MFS Action Group of Candidates

I have received the message below from Geoff Kell. Please send any replies
directly to Geoff at geoff(at)weejaspercaves(dot)com

Geoff and the other candidates have my full support.

Regards
Lance

~~~~~~~~~~

A VISION FOR MFS 2014

Over the last few years there has been a decline in attendance at events organised by different groups in the society.

People move, retire, follow other interests and there has not been a great influx of new participants. Similarly there has been ongoing difficulty in filling positions on the committee and the carrying out of necessary functions.

We, the undersigned, believe that the MFS requires urgent action to resolve some long term issues that have affected its performance and threaten the viability of the organisation.

Accordingly, we have formed an MFS Action Group of candidates who believe we can work harmoniously together: we seek your endorsement for election to the MFS committee so that we can address the following issues which we believe require immediate attention.

·         INFORMATION TO MEMBERS:  Improve openness and transparency by communication between the committee and MFS membership.  Publishing minutes and group reports on the web site and consulting with groups that are affected by committee decisions.

·         PROMOTION: Actively pursue new membership through better publicity and media profile.

Engage with compatible organisations and institutions, including schools and public forums.

Improve the website to make it more user friendly as an information resource.

·         INSURANCE:  Take necessary steps to ensure that insurance coverage is sufficient to safeguard significant assets and extends to all volunteers at events.

Ensure subgroups have necessary documentation of this for their activities.

Address the write off of assets and clarify their location and current value.

·         WORKING TOGETHER: Seek to resolve quickly any outstanding conflicts affecting activities of the society.

·         DELEGATION:  Clarify issues of delegation of authority for groups within the society to carry out their activities, including insurance aspects.

·         UPDATE RULES: Update the rules of association appropriately to include references to the use of online technology.

Our purpose in nominating for committee positions is to stand up for these objectives and do our utmost to ensure they are at the forefront of all society dealings. All activities inevitably involve some work to organise and execute but this should be and can be done in a spirit of mutual respect and enjoyment.

If you agree with this we ask that you attend the AGM on the 11th of September to support and vote for those who envision an enjoyable and reasonable future for the society.

Consultative  working  group:

Linda Aunela   Geoff Kell    James Lissaman     Antonella Salpietro

Simon Nesa David     Roni Giacobetti    Bob Hodgson   Peter Gamble

~~~~~END OF MESSAGE FROM GEOFF KELL~~~~~

The MFS Needs You on 11 September

The MFS AGM is approaching and with it your chance to really make a difference.

This is a wonderful opportunity for you to step forward and help see the society through another year. It's not onerous, and I reckon most things can be taken care of electronically these days. But, it needs you to make it thrive, not just survive.

I am a fairly tolerant sort of bloke but I am afraid that the current MFS executive is beyond the pale, and we are going to have to kick this mob out. And that is not the royal "we" - this means you.

MFS executive have been unable to provide me with an insurance certificate to replace the one that expired over a month ago, they have messed up my use of MFS Announce, they have been unable to provide copies of their minutes (if there are any), they have tried to interfere in other people's business while neglecting their own responsibilities, and the society is in obvious decline. 

The Bush Dancers display group is affected and the current executive have shown a reckless indifference to the damage - no insurance certificate means our final performance is at risk. And there is no way that we will be organising grand reunion performances under the morass that the MFS has become.

But enough negativity, we need positivity and that means a new team at the top. We need an MFS Committee that can delegate and empower lots of members to do lots of folkie things. We need whole-of-society promotion and legal governance. We need helpful support not interference in our jobs, and openness and transparency at all levels.

It's not hard to provide good decisions at the top, in fact it's easier than making bad decisions. The main thing is to recruit and retain volunteers.

Anyone who is sound and sensible could do it, and it should not take much time. The insurance for example requires simply asking someone to organise annual renewal and distribute a copy of the insurance certificate and conditions to those who need it, and asking them to report that all is well. It wasn't a drama, it needn't be a drama, and it won't be a drama after this AGM, if you do your bit.

So, why not stand, and come along to the AGM, and ask others to stand as well. You never know who might surprise you with a "yes" until you ask.

