rollskate-attack

Retrospect is friggin 20/20, homegirls. So! I’m offering you the first article of a series I like to call Cultivating Right woManagement. In the series I’ll share some pretty major tips you need in order to be successful in creating leadership bodies such as a Board of Directors, a Steering Committee, or an Advisory Committee.

Cultivating Right woManagement Rule #1: 
Recruit Outside Community Members For Your Boards

No matter what. Seriously. It doesn’t matter what stage your team or league is in, what business structure you have, or how long you have been in existence. You must do this. Emphatic enough? No? OK, let me try again… Whether you are a Limited Liability Corporation, or Non-Profit 501c3, if your team or league has a decision-making body of any kind, it is imperative to recruit outside of your membership.

Why? Simple.

There is no substitution for all that you stand to gain, and possibly… not lose.

You gain their input, benefit from their experience, and receive a much higher level of accountability from their unbiased presence. The accountability issue is reason alone. If you haven’t heard a story of a psychotic runaway train called, Insert Name Roller Derby Board of Directors, you will soon enough. And trust me, you will live this nightmare if you don’t get smart.

Imagine being able to sit down and actually interview a slough of motivated, savvy professionals that want to help make your organization stronger without any biases or agendas. Even with the best of intentions, people can get carried away and blinded by bias. We are human. But! Remember what the road to hell is paved with.

These non-members provide opportunities to treat the process gently and respectfully, as opposed to allowing people to get all emotional and then make rash decisions based on that emotion.

Go Fishing & See What You Catch

There are hoards of women (and men!) out there that are looking for unique opportunities to give back. The fact that roller derby is super cool and edgy is just icing on the cake. Put your hook out. Maybe you’ll catch a tax attorney, a marketing executive, or a former pro athlete! Reach for the top, figure out some areas where your organization wants to target your focus, and see what happens. Even if you can’t get a big fish like these examples, you still need a good percentage of non-members on your board.