Photo Credit: © Can Stock Photo Inc. / wacker
Congratulations are in order. You’ve been elected to the Thompson Park and Recreation Board and/or Commission. You now have a tremendous responsibility to serve, and to serve well. You’ll be working regularly with a group of professionals at the peak of their careers, and making decisions that will have a direct impact on the department’s future, its staff, and the community. With so many advantages to board work, here are four reasons to approach these new duties with enthusiasm:
1. It will change how you think about leadership. At their day jobs, board and commission members don’t typically have to be strategic thinkers--to think into the future about the internal and external factors in both concrete and abstract ways that will affect the organization as a whole. Your knowledge, along with insights gained from other members and board training, will benefit both the park and recreation agency you serve and the one you work for. Soon enough, you’ll contribute to the board, rather than simply vote on issues.
Make that experience happen. If board meetings do not set aside time for strategic discussion, request that time. Without it, you will not hone your skills, and the agency will not be using its board or commission members’ knowledge effectively.