Fixing what's broken

I remember sitting so engrossed in the debate on by-laws of the PDCA. They had been debating these things for the last several years, and quite frankly, it was rather upsetting to see the quagmire they were in. It would be easy to say there was incompetency on the Executive Committee's part and on the part of the President, because the argument tended to get stuck on grounds they weren't willing or able to get off of.


Having had extensive training and experience in the Jaycees, I was seeing clearly what the problem was. Why didn't others see the same thing? I also saw a way around the problems, but didn't feel like I had the PDCA experience or respect to speak up. Even though the annual convention meetings were getting uglier as the years went by, I felt compelled to speak up, finally.

I was encouraged to approach the nominating committee to express my thoughts and ideas on changing the structure and culture of the organization. A past president, Ed Travis, encouraged me to approach them with the stipulation that I wanted to present my ideas, but wasn't interested in a position that year. Well, I did get to present my ideas, and I was surprised when my name was brought forward as a candidate for the Executive Committee. A little surpised, a little shocked, I accepted and was immediately voted in at the convention.

It took a while to get familiar with the culture of the EC, but we eventually got to a place where a plan could be hatched out to deal with the conflicting passions of the board members and the need to make changes. I saw an opportunity to define one particular item as a deal breaker, and jumped on it. I pushed and pushed, knowing full well that this particular issue would not be accepted. But we finally got agreement that if this particular remaining issue were withdrawn, the by-law changes could move forward.

An agreement was made between the forums to withdraw the issue, as it really didn't affect their ability to perform. Once the agreement was made, the by-laws passed and the log jamb disintegrated. History in the 124 year old organization was made. And the new PDCA was about to be unleashed.

I am proud to have been a part of this change. And it is specifically exciting to see my initial vision of that change take place. I feel like I had done my part. Even though I will never be recognized for my contribution, it is personally gratifying to see that happen. And I don't particularly want recognition for the backroom deals and discussions. My job was done. And I was happy to retire from the PDCA on top. There are still many people who don't understand what happened. And there are some who still don't think I have the (PDCA) experience for leadership. That's OK with me. I don't feel like I don't have to prove myself. I just see a problem that needs to get fixed and I fix it.

Next...the Maryland Republican party.