US role naming style - September 9th 2008
I just read Ivan's "History of BNI book". Loads of great stuff in
there. I mean if there was a message that I picked up more than any
other, it was (paraphrased somewhat)...
"We tried the obvious, and the not obvious, some
worked, some didn't. Just do it the way we have
discovered and it will work best." This is so, so true!
I would pick out one point now which I think the UK
should learn from. In the "good old days", we had a
President, Vice-President and a Secretary Treasurer.
From those titles alone, it is very clear who is
ultimately running the show.
I don't know if these are still the official role titles
in the US, but it stops a confusion happening. In the UK
I heard the phrase "The Chapter Director runs the
meeting, the Membership Coordinator runs the Chapter" a
few times. This is confusing. It tries to split the
leader responsibility when really it is the CD who
should have, and needs, the vision, the flair and the
leadership who drives and inspires the members during
the meetings AND outside the meetings. The MC, using the
committee meetings, backs up the CD and adds discipline
where necessary.
This is not how it appears in the UK, but I think the CD
should be clearly made out to be the ultimate leader.