Hi All,
Especially you board presidents…
I wanted to share some thoughts – with the all the leagues and the WHOLE BOARD – but pointed towards those that are still planning on working on a Board next year…
The TIME IS NEAR TO START VOTING AND SEATING NEW BOARDS!
If you are a board member that likes to “phone in” their participation… then you should think about doing something else. Something that grates on me every year is when I see a president(especially) or a Board member who has the title but all the real work is done by the Player Agent, VP, or some other board member. The president should be the leader, example, and motivator to be excellent for Board participation and work. If you are a board member YOU should be the example of what it means to be a good volunteer. This is not a good thing for the players or families, or the league when those that sit on the board aren’t the example of what “Good” is in terms of Little League volunteerism. BE THE EXAMPLE OF EXCELLENCE IN PARTICIPATION IF YOU SIT ON THE BOARD… Then your volunteers will have something they can look to for an example. Often times (not always) if the volunteers are not up to par, or are lacking, it’s because the Board is not the best example.
Here are my thoughts and what I am seeing in successful leagues and boards, and what I measure as success…
First, my criteria for a successful league is not one that wins Districts every year or goes to the World Series. My criteria for success is one where the players are clamoring to get back to the field and be with their team and play baseball. Where the majority of the players can’t wait for the season to start, or they don’t want to leave the field after practice because the experience is so good… or they rush to get ready for the game because they think they might get a hit, see their friends, or make a play… because the players dream of playing in the big game and have hope for a bright future. Where they learn to play fair, demonstrate good sportsmanship, and share a camaraderie with dozens of other kids. Where they feel like they belong.
Second, success is when the vast majority of the parents want to volunteer because they see value in the program, understand the need, and are encouraged and appreciated by their participation. Where they sense community, develop community bonds that are hard to break, and want to be better people.
Finally, when all of that comes together, then the community understands the value of a league and they want to participate in the league in some way, support it, and help it be strong and vibrant.
That’s when you are successful.
So do to that you need to start with a good board… I have some suggestions as I have come to know all the leagues in our district, many in our state, and some nationally. When I see a good league I notice several things…
My suggestion as we move into the season is that the current board, if they intend to be seated again next year, start looking for additional members to help round out soft spots in the skills, assets, and drive they are missing on the board. And… here is something that is counter-intuitive… look for “non-baseball” people to sit on your board. Most boards look for parents, coaches, or “those in orbit” around Little League to sit on the board… and while their help is important, it’s more important to pick strategic people to sit on your board… And people who will work.
Try not to have too many coaches sit on your board. One, or possible two in leagues with more than 500 players is sufficient. And pick someone more experienced as coach or manager to sit on the board if you want a coach or manager on the board. Having too many coaches on the board is a problem. Why? Because during the season they are busy with their teams and can’t properly attend to board duties… second they have a tendency to look for advantages or slant towards things coaches want when they may not be the best things for all players, all teams, and for the league operations. While coaches and managers input is important, it’s only ONE view out of about a dozen that are necessary to keep a league running well.
Look towards business and civic leaders to sit on your boards. They will help with field expansion, relations with city operations (for those that don’t have their own fields), relationships with other business leaders, insight into funding, and they will have a sense of process, policy, and operations.
Set an expectation of “WORK”! During the off season, if done properly, league board members will have about 10 hours a month of work for Little League. 2-3 hours a week. During the season, set the expectation of 40-60 hours a month. And then hold the Board accountable. Try “filter” board members who don’t want to make the time commitment to do things right. Let everyone ahead of time know, “If you sit on this board you will be expected to do XYZ”… Then if they don’t do XYZ, and you can’t get them to do XYZ after some polite and gentle prodding, then ask them to step down and find someone else who will do the job. It is the definition of insanity to be short on volunteers (as boards can be), assign them a job, not have it done, then wonder why things are hard. It’s better to find someone that will be a help to the board rather than leave someone on who doesn’t do anything… and there are very few jobs on a Little League Board that take no effort….in fact none that I can think of.
On the next topic, I go back and forth… Sometimes I like a “big board” – lots of board members. This is good if the president is good and manages his Board well. This is a case where “many hands make light the work”. In other cases, smaller boards can be more effective and move the league forward. In the former case, a big board usually means that there are lots of opinions, resources, relationships, and good positive energy. Sometimes though when a board is too big, nothing happens because the opinions are too fractured and there is little consensus on important issues, fighting starts, and people and relationships breakdown and nothing gets done… and the league starts to break up into “Factions”… where some groups of families may be influenced by one board member or another in a negative way.
On the other hand, a smaller board is more nimble. They get things done because they reach decisions quickly.. communication is usually good, and the wheels of administration run fast. The problem is there is often not enough people to do the work so a couple people wind up doing everything and eventually get burned out. You don’t want that either. Smaller leagues can be OK with smaller boards, but if you want a league to grow, it’s better to have a bigger board. If you have a bigger league, you need a bigger board, because everyone in the league deserves as much personal attention and concern as is possible.
Don’t play favorites. You have to be fair, even handed, and judicious with ALL families, players, volunteers, and constituents of your league. Now this one is hard for me to do… because I always try to go out of my way to favor those that invest heavily in volunteering for Little League duties… a team parent that spends 40 hours a week working for their team gets ALL of my attention when they say something. Same thing for a Board member who is always at the field, takes their lunch break to mow, and donates $500 cash every year to sponsor a team.. when they talk, I listen especially hard. But I also think you have to balance that so as not to show or try not to show favoritism to any specific group within the league or community.
So the final things to consider when picking / electing your board for next year:
I am attaching a “Year in the Life of Hometown Little League” to give you some ideas of what to do and look for all season long. Let me know when you are having your general/annual member elections and meeting. I’d like to attend as many as I can. Remember a good Little League is good for the community, the families, and the players. You CAN make that happen.
Regards
JP
DA WA5/13