[Board] Lets focus on being effective

[Jeff McKenna]

Cameron,

I always encourage members to speak their mind, and in a way I feel
opposite to you: best to discuss any issues to the Board directly, than
to some blog post or whispering offline etc.  So, always be sure to
bring any issues up, anything on your heart, in any Board meeting.
Thanks all,

-jeff



On 2014-07-19, 4:10 AM, Cameron Shorter wrote:
> OSGeo board,
> I'm disappointed that the last board meeting didn't seem to be as
> professional and effective as it could have been.
> 
> Firstly, I'm very disappointed with myself, for forgetting to wake up in
> time to attend. I only arrived at the tail end of the meeting. I'm sorry.
> 
> But secondly, I'm disappointed with the emotional and ineffective way
> some very important issues were discussed. Complaining about how much
> work is being expected or done by someone,  referring to opinions
> gathered privately, and complaining about being out of pocket without
> addressing specific or holistic actions is a sub-optimal way for a board
> to work.
> 
> A very valid issue was highlighted, in that the OSGeo president should
> not be out of pocket financially while taking on the role of president.
> There is a significant amount of work that a president can take on, and
> a limited amount of time. We are right to question whether we should
> financially compensate people for taking on some of these roles, or
> whether we leave some tasks un-actioned.
> Such discussions need to be holistic. As Dirk has mentioned, if we are
> to spend money, we need to create money (through chasing membership or
> sponsorship fees, or conference surpluses, or ...), and we need to cover
> accountability for the money spent. Handling money adds a lot of
> overhead to an organisation, which has its downsides as well.
> 
> Let us continue these discussions in an effective manner.
>