On Mon, 2 Feb 2004 08:39:47 +0000 (UTC), Mike wrote:

3. A well-established group can become too satisfied with itself
or too tightly knit a social group and thus not very welcoming to
new members.


This may very well be the problem and it takes a very serious look at
yourself to see this and admit it. And it has to come from the top. How long
have the people on the committee been in office? Do they regard it as 'Their
Society'?

Our local rock gardening group is fortunate in that its bylaws
require committee members to step down after three years. As a
result, nearly all members have been on the committee at some
point. Moreover, because they've struggled in the kitchen
themselves, they tend not to criticize the cooking of whoever's
currently on the hook!

A provision of this nature is recommended. Otherwise, one must
resort to devious Machiavellian tactics to ease long-term
incumbents off the committee, and such tactics are neither easy
to devise nor easy to carry out. And can take a long time to
bring to fruition.

How are ideas received by the committee? "Oh we tried that once and it
didn't work" and then when you look back to when it was tried, it clashed
with the Coronation in 1953!!!!!!!!!!

Ah, yes. Seen that too.


--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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