CHANGING ROLES AT JFNA -- WHAT FUN!!

Back in the day -- make that last year -- I offered Kathy Manning then the Chair of the Executive some simple advice: "Please, act like it." Simple, right? Understand the powers of the Executive and exercise them. Ignored, right? Of course. Why the advice: well, her Board Chair was exercising the powers of the Chair of the Executive, preempting her role but for the honorific running Executive Committee meetings.

At the time, I reflected on how we no longer needed a Chair of the Executive. Kathy, when she so served, and now, Michael Gelman, seemed and seem to believe that the job is to shut up, speak only when spoken to and, thereby curry favor that will lead to succession as Chair of the Board. Well, it worked for Manning, so why not? We have seen the creation at JFNA a self-perpetuating oligarchy worse than any we were accused of perpetuating at the United Jewish Appeal. But, I appeal to Michael as I did to Kathy: "You were elected to be the Chair the Executive, so act like it."

Let's review: per the JFNA By-Laws, the Board Chair is responsible for coordinating policy, working with the owners directly and fund raising (at least that was the hope); the Chair of the Executive was to deal with operational matters through the Executive Committee (the Executive was created to be an "operating Executive" working with the CEO) and chair the infrequent Executive Committee meetings.

What's happening in practice? Kathy is now acting in the capacity of both Board and Executive Chair. Clearly she learned well from her predecessor -- you remember, when she was Chair of the Executive). Over the past weeks, she has convened often lengthy telephone conferences with her lay leadership to explain what the professional staff is doing, among other things, apparently reporting from a comprehensive script. She inquired as to what each member of "her" leadership was doing. All of this -- operational. (Perhaps, she even called Michael and asked him what he was doing. Shorter call.)

So, beyond replicating the mistakes of her predecessor, why is this happening? Well, read what one analyst has written about this type of behavior: "Most all of you have had to contend with (people who wish to control everything). ... Those people who insist on having their way in all interactions with you. They wish to set the agenda and decide what it is you will do and when you will do it...Lurking within the fabric of the conversation is the clear threat that if you do not accede to their needs and demands, they will be unhappy." Yep. Nailed it.

There's more, far more, but you get it. Control and the need for control matter most. Style is everything. But, what the heck, Kathy views JFNA as her world and we're just lucky to be living in it. For those who are so lucky.

Rwexler