Originally Posted: November 20, 2016
To date the GBMF Board has handled most of the Foundation decisions consensus style; examples include flyers, website changes, ideas for fundraisers, etc. All sets of decisions requiring a blessing from all 10 board members is NOT easy. People are passionate about their positions and opinions (myself included) and often overstate and re-explain to swing all ten votes in their direction. We all LOVE what we deliver and want everyone on the board to feel the love too.
Fighting a good fight recently on setting up this very blog; Susie and I disagreed because I had a certain vision for the look and feel and it wasn’t there for me and she thought it was fine. After over explaining my opinions I finally said, “I like it, but I don’t love it – and I really WANT to LOVE it.” That seemed to be the key set of words. She understood my passion to achieve a look and feel that would let me LOVE this blog by creating a different look. Not long after that I drafted a flyer for an upcoming fundraiser and the response was “I like it, but I don’t LOVE it…” So back to the drawing board for the flyer to earn some LOVE. It happened again on the first draft of this blog (this is the second rewrite). I loved it, Susie did not. Hearing that someone does not LOVE something you have created is not easy an message to hear and it can feel like failure; but it is necessary, because singularly one person can’t be as knowledgeable as the ten of us combined. Together we are more powerful and together is how we will be successful.
It got me thinking on a larger scale: how do all ten of us “LOVE” everything for Gav’s Foundation: content, fundraisers, events, etc.? The reality is, it is impossible. We will do the best we can, compromise, listen, learn and adjust in the desire to get everyone to the “LOVE” state. Sometimes board members will have to give up, give in, and let it go so that someone else can have the “LOVE”. It’s called compromise and we’ve done incredibly well thus far.
Longer term we know that our success depends on our teamwork and honoring what we believe Gavin would want us to do. We are learning to appreciate each other’s opinions and visions. We are making this work to ensure Gav’s Foundation is something we all LOVE and we will do that through trusting each other and honoring Gav’s legacy. However, if anyone at any time says “I like it, but I don’t LOVE it” – we will pause and reevaluate. Wishing us all LOVE!
