LUG Observations (was Montly Meeting)

[Jason Burke <jburke@lanscape.net>]

Greetings All,

First off I'd like to say: Well said Kara. I think 
the problems that you outline are accurate, and your
vision for the LUG is positive. I'd like to add some
observations of my experience with other LUGs in the
hopes that, perhaps, they might be of some benefit
to the current discussion.

One of the problems that Kara pointed out was with
lack of participation from the general membership.
I've seen this problem in multiple LUGs, and I have
seen the same people, time after time, step up to
fill in the gap in participation. The moral of this
story is that if you're not happy with the group 
then perhaps you should make more of an effort to
enhance it instead of just complaining about it.

There's a flip side to this also. When those same
people continue to be the main participants in the
group then they have a tendency to "take over" and
start doing what they want instead of what the group
may want (after all they are the ones dong the work, 
aren't they). From my view this creates a barrier 
for interested parties to become more involved, and
some times suggestions or offers to help only fall 
on deaf ears. The moral here: Greater participation
maintains diversity within the group, and keeps 
everyone more engaged and interested. 

Another note here is that when those barriers hinder
member participation then those members who offer to
help or make suggestions will be much less likely to
do so in the future. This "rejection syndrome" will,
over time, eliminate group participation as well as 
continue to put the burden of running the group on
those individuals who are helping out or running the
show (as the case may be). This only causes the
participating members to "burn out", and ultimately 
leads to the break down of the group as a whole.

Finally, the last main issue can be summed up in 
one word: EXPECTATIONS. What are the expectations
of the group? The group leaders? And what happens
if a member falls short of those expectations. I know
I'm guilty of falling short of the expectations of
a great many people within the numerous St. Louis 
LUGs. Sometimes because I dropped the ball, and other 
times because those expectations where unrealistic or
not stated in the first place. Sometimes it was a 
combination of the two that mixed with my desire to 
help and please, but fell short because of my own 
personal limitations.

The question then becomes how do the leaders deal 
with failed expectations. Do they make a decision to
not accept help from that person again? Or do they
make an attempt to talk with the person to see if
there's something they can do to, perhaps, help 
that person be more successful in the future. My
experience is that the first case is much more
prevalent in a LUG, and since the person is a 
volunteer to start with the desire to help after 
this type of incident is, at best, minimal.

The moral here: We are all human, and being human
means we have failings and limitations. Leaders
and group members need to accept this and make
an effort to be more understanding of perceived
failure. State the expectations up front in a 
clear and concise manner to any volunteer, and
if a volunteer falls short don't crucify him or
her. Most importantly be sure to give this person 
another chance (or even 50 if need be) because
this person is as much a part of the group as
you are, and I'm certain (and I speak with experince
here) that no one wants to be treated as a pariah
after they've gone through the effort and trouble
to simply be helpful.

If I was asked to list my goals for any LUG here's
what they would be...

* State your expectations (be clear and concise!).
* Don't make outcasts of your membership.
* Accept failure as well as success.
* Always accept an offer of help.
* Be open to new ideas and perspectives.
* Make it our group instead of my group.
* Cover the basics again (and again if need be).
  Though the leadership may not have changed the
  membership more than likely has.
* Make people feel welcome (even if they annoy you).
* Let the membership decide the meeting topic, as
  well as group decisions. For the LUG by the LUG =).
* Leaders engage the membership. It's not your job
  to do the work, it's your job to organize. Make
  participation a requirement of membership (so long
  as such participation is reasonable, of course =).
* Change leadership often (perhaps 2 to 4 times a
  year). "Burn out" hits us all, as well as life 
  changes (like having a baby =).
* Make membership a bit more formal. Have perspective
  members fill out a simple form that includes minimal
  personal info, skill sets, and interests. The
  reward for joining is a voice in the group by way 
  of a single vote.
* Take a chance, trust others, and forgive mistakes.


Well, that covers everything on my mind. Perhaps these
difficulties will only help strengthen and grow SILUG
in the future. My hope is that it does.

Sincerely,

Jason Burke



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