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.