Can Your Association Survive the Loss of a Key Leader?

Abstract

Almost every biomedical society has a small group who keep recirculating the leadership roles among themselves. They rotate offices and plead for someone to fill a vacant seat. When they get dog tired, there is no one to succeed them.There are many vibrant biomedical societies out there, but I can name several that are on the brink of collapse. There are many reasons.The current leadership: Many boards and officers have created a situation where the local society has become a “good ole boys club.” This occurs where there is a tight-knit clique and anybody not in the circle feels excluded. Meetings consist of a lot of private jokes, which reinforces the ties between the regulars. Ultimately, the newcomers quit coming. Ironically, though, this exclusion of new members from the leadership ranks is often not intentional. In fact, the opposite is true: Come! Attend! Join! Participate! Learn! Contribute! Unfortunately, the leaders of many biomedical associations unknowingly turn people off from the group.The bylaws: There are two fundamental leadership models for societies: the officer system and the board of directors system. With the officer system, people are nominated for specific offices and the members vote. The ones who do not win are relegated to the ranks of general members for another year.An alternative plan is the board of directors system. People are nominated to the board and a fixed number of slots (let's use eight) are available. The membership votes for the number of open positions from a list of many candidates. The top eight vote getters are elected to the board (not to specific offices). Then the board, from among themselves, elects the officers.The board is able to choose not only the best person for each position, but also the best compatibility among the officers. A more efficient team can be created when the officers are evaluated for compatibility and cohesion.A larger number of leaders has many advantages. A board of 12 or 14 can do a lot more than a group of four officers. The work can be split up. If someone shirks their responsibilities, there are more to take up the slack. Also, think of the young biomed who has never been a leader before. If there are four officer positions, anyone who is elected is immediately put in a high stress position. Who would vote for a novice to be one of only four leaders? It's no wonder that the same old veterans keep getting elected. There is no way for anybody to gain the experience to be a leader (not unlike the lament of the newly graduated student faced with job listings that require “experienced biomeds only”).The membership: Many members do not take ownership of their organization. All too often, they expect the leadership to magically know what they want and to deliver. In short, the membership is guilty of not making their needs known. If an organization I am a member of doesn't give me my money's worth, I can walk away or speak up. Unfortunately, many biomeds are walking away.The hospitals: Instead of sending staff to training, hospitals could use the local association to bring needed training to technicians. Healthcare costs can be reduced, but instead training is cancelled and even more costly outside service must be purchased because the staff biomeds do not have the skills to work on newer technology.The next time you are at a society meeting, estimate the average age in the room. I'll bet it is over 45. Look at the leadership. What percentage is under 50? Many people leading the societies today will retire in a few years. Can your society survive the retirement (or sudden death) of a key leader? I issue a challenge to every biomedical society to create a structure that embraces new members and encourages future leaders. Create board positions that have enough responsibility so that a new generation of biomed can gain experience and develop some sweat equity in the organization.