Cheers

Lance

The Insurance Certificate Drama

The insurance expired a month ago and we still don't have a copy of the certificate. Not sure what this means for our second last performance, but our final performance is after the MFS AGM. So, if you know folk who would be capable of organising annual renewal of our insurance, distribution of a copy of the insurance certificate to those who need it, and a few other straightforward matters, why not ask them if you can nominate them for the AGM?

You never know who might surprise you with a "yes" until you ask.

How to nominate is at:
http://mfs.org.au/wiki/index.php?title=Notice_of_MFS_Annual_General_Meeting#Nomination_of_Candidates

The current executive are not very good at communicating notices of meetings, but the "Nomination of Candidates" section in the above page is still correct.

Regards
Lance

Heads Up - the AGM is Coming

I am a fairly tolerant sort of bloke but I am afraid that the current MFS executive is beyond the pale, and we are going to have to kick this mob out.

MFS executive have been unable to provide me with an insurance certificate, they have messed up my use of MFS Announce, they have been unable to provide copies of their minutes (if there are any), and they have tried to interfere in other people's business while neglecting their own responsibilities.

The society is in decline and we need a new team at the top. We need an MFS Committee that can delegate and empower lots of members to do lots of folkie things. We need whole-of-society promotion and legal governance. We need helpful support not interference in our jobs, and openness and transparency at all levels.

It's not hard to provide good decisions at the top, in fact it's easier than making bad decisions. The main thing is to recruit and retain volunteers.

Anyone who is sound and sensible could do it, and it should not take much time.

So, why not stand? It could be you and your colleagues that can turn the society around. There's a lot of members out there ready to respond to friendly leadership.

Cheers

Lance 

Autonomy

From an email in response to my last blog item: "You seem to want considerable autonomy from the MFS committee but you want them to provide the BDDG with insurance". As always, for every person that takes the trouble to write, there are probably a dozen who think similarly but don't write, so I appreciate the email and the chance to respond. Your comments are also welcome, just click the "comments" link below.

I don't keep on going on about autonomy because I want to be separate from the MFS.  I am mounting a totally open, legitimate and important debate about the matter because good management with proper delegation of responsibility will lead to expansion and growth, and bad management ("micro-management") will stifle that expansion and growth, even put it into reverse. 

We live in a democracy and we have freedom of expression of such opinions. And I have seen no evidence that the insurance policy requires bad management. However the MFS Committee can choose to subject the members to time wasting management practices, and the only remedy for members is to vote in a different committee next time. Or, unfortunately more likely, vote with their feet.

No-one has time to waste waiting for "authorisation" of their legitimately made decisions. If I am negotiating to perform at Government House, I am going to close the deal, not tell them that my "head office" have to sign off before I am allowed to do that. It's not a policy decision, it is routine business and needs to be simply covered by our group's delegation to run that business, with proper reporting after the event. Same as the Government House side are empowered to book whatever acts they can secure, on the spot, if their organisation is well managed.

But delegation is not neglect. MFS Committee needs to exercise responsible oversight of the affairs of the society as a whole. MFS has statutory requirements that all financial transactions of the society are included in society reporting and able to be audited, and assets belonging to the society are listed in the annual financial statements.  MFS Committee remains responsible for all outcomes and needs to take "supervisory" action where needed - staffing, mentoring, counselling, training, or requesting information.

MFS Organisers are accountable for their decisions and should be keeping MFS Committee fully informed of results and issues, etc. We need a budget process that authorises event organisers well before they have to start selecting and negotiating with venues and bands and the myriad other things they have to organise, and we need regular reporting by event organisers to MFS Committee.

Once having delegated an activity, the appropriate way for MFS Committee to ensure that it is carried out satisfactorily is by reporting and review, not by direct action. That's particularly so in an organisation of co-operating but autonomous volunteers like our own.

Cheers

Lance

Insurance of Activities Run by MFS Event Organisers

I am a primary contact for The Bush Dancers display group, an activity of the MFS. We value our autonomy and cultural ownership of our own activity. We promote bush dancing based on collected Australian music and dance, and reckon we do a pretty good job of it. Have a look at http://canberradance.org/tbdeventpics.htm for a bit of an idea of what we do.

