[Foundation-l] jobs

[Ray Saintonge]

Anthere wrote:

>Kelly Martin wrote:
>  
>
>>On 6/1/06, Anthere <Anthere9 at yahoo.com> wrote:
>>    
>>
>>>There is something hugely upsetting in the comments I read in this
>>>thread. It is seeing people complain things are not publicly
>>>discussed... but who do not even comments when the issues are raised
>>>publicly. It is seeing people complain things are not done... but they
>>>do not do things themselves. It is seeing people complain we do not
>>>welcome their help... but they say no when we ask them.
>>>      
>>>
>>Well, my perspective on the above comments:
>>
>>I complain about the Foundation to many people.  I don't do anything
>>about it because the structure of the Foundation is such that I am
>>disenfranchised from actually having any influence other than through
>>backchannel politicking.  The bylaws of the Foundation concentrate all
>>power in the Board, and further structured so that a majority of Board
>>members are not responsible to anyone but themselves.  This structure
>>makes the Board inherently resistant to change.  I am not sanguine
>>that the Board will ever even recognize all of the problems that exist
>>right now, let alone come up with a useful solution.
>>    
>>
>it is the second time I see you using that expression. What does that 
>mean "I am not sanguine" ? except for not being an orange which is 
>probably true ?
>
"Sanguine" in English as in French draws its origins from the French 
"sang".  It can be applied to many things with a characteristic blood 
red colouring including varieties of oranges and pears, and hematite 
drawing crayons.  When applied to persons the subject gets interesting.  
While it is clearly related to people who are red in the face, or often 
in relation to large people who have many broken small blood vessels in 
their cheeks.  English and French physiognomists interpreted the 
associated temperaments quite differently.  For the English it 
represents cheerful optimism, and a hopeful and even naïve belief that 
everything will be all right.  For the French a sanguine person was seen 
as someone with a quick temper (un coléreux), unless you were from  that 
other school of thought that saw them as possessing a calm practical 
sense of things. 

>>So, yes, you may be asking for help, but frankly I find it hard to
>>figure out what help you need or who to talk to about it -- and
>>besides, your volunteer coordinators should be working to match
>>volunteers with tasks that need doing, instead of making volunteers
>>hunt around to find something to do that fits their talents.  But then
>>again, that's yet another one of the myriad defects of the WMF: the
>>Foundation appears to have no clue how to manage volunteers, either.
>>(Does WMF even have a volunteer coordinator?)
>>    
>>
>Interesting question.
>Is the job of a board member
>1) define the strategy of the Foundation in the long run
>2) manage everyday operations of the organisation
>3) focus on human management of volunteers ?
>
>According to books, it is 1. According to reality, it is 2. According to 
>wishes, is it 3 ?
>
I would rephrase that slightly to refer to the job of the Board as a 
whole rather than individual members.  The first is clearly the most 
important job of the Board.  It should set broad guidelines for the 
second, without getting involved in micro-management.  If you trust 
someone enough to put him in a position you need to trust him enough to 
let him get on with the job.  The human management of volunteers is a 
very special skill which could be handled at the highest level by the 
right board member, but not necessarily.

>Let me see... I need
>
>1) 
>
>...
>
>11) 
>
The length of your list alone says a lot  about the needs that have 
developed.  We may very well have volunteers who _can_ do these jobs, 
but how much can you fairly expect of them?

Ec