Leadership Development and Succession Planning

Working Group

Meeting Minutes, September 30 2004

Present:   Victoria Bell- Chair; minutes; Marilyn Moore; John Seex; (Chris Kreeger - input through email)

Agenda

Individual Projects

Each group member will be working on a separate project over the next 2-4 months.  If we need help with our projects, we are free to invite one or two people of our choosing to join us.  We will report to the working group on our progress, and we may bring questions or points of discussion to the working group and/or review group.

Marilyn Moore:
Exploring the relationship between court principle and leadership development in Shambhala centers. 

Pull together some resource material on court principle as it relates to Shambhala centers.

Form discussion questions and suggestions about how, practically speaking, court principle can be drawn on in the development of younger/newer leaders and volunteers, and how it can be helpful in supporting center leadership.

John Seex:
Exploring the role of center directors in community consultation and the development of members.

Write a discussion paper (based on some initial research and consultation) about how communities get consulted and how decisions are made in Shambhala centers, focusing on the role of center leadership and governance. 

This paper will be posted on the Congress website to initiate wide dialogue, and revised suggestions may be drawn up in a follow-up document prior to the Congress.

Chris Kreeger:
Developing a curriculum for leadership development in our centers, focusing on the Center Director role (and focusing on ‘secular’ or ‘mundane’ skills).

Look into courses offered by outside organizations in our local communities.

Compile helpful resources on non-profit and volunteer management.

Victoria Bell:
Developing guidelines and compiling examples/suggestions for the use of job descriptions for volunteer and paid positions in Shambhala centers.

Work with the governance/structure working group and President Reoch to clarify the position of center directors in the proposed mandala governance structure.

Work with the same group to understand the implications of this position for the skills needed for the role of center director, and implications for the selection/succession process.

Collect samples of job descriptions from Shambhala centers, to make available to others.

Develop a template or suggested guidelines for center job descriptions.

Betsy Pond:
Project yet to be defined.

Group Communication

Working group members will report their progress to Victoria as necessary or upon request.
When issues or questions arise which require discussion, a meeting of the working group and/or review group will be called.

Preliminary reports on individual projects should be submitted by Friday, November 26th, so that Victoria can report to the Mandala Governing Council at their meeting in early December.

Next meeting: TBA

Updated 2004/10/12