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Wild West District Extension Blog

Tag: Board Leadership

First Friday e-Calls

Posted on by Kylee Harrison

First Friday e-Call Webinars

By Kylee Harrison

First Friday calls are an excellent opportunity to learn about resources available across the state.  The purpose of the First Friday e-Call is to increase the local community’s knowledge of the experts, education, and economic resources available to help small businesses and entrepreneurs and to share innovations in community development.

The First Friday calls are hosted by K-State Research & Extension Community Vitality Specialist, Nancy Daniels.  Each month, she brings in an informative speaker and explains interesting opportunities for you and/or your community.

The e-Calls are hosted via zoom on the first Friday of each month at 9:30 a..m.   The next call will be May 6th and will feature Erik Pedersen and Amara Kniep, from NetWork Kansas, will share exciting opportunities made possible by a $500,000 grant from the Patterson Family Foundation.

To register for this e-Call or any of the future calls, please go to https://tinyurl.com/y9pjybxv

Group Dynamics

Posted on by Kylee Harrison

Group Dynamics

By Kylee Harrison, Community Development Agent

In Kindergarten, we learn how to share.  It is a fundamental steppingstone of school.  With each passing year, we build those skills with things like group discussions, projects and grading.  Just when you think you have mastered group projects in school, one step into the real world it quickly becomes apparent that team work is all around us as adults also.  Whether it be co-workers, bosses, volunteer boards or elsewhere, working together with a group is inevitable.  However, there are some pieces that can make the functionality of the group more positive.  Here are a few simple steps to help your group understand different dynamics, and ultimately, make you more productive.

  1. Learning preferred communication styles – With today’s ever-changing technology, there are hundreds of ways to communicate. Anything from smoke signals to apps can get the job done.  Knowing what the preferred method is can be the key to getting your group together.  Many times, we have preferences based on your age, but this is not always the case.  No matter what your group chooses, make sure that everyone understands the technology and you commit to it!  If you say that email is the best way to communicate then darn it, CHECK YOUR EMAIL!
  2. Work style – Different ways of working and assumptions about work in general can create tension in the workplace. Understand the style with which you perform best, and share that with your team members. 

 

    3. Understand conflict – Conflict may arise as a result of a variety of        sources.  Sources on conflict include; information and/or sources, relationships, interests, values, structure and change.

Strategic Planning for your Board or Business

Posted on by Kylee Harrison

Strategic Planning

By Kylee Harrison, Community Development Agent

In last month’s blog, I discussed vision boards and how that can be helpful in developing your personal goals.  It is equally as important that we develop goals in our professional life as well.  Using a strategic plan, which is an intentional effort to shape and guide your organization, can aid you in reaching your long- and short-term goals.  Strategic plans can be beneficial for your business, non-profit or board that you serve on.  Let’s take a deeper look at just how to achieve development of a strategic plan.

Whether you are developing a strategic plan for the very first time, or updating an old one, it is important to recall how your organization has changed in the last three to five years.  2020 brought on a host of changes to everyone, so chances are, things have changed a lot!  Using aspects like finances, staffing, client base, programs and stakeholders, reflect on where you are as an organization.

Next, you need to ask your group three questions.  First, where are we now?  This could include looking back at historical aspects of your group.  This can allow you to celebrate your history and give the group a common perspective of why things were done a certain way.

Next, where do we want to be?  This step often involves some type of visioning process.  This likely will help to develop your organizations vision statement, which provides a clear image of the future.  Some examples of vision statements include Nike’s “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.”

Finally, how are we going to get there?  This is where you will identify your organizations priority issues.  This can be done in two different ways.  It may include broad, overarching objectives, or it could include measurable goals.  Typically, a mixture of both is best.

What is a Vision Board?

Posted on by Kylee Harrison

What is a vision board?

By Kylee Harrison, Community Vitality Agent

Starting the New Year with setting a resolution is a common occurrence.  It is also a pretty common occurrence to have that resolution fail.  In fact, according to forbes.com, 80% of all New Year resolutions fail.  One theory for the botched goal setting may lie in how we set those goals.  One way to start 2021 with more achievable resolutions is to create a vision board.

