<VV> Corsa Board of Director service - A differing view (Part Two)

[Sethracer at aol.com]

Continued-
I  exited the BOD for the last time in 2006. During my tenure, I observed 
many  directors come and go. Some were the proverbial one-issue candidates, who  
brought with them their (sometimes internal) mandate to accomplish this one  
goal. Several were egomaniacs (relax, I am not naming names) and only sought 
the  “Director” ribbon for their convention badge. A few were disinterested 
enough to  barely show up at meetings, and might as well have phoned in their 
service.  Along the way, however, I met and worked  with some of the most 
dedicated, selfless folks I have ever encountered. Some of  those folks are still on 
the BOD. I looked at BOD service as a way of giving  back to Corsa some of the 
help and guidance I had received in my (now) 40 years  of fooling with 
Corvairs. During that time, I have owned other cars and, on  occasion, joined other 
car clubs for short periods. Not including racing clubs  (I just received my 
30 year pin from SCCA). But I have yet to find a better  overall organization 
than Corsa. Perhaps some of it results from the  “underdog/neglected” 
experience of the car itself. It does tend to gravitate to  the owners as well. Corsa 
has its share of members who own Corvairs along with a  dozen other vintage 
cars, as well as members who own nothing but Corvairs and  have never owned 
anything else. I doubt if you will find many of those in the  Ferrari club! 
(disclaimer – I have never owned a Ferrari, nor joined a Ferrari  club). This 
diverse membership of the Corvair club is both one of its strengths  and one of its 
weaknesses.  But it  does provide an almost endless supply of potential 
candidates for the BOD, as  folks are either internally driven, or externally 
pushed, to share some of their  knowledge and enthusiasm with the National 
organization. People who have an idea  or cause could opt to run for the Board, but can 
also seek out someone who is  already a representative and ask their 
assistance. One of the most gratifying  aspects of Board service was providing a 
service or assistance to a fellow Corsa  member. I do caution you that the BOD, 
since it is so diverse, can also be  frustrating. BOD members have to keep an 
open mind, both to Corsa Members and to  the other directors. As others have 
alluded, that does not always happen. I  enjoyed my times on the BOD and I think 
that, at least for most of my service,  provided reasonable counsel and 
criticism both at and between face-to-face BOD  meetings. I do think it is important 
to rotate people off of the Board, not only  for their own sake, but also to 
provide the fresh insight needed to address the  new problems which will never 
cease to pop-up. I suppose, like most mentally  healthy people, I have 
suppressed any really bad memories of my service  <grin> but remember the good ones.  
Yep, mostly good ones. – Seth Emerson