I don't subscribe to conspiracy theories, but I am very concerned that MFS Committee have failed to disclose what our insurance coverage is, and have kept their meetings, agendas and minutes a closely guarded secret. What are they hiding? I have just written reminding MFS Committee of my emails dated 9 April, 9 May, and 13 October requesting the public liability insurance conditions. I have not yet received the requested documents. It is now two months since the AGM and there has been no consultation with members on matters to be discussed by the committee, nor any notification of agendas etc.

I am worried about the decline in MFS member numbers and in member commitment to the MFS, and, based on various statements, I am concerned that our insurance may not be suitable for a decentralised conglomerate like the MFS. 

We don't want the MFS to end up like a knitting circle or something similar, small enough for the  MFS Committee to micro-manage everything. The MFS is a free association of autonomous activities and that means MFS Committee have to delegate responsibility to well-defined organising teams, and hold them accountable for results. If you can't delegate you can't manage.

The good news is that proper division of responsibilities and business-like relations are easier for all concerned. No second-guessing, no impasses, everyone taking care of their own business to achieve the results they want. The MFS Committee needs to take a strategic leadership role, consider reports, make important decisions that affect the whole society, and attend to their own details like insurance and consolidated accounts.

Obviously an organisation of delegated managers is insurable. No-one would expect the Board of Woolworths to tell the meat manager when to put out more chops, or tell the baker how many rolls to bake. They tried centralised planning like that in Russia and it was never going to work. There are many layers of delegation of responsibility in any successful organisation. Decisions are made and implemented at the right level to achieve the right results.

The question is, how can MFS event organisers achieve insurance of their activities under their own existing good management, if the policy taken out by MFS Committee is unsuitable? And how can we find out whether it is or not?

I would love to hear your comments, either by email or right here.

Cheers

Lance

Now Is The Time

I have received an email saying "When you did hold office you did not represent the whole society. Your focus is dance and that is what you concentrated on not the MFS as a whole". 

For every person that takes the trouble to write, there are probably a dozen who think similarly but don't write, so I appreciate the email and the chance to respond. Your comments are also welcome, just click the "comments" link below. 

The writer has a long memory, that was years ago, and different recollections to me, or has been misinformed.

The fact is that I think the last thing the MFS committee should be doing is running dances, and for the two years I was on that committee I stood aside from all other organising teams and did not involve myself in their decisions. The MFS Committee achieved great improvements in dance, by delegating and empowering others, but MFS Committee focus was the MFS as a whole. Results through people.

- We behaved ethically and openly. We consulted with stakeholders before making decisions that would affect them, and invited those particularly interested in an item along to our meetings. We advised members of our decisions along with reasons, and made our meeting agendas and minutes freely available to members.

- The public web site was totally re-developed and a collaborative Web Content Management system implemented.  That means each organising team can instantly update their own publicity, because they are best placed to do that.

- The members' web site was created

- Simple reporting and accountability standards enabled us to responsibly share leadership through pre-approved budgets, delegation and empowerment. All organising teams were encouraged to promote and run their own activities.

- Improved financial management reporting on all activities of the society, including assets, was one area that was going to take more than two years, but tremendous strides were made.

- We established a PayPal account making possible secure on-line payments.

- MFS Committee meetings were business-like two hour meetings with equal air-time for all, in a professional board-room setting with proper voting and majority decisions

- We filled all positions, with no-one wearing two hats.

- We made a start on publishing "Roles & Responsibilities" for each volunteer position.

I rest my case.

We are not running a knitting circle where the committee could micro-manage everything. The MFS is a free association of autonomous activities and that means MFS Committee have to delegate responsibility to well-defined organising teams, and hold them accountable for results. If you can't delegate you can't manage.

The good news is that proper division of responsibilities and business-like relations are easier for all concerned. No second-guessing, no impasses, everyone taking care of their own business to achieve the results they want. The MFS Committee needs to take a strategic leadership role, consider reports, make important decisions that affect the whole society, and attend to their own details like insurance and consolidated accounts.

If you warm to these ideas, why not step forward? Don't wait till the society folds due to lack of interest, do it now!

Cheers
Lance