JUST QUESTIONS

Watching what is happening at a number of federations, I am reminded of one piece of offered advice that in most places was ignored -- lay leadership must be rotated or bad (or stupid or both) things take place.

An example: one of our system's oldest (in so many ways) and largest communities) has had some of the best and brightest CEOs in its long history. Yet, it has, over the past decade, hired some excellent CEO's. And, now, the community has just hired another. Each of these women and men was quite different from the other; at least two were outstanding leaders...and each ultimately led to the door escorted by the same "leader" who had (1) originally endorsed him/her with the same (almost exact) enthusiasm with which (2) that self-same "leader" bad-mouthed them in the hallways and chat rooms before he/she was hired  (or, inoneinstance, bad-mouthed to assure that leader wouldn't be hired).

One might have thought that the communal leadership would have seen through this person's "act" by now; and, rather than giving this person any responsibility whatsoever in any Search process going forward, would have  given her/him a faux gold watch and certicate of "thanks" but "no thanks."

But...no. Just read the annual embrace of a new CEO in that town -- greatest thing since challah -- and there were the same almost exact words of praise from the same manchig. 

So...wait 'til next year. Wash, rinse, repeat.

Rwexler