What exactly is a vision board?  It is a tangible, visible way to display your goals, which could be formatted in many different ways.  It could be a collage of images, words or other small reminders that are meant to get you motivated.  65% of people are visual learners.  These same people benefit from having a visual motivational tool as well.  In today’s fast-paced society, we have limited flexibility and time in our daily life, and we become almost robotic.  Vision boards are a way to unstick yourself and get the creative juices flowing!

How do I start?

  1. Reflect – Think about what you want in life. New job? Buy a house? Finish a degree?  Launch a business?  If you are having trouble focusing in on where to begin, use these eight categories to help you start.  Health, Wealth, Love, Career, Spirituality, Family, Knowledge, Travel
  2. Set Goals – Make sure that the goals you set are SMART Goals. By using this acronym to create your goals, it will help to make them more achievable, in return giving you a greater sense of accomplishment.
  3. Collect – Gather images, words, phrases, quotes. Anything that will give you encouragement is great to put on your board.
  4. Assemble – Get a solid board of any medium and arrange the cutouts in a way that’s meaningful to you. Add embellishments to make it personalized and unique.  Remember, there isn’t a right or wrong way to make a vision board!
  5. Display – This is the most important step! Place the finished product in a prominent spot where you will see it each day.  Spend a few moments each day reflecting on your vision for the year.  Another idea is to take a picture of it and make it your background on your phone or computer.  If you don’t see you board every day, you are less likely to achieve your goals!

Here are some examples of great boards to get you started!

 

 

Parliamentary Procedure for Community Members

Posted on by Kylee Harrison

By: Kylee Harrison

Want to know a three-word-phrase that instantly gets under my skin?

I MOTION TO…

I guess you could blame it on all my years of 4-H and FFA, but improper parliamentary procedure is a real pet peeve of mine!

If you are wondering what the heck I am even talking about, let’s start from the beginning.  Parliamentary procedure is the proper way to run a business meeting.  In the United States, Robert’s Rules of Order, which was first published in 1876 by U.S. Army Officer Henry Martyn Robert, is the most widely used manual for parliamentary procedure.

When using Robert’s Rules of Order, whether it be at religious group meetings, non-profit group meetings, school boards or government organizations, it gives us a set and common guideline to follow for ways to conduct business of the meeting.

The piece of parliamentary procedure that is most used is making a motion.  A motion means that you think the group should act on an idea, so you are going to present it to them, hence saying, “I move to…”  What is wrong with the phrase above?  Just improper grammar!

If you feel a little lost in your board meetings,  Wild West Extension offers a host of different ways to brush up on your rules so you can become a parliamentarian wiz!  Board Leadership is a great class that could be taught to your group to help with parliamentary procedure.  There are also many handouts that could be utilized to help your board.  Here is a quick and easy cheat sheet that tells most of the different phrases, what they mean, and how to use them.  http://diphi.web.unc.edu/files/2016/10/cheat-sheet.pdf

Need some more help?  Here is a fun parliamentary procedure crossword to test yourself.  Want to see how you did?  Email Kylee at kharrison@ksu.edu for the answers.

Generational Conflict

Posted on by Kylee Harrison

What do you see in the image above?  Some will see the rabbit, some will see the duck and some will see both.  People who see the duck but not the rabbit are not incorrect and vice-versa.  They simply see and perceive things differently.

Conflict can be much like this image.  It illustrates that sometimes we can learn to see a situation from someone else’s view but even if that doesn’t happen, we can still respect the other person’s view rather than allowing friction to occur.

Continue reading “Generational Conflict” →

Tips for New Board Members

Posted on by Kylee Harrison

Welcome A-Board: Board Leadership

Getting involved in your community is something that we all should strive to do.  Towns that have a philanthropic nature tend to thrive more in a host of different areas.  One way to become more involved is to join a local board.  This can be done through churches, non-profit organizations, civic organizations and many more.  Typically, these boards organize to provide a service or accomplish a goal.

Being on a board is important, and sometimes it will require a lot of your time.  If you are asked to be on a board, or if you are seeking appointment, remember that you are a skilled and valuable resource.  However, before joining the organization, you should educate your self of the goals, history, problems and clients.  It is also acceptable, and encouraged, to ask questions such as, what kind of time commitment will this require?  Are there specific tasks I will be required to perform?

As a board member, you need to be prepared to serve the organization in which you have agreed to volunteer for.  Below are 17 tasks for board members which will help you to fulfill your responsibilities.

17 Tasks for Board Members