"We need a President that brings unity and alignment and who does not let an issue go misaligned, and we need a board that once aligned, supports the decision, the President and the CEO, and importantly the implementation"......"We need to clean house of past issues and then take the organization forward. With the size we want to be, and the political power this organization carries, we need a professional organization whose job is to run the place, and have our board focus on strategy, direction and long term vision....My Response:
Board/President Alignment
I will not comment whether or not the board was aligned under the Presidents that I have served with since they do not really have a venue to comment on my opinion. What I will say is that during the five and a half years I have spent on the national board, we have had many motions go through with a clear majority vote and only a small handful where the vote was close and there was a lot of tension. I will say that after many of those close votes, there was a clear split on the board even to the point that grudges were clearly observed afterwards. That is where I believe a strong President needs to come in and ensure that the board works through the issues, that concerns are addressed, and that the entire board agrees to move forward with the decision. As National President, I will not be dismissive of board member opinions and will implement a steady, balanced approach to manage the board. I have worked under Presidents that have taken this approach and have worked with some that do not. The board was clearly aligned better when we had a President that spent the extra time to address issues with board members. I promise to the board that I will strive to do the same when I am National President.
CEO Alignment
My opinion is that today there is a misalignment between the NBOD, the CEO, and staff. This stems back to the fact that the NBOD did not fully plan out and execute a transition plan from a volunteer run national staff to the CEO structure we now have in place. I was on the board when we approved the new CEO, NBOD, and management structure for the organization. I also remember being at the next NBOD retreat and asking at the end of the retreat, "where is the step by step plan and measures that ensure that we get from where we are today to the CEO structure that we just implemented?" My opinion was that we did not have a complete plan, we did not have measures to know where we were in the transition, and as a result we struggled with our first CEO and we are struggling today with our current CEO. As National President, I will ensure that we evaluate where we are today and identify the gaps. I will ensure that we map out the remaining transition steps and then execute a plan to ensure we have an NBOD that is focused on strategy, direction, and vision. Lastly, I will ensure that we achieve alignment between the NBOD, the CEO, and the staff.
I believe that it is important to point out that I have a very good working relationship with the CEO and the staff today and would have their full support if elected National President. I also believe that I can bring everyone together to close the gap and ensure that SHPE performs to its fullest potential so that we can help Hispanics across the nation can realize their fullest potential and we all can realize the reality of our vision and our dreams.
My Best,
Michael Gutierrez
www.michaelgutierrez.net
First of all, Michael, thank for your hard work and dedication to SHPE the past 5 years.
ReplyDeleteIn my mind, we need to change the organizational culture in its entirety from NBOD, CEO, RVPs, etc., on down to the Chapter Prez level to help build a culture of VALUING responsibility and accountability. No easy task. Policies & rules are made at the top in any organization. Unless the mindset of each of the "guys on top" is one where he/she truly knows the meaning of taking responsibility for the task they have volunteered for, and are willing to OWN their individual results, good OR not, there is no change. We can say we support R&A but what does that really mean?
I say it's before taking on a task or position, SHPErs need to think about what's required and whether or not they're willing to do whatever it takes to do it, before putting their name on it. Great if things work out but they need to be willing to take bullets from peers when they don't, rather than blaming others, the system, or weather and letting SHPE gradually slide into mediocrity. Knowing you'll be THE HEAVY if things under your watch don't work out, somehow makes you focus more on getting right THE FIRST TIME. Pretty cool, I say. Quality throughout is non-negotiable in performance and results and should be the cornerstone of SHPE. It starts at the top where the leaders should walk the talk, be willing to call each other out for subpar performance which, in reality, is not popular. People hate to be called out. Yes, we are mostly volunteers serving SHPE but this is not about egos, power or visibility. I've tried this R&A stuff at the Chapter level, and believe me, IT WORKS! (National Leadership Award, remember?)
Believe me, great things start to happen in an atmosphere where a responsibility minded team holds each other accountable. What ever the mindset or culture on top, it eventually spreads like a virus and filters down to the Chapter level. It's not about beating somebody up or tearing them down, it's about changing the SHPE culture (mindset) into one that builds up & encourages people and one that says, "Quality performance and excellence in everything - it's just how we do things around here."
Thanks Irene for the post. You make some excellent points as usual. I like your statement about individuals needing to value responsibility and accountability. Not everyone wants to be held accountable and responsible but the mark of a good leader welcomes it.
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