Rounding out the NYTM Board
I’m excited about this election because it gives us an opportunity to think about how we, as a collective group, can act together to develop something that represents our shared interests.
If you’ve taken an interest in this election, you’ve likely encountered what I’ve encountered- a lot of candidates, all of whom seem qualified in one way or another, but without a really well-defined context in which to decide which qualifications are most important.
How do we decide who belongs in these seats in a way that isn’t purely about who we know the best personally?
I thought I’d take a crack at tackling this by looking into what it is we are actually electing these people to do. To me, that starts with looking at the existing management structure, and what the organization would benefit from having added to it.
The NYTM as we know it
The NYTM’s board was formed almost two years ago as part of Nate Westheimer’s platform. Nate knew that he had an opportunity to bring some great people together to shape NYTM into a formidable organization, and took the initial steps to do so.
Since then, that group has worked together to form the nonprofit entity that the NYTM is now organized under, and has developed a set of bylaws to govern it. They decided that the NYTM would best be organized as a 501(c)(6), which permits it to lobby policymakers.
Moving in this direction positions the NYTM as an organization that serves to represent an interest group— in this case, people developing new technology in the NY metro area.
As we begin to move into that direction, what does this board need to best serve its constituents?
What the board seats are not
It’s really easy in an election to overpromise and underdeliver. We may naturally start focusing every little thing we’d like to see changed into who we vote onto the board, regardless of whether it is possible or appropriate for the newly elected people to be involved.
Changing the ticketing system, for instance, is an obvious issue that’s affecting everyone— but how exactly is a board member going to change that? Is it at all within their scope? Not according to Brandon, who points out the board is responsible for vision, not execution.
Changing the voting system is like putting soda machines in the cafeteria— an extremely popular position that has nothing to do with reality.
What the board needs now…
The board is about the big picture, and this election is for two seats out of 13. So what doesn’t the board have that it needs?
As fellow candidate Noel points out in his post, one area to focus on is greater transparency and connection with the membership.
This is an important priority for the new incoming board members. The NYTM’s focus so far has been on getting itself solidified and organized, but there hasn’t been as much of a focus on connecting with the members in a meaningful way.
The NYTM was designed to serve the interests of the community, and right now there isn’t a strong channel between the board members up top, who are representing the people, and the people themselves— these board seats were conceived with the idea that they could be a bridge between the two, and they should serve as exactly that.
It’s only two seats out of 13— so we’re not talking about a tremendous amount of power over the direction of the organization. What these two people can do, however, is act as a conduit between the board and the community, ensuring that both groups are aware of what’s going on with the other. That means talking publicly about what’s going on, as it happens. Blogging before and after board meetings, soliciting feedback on Twitter and bringing concerns up to the board, and ensuring that people feel comfortable knowing what’s going on with their organization.
In this way, the overall group can be steered in a direction that serves everyone’s best interests.
Brandon responded to Noel’s post on the NYTM board here with some great insights into the workings of the group and where he thinks things need to go from here; it’s wroth a read if you’re into this.
Of course you’re into this, you’ve already read this whole post, right?
What are your thoughts on this? What are other practical things that these board members should be expected to do?
Quick campaign promise
If I’m one of the board members, I will do my part to bring greater transparency to the organization. Every board meeting I attend will be accompanied by a blog post, and I’ll share as much as I can.
I hope that whoever gets elected does so, so we can all feel empowered to participate.
The end! Useful links:
