Anyway, I thought it would be nice to follow the lead of some of my favorite shows and do a crossover post. I recently wrote a couple somewhat controversial articles for Rollin News in which I discuss Founder's Syndrome (also known as Founderitis) in Roller Derby leagues and have posted both below for your reading pleasure.
Feel free to comment with your own experiences with Founder's Syndrome and come up with a haiku if interested in possibly getting a goodie bag. Well, without further ado:
Board of Dictators
Imagine
You are one of the founding members of
your league, have served on the Board of Directors (BOD) since the
beginning, and any time the league faces tough choices, you never
hesitate to make decisions. The league is your baby. You were
more than eager to teach how to tie the laces on its first pair of
skates, you jumped at the chance to help think up and yell its first
jeer, and you lovingly nurtured while it stumbled through the
league's first home bout. You honestly feel if you weren't making
important league decisions, the league either wouldn't survive, or
would end up evolving in detrimental ways...so, why in the
world would you relinquish your power? Instead, you do whatever
it takes to ensure the league continues to head in the direction you
know is best. Those who disagree with your decisions either don't
understand your vision or don't have the league's best interest at
heart. You would rather see the league “split” or dissolve
before allowing anything you don't agree with to occur.
Have you met, or heard of, someone who
could relate to this scenario? Have you been a member of a league
where an entitled member, or members, called the shots while ignoring
differing opinions, even when the majority of the league was in favor
of those opinions? Did you leave a league to join or start a new
league because something like this happened? Or...perhaps you find
yourself agreeing with and relating to the person described above,
nodding along to each sentence as if I'm describing you.
Whether the opening paragraph describes
you or someone you know, I'm sure the league involved has had to deal
with internal strife because of it and if it hasn't yet, someday soon
it will find itself in crisis. Hopefully this article will give you
some insight into this type of issue and a few ideas on how to deal
with it, no matter what side of the track you're on.
Founder's Syndrome
Since I started playing Roller Derby
almost 6 years ago (wow, where has the time gone?!), I have heard of,
and experienced, leagues suffering from “Founder's Syndrome.”
Founder's Syndrome (also known as Founderitis) occurs when one or
more creators maintain disproportionate power and influence after
establishment, leading to organizational and personal issues. I
think this quote from the Founder's Syndrome Wikipedia article is an
excellent description, “The passion and charisma of the founder or
founders, which was such an important reason for the successful
establishment of the organization, becomes a limiting and destructive
force, rather than the creative and productive one it was in the
early stages.”
Founder's Syndrome (FS from now on)
isn't unique to Roller Derby leagues and can occur at any non-profit
or for profit business; however, many of us never encountered it
until we became involved with this sport so dealing with it has been
a struggle. Those struggling from FS may not even know of its
existence.
FS can be very destructive to an
organization. When members feel their opinions are not being
considered and their needs not being addressed, league morale
plummets. When league members are unhappy, word spreads, which can
cause a decline in membership. As the divide between the privileged
few and league majority grows, so does bad blood and visceral hatred
for those in positions of power. Volatile tension increases until
the unhappy masses either implement a hostile takeover or quit to
form their own league or join an existing one nearby.
Unfortunately, this isn't just a
cautionary tale...and it gets worse. Those suffering from FS not
only cause league animosity, some of their attempts to maintain
control could be illegal. Each individual state has laws pertaining
to businesses formed as corporations (which is the business model
most leagues operate under nowadays), whether non-profit or for
profit, in regards to items such as voting, meetings, minutes, etc.
For example, in Alaska, any corporation's Board of Directors (BOD)
has specific notification requirements prior to holding meetings or
when proposing to change corporation bylaws. They must also keep
adequate minutes of all BOD meetings and have these minutes available
when requested by shareholders/members or else they could face at
least $5,000 in fines. From what I've gathered, actual jail time is
probably not going to occur unless something like embezzlement is
going on, but just one fine of $5,000 would seriously impact any
Roller Derby league's bottom line.
Now that we have discussed some worst
case scenarios, let's talk about how to avoid the pitfalls of FS in
the first place...
Preventative Measures
Whether you are the founder of a league
or later find yourself in a position of authority, you have the power
to keep FS symptoms at bay. First and foremost, have an exit
strategy. If you have the mindset that you are going to occupy that
position for a specific amount of time and truly want the league to
thrive when the next person fills that role, the league has a much
better chance of surviving. Instead of keeping information close to
the vest, create/update league documents with instructions on how you
perform specific tasks pertaining to your position. When it comes
time to hand over the reins, don't think of it as letting go of
whatever prestige or power that came with that title. Instead, think
of it as a graduation. Just like completing high school or college,
graduating from a position of authority is an opportunity to
transition into a new phase of your life.
For the league, changeover can help
keep things fresh when those elected have new ideas and different
skill sets than the previous incumbents, which helps to prevent
burnout. It can be difficult to hand your baby over to be cared for
by a new individual. You need to have faith in your fellow league
mates and believe they too are looking out for the league's best
interests. Yes, sometimes new ideas end up flopping or the person
you thought would do really well ends up not being a good fit, but
that's ok. Mistakes happen, that's how you grow as a league and find
new ways to tackle issues. Once you overcome an obstacle as a league
and put safeguards in place so it doesn't happen again, your league
will be stronger for it.
FS For Life
Roller Derby culture is one of
acceptance, compromise, and inclusiveness; however, every once in a
while you'll find someone so taken over by FS symptoms that they
would rather destroy their league, their “baby,” than see anyone
else take over. If you know of
someone like this, please encourage them to be completely transparent
and create a league with a sole-proprietor business structure. This
way, there are no pretenses or false promises and those who join are
aware of what they are getting into and how the league will be
governed.
Board of Diplomats
My previous article, Board of Dictators, discussed how Founder's Syndrome (FS) has negatively effected Roller Derby leagues, sometimes causing leagues to split or even completely dissolve. I received some great feedback through emails, personal discussions, and comments to that article and would like to clarify some points.
Leagues are Unique
Some of the discussions I had concerning FS and the previous article made me realize I didn't emphasize this enough: not all league founders will develop FS. A founder, or anyone for that matter, can be in a leadership role for a lengthy period of time of a thriving league. When I say thriving, I don't just mean monetarily.
Thriving leagues have clear policies in place which are followed and understood by the members and also updated as needed to keep up with changes affecting the league. Thriving leagues address issues head on and work with members to ensure their needs are not being overlooked. Thriving leagues conduct business openly by properly informing and inviting members to attend important meetings and providing access to league documents (BOD minutes, financial statements, voting records, etc.).
Secrecy leads to distrust, which in turn causes frustration, confusion, and internal strife; however, it doesn't have to be this way.
Delicate Balance
As mentioned in the previous article, leadership turnover has its advantages. Newly appointed leaders often bring different ideas to the table and may be able to view old issues from a previously overlooked viewpoint. Fresh blood also helps to prevent burn out, which occurs when someone is in a position so long that they become bored while feeling overworked and uninspired.
While many of us have felt burned out at some point in our lives, something special happens when we find a job we are good at that challenges and excites us. If your league has a president who does an excellent job leading your thriving league and they happen to be one of the league founders, it's not necessarily a bad thing for them to continue to serve the league in that position. The problem occurs when symptoms of FS cause issues to the detriment of the league's ability to thrive.
Big Picture
So, how can you tell if you and your league are suffering from FS or if you have found your place in the system? Try to take a step back and look at the situation from an outsider's perspective. Do you feel like you have to hide or make decisions behind the membership's back or are you comfortable bringing possible changes to a vote, ready to proceed no matter the outcome? Do you conduct business behind closed doors or is information given and made readily available for the members? Do you feel wiped out and physically/mentally destroyed when having to deal with league issues, or are you invigorated? After honestly answering these questions, you should be able to come to a conclusion as to which side of the fence you stand (or, in our case, skate).
I hope this was able to clarify a few points and show that just because someone is in a position for a lengthy period of time, and happens to be one of the league's founders, they (and the league) aren't necessarily suffering from FS.
Thank you to all of those who contacted me to tell me their stories and experiences with this subject matter. To show my appreciation, I would like to give away some goodies! In order to be considered to receive one of these goodie packages, all you have to do is come up with a Roller Derby themed haiku and enter it into the comments of this article. I'll choose a few winners and announce them with my next Rollin News article.
Until We Skate Again!
Shocker
