” (However Mensa can sponsor academic research and publish results which say that blondes who hate vaccinations statistically perform higher than billionaires who wear toupees on certain tests of political leadership aptitude.) Furthermore, groups of members may express opinions. Local Groups are groups of members. They just can’t present themselves as speaking for all of Mensa as a whole.

Tending to Committee Composition

This morning was spent looking at everyone on the various committees i inherited and composing messages to the people who haven't yet responded to my general messages on Mensa Connect. I need to figure out who is who, who does what, who signed up ages ago but lost interest, who was active but now has too much else to focus on in regular life, who should be shifted from this project to that project, and so on. This all takes more hours of work and writing than non-committee chairs realize.

But with effort and fair winds, I should end up with good groups of solid people.

Finding Old Research

I learned yesterday that even the staff don’t have a copy -hard or electronic- of the old Local Group Services & Funding Report we did back in 2011. I dug out the pdf and sent it on.

Sigh. I wonder what other probably useful research has been lost and forgotten. I wonder how many times Mensa has reinvented its own wheels. I know there is a committee supposedly working on a History Compendium of some sort; perhaps I’ll check in with them and offer the suggestion that old research reports be included in their archives.

AMC Meeting July 10, 2021

 So I’m home and recovered from my first AMC meeting of this term (as Communications Officer).

I was super pleased with how this board looks to be functional and even in the after-meeting schmoozing, got no sense of any particular factions  forming. The Marketing Officer, Tabby, and the Membership Officer (Kimberly) and I spent a lot of time talking together and we all seem to be on the same page as far as working and communicating together since really, most of what we do overlaps significantly. I think the three of us are going to be a very good cohesive team, which is fantastic.

I definitely got the feeling that I was wanted and welcome and valued by the others. I may no longer have a vote (not even on the committee I chair!) but I’m not worried that I won’t be treated and listened to with respect. I think we’ll be able to, as they say, get shit done.

I was amused a couple of times as people mentioned high priority concerns that should be tended to. One person wanted to look at how Local Groups are funded in order to incentivize them to do more for their members. I chuckled and said "I did that already, down to the granular level of how many pennies per member per month for what. Remind me when we get home and I can send you that report” (which no one seems to even know exists). Later, Lori asked me to help with the updating Officer Handbooks project. “Sure, I have those all done already. Ping me to send you all the files.” Another example of useful stuff that all got shelved because of politics back in the day.

All in all, I have high hopes for this term.

She's Back!

And so it begins... again

 I just wrote this advice to new AMC appointees and figured I'd post it here to remember it:

Brush up on basic parliamentary procedure, prepare many pocket folders and email folders and dedicate a spiral notebook for  notes when members call you with their brilliant “Somebody should…” ideas. Staying hyper organized is the key to not getting overwhelmed and tangled up by all the threads you’ll have to keep straight. Also, lean on your staff people; they have answers and access to more useful information and data than you can imagine.

Another piece of advice I have to offer from the been here done this perspective… you will often hear people refer to Mensa leadership as "herding cats.” This is not an accurate description. Instead, imagine yourself driving a conestoga wagon, holding the reins of a thoroughbred race horse, a Clydesdale, a mule, a Jack Russel terrier, a dolphin, and falcon. You have an ox yoked to the back and pulling in the opposite direction, and a pack of hyenas howling at you along the way.

Let the horses do their thing with minimal interference, give the mule a carrot, take the terrier out to piddle and chase rabbits now and then, listen to the wisdom of the dolphin, pay attention to the perspectives of the falcon, distract the ox, and shrug off the hyenas. And be patient; you’re driving a covered wagon, even when it looks like a Tesla.

Mensa is TOO Tolerant

Over and over I see conflicts between members-- in person or online. These conflicts occasionally escalate to the Hearings Committee level. More often than not, hands are wrung and nothing is done about anything because Mensa strives to be accepting and tolerant of everyone's beliefs and personality quirks and views.

I stumbled across this post on Facebook long ago, but it's worth reading and digesting again.