On Saturday, I step down as president of the board of directors of a state historical organization. It has been one of my volunteer projects. We have a two year term limit for presidents and although there have been times when an extra year would have been helpful, two years is just about right if the job is done well. I'll remain on the board for several more years.
The transition materials have been pulled together and I'm confident that my successor will do as well in the job, if not better. It has been a challenge to decide what to include in the intangibles; the list of subtle items not written in any report. These are essentially my personal "take" on the situation and many involve warnings of what to watch for and what to avoid.
That said, there are some things that can only be appreciated in the doing. No one crosses the same river and the next board president will face positives and negatives that I did not encounter. Any advice I give has to be filtered through that reality.
I've been struck by how much of it involves minor items that can cause problems; advice along the lines of "Those committees are fine until they have to work together"; "Don't let the XYZ Committee study matters to death"; and "John Doe is brilliant in this subject and a problem with that one."
Vision is vital, but in the day-to-day operations, the details and the system are where attention must be paid. Improve the system and you can spend less time on the details. Occasionally, make a bungee jump into the details in order to see what's there and to let people know that such questions are possible.
By Saturday evening that will be behind me. I'm looking forward to being an "emeritus."
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