I want to begin with the views expressed in this post reflect my opinions and not necessarily reflect the research and efforts of by Jim Collins and his book “Good to Great”. There was a period of three years or so where the book “Good to Great” was the guiding principle in how the organization was to strategically operate during the next administration’s era. Over the next few years readings, discussions and team projects related to this book were held. The executive leadership team kept drilling the mantra from the book as if it a was the reprise of a hymn being sung in church,
“leaders of companies that go from good to great start not with ‘where’ but with ‘who.’ They start by getting the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats.”
Reflecting back, I will analogize the “bus seat” theory as staff boarded the bus in the fall of 2000. With both YMCA Chief Executive Officers leaving their respective YMCAs around the same time, the YMCA of the USA facilitated in securing a retired executive to be the Interim Chief Executive Officer for both organizations with the ultimate goal of reuniting the two YMCAs in Broward County. Somewhere in the 1970s the YMCA of Broward County separated into two separate YMCA organizations and now ultimately in June 2001, one stronger YMCA serving the Broward County community resurfaced. There was to be a community-wide announcement and celebration of the reunification of one YMCA in Broward County. However, the seamless merger was just as transparent for most of the community as well. The due diligence took just over six months and unraveled in such a expeditious manner in which both organizations faced very few casualties but offered learning opportunities to function as one organization, with one leader, one strategic plan and one road to travel. Fortunately, historically staff of both YMCAs have collaborated on trainings, programming and leadership development and extended to including the other YMCA in grant funding applications and participating in countywide events.
When I boarded the bus in 2000, my title was Special Projects Director and encompassed a variety of responsibilities from grant writing and administration, IT and website development, child care training and several other minor responsibilities in human resources, payroll and fundraising. I managed to create myself a very diverse portfolio of different positions I excitedly attained and managed to acquire new knowledge and skills through sanctioned trainings, college coursework and even being mentored by Y-USAs best in various disciplines. I felt I was one of the right people in the right seat of the bus prior to the merger. As time progressed post merger, managed to be “silo”ed into only working with grant writing and administration.
For those not familiar with current office jargon, “silo”ed is the term used by the high level executives to move individuals with myriad responsibilities and forces a system, process or department, etc. to operate in isolation from others. This redirection of my responsibilities had left a void within me as I felt I was being underutilized and ultimately undervalued as most of my responsibilities were farmed to other current and employees entirely new to the YMCA movement. Prior to being “silo”ed, I managed to elevate myself to a higher level where my knowledge, skills and abilities were I leveraged significant input and contributed on a myriad of committees, task forces and even served on non-YMCA committees. An unexplained emptiness is what I felt as I saw my talents and knowledge being used to a lesser degree with all the changes happening as our association continue to grow.
As the bus pulls into the first stop out of the depot, passengers begin boarding, some have their exact change, others have a transfer and others have a free pass to ride. My view as a passenger is somewhat obstructed, but nevertheless, I still can see whose boarding and exiting at each bus stop.
Here’s what I see.
Those boarding with exact change are the ones who’ve been here and will continue to be here. Despite leadership and organizational change, they are the pillars and foundations of the organization. They remain the loyal ones who aren’t necessarily the ones who “wow” but are the ones who day after day keep the organization going by consistently performing and most do not jump seats at each stop for the next promotion. I happened to have the exact change and proceed to the back of the bus and take a seat, as I don’t plan to get off anytime soon. It also gives me a fairly good vantage of those boarding and disembarking the bus.
I’ve seen countless transfers boarding, not quite regularly as I’d expect, but do happen to have a handful at the busier stops. Many of those bearing transfers have come on board armed with a myriad of stories of how great their many previous journeys were and subliminally anticipating to make this one another feather in their cap of accomplishments. Along the way, leaving some personal effects of their journey in the seats to be picked up by the next passengers occupying the seat. Seeing the patterns, I know very well those pieces picked up were left there intentionally for the new ones taking the seat will take ownership of what was left behind. As these transfer passengers disembark somewhere between boarding and their final destination, they part with their newly found item and leave only trash on the bus with hopes someone else finds their treasure in what they intentionally left behind only to repeat this cycle again.
As we pull into a station, those with a free pass to ride begin boarding. They blend well into the remaining empty seats on the bus. With their flair and flamboyance, they board in dramatic fashion to somehow impress others already on board. Those riding for the duration or have exact change have seen this and are totally no impressed or gawk in shock at their gait as they board. Others are still stirred and express an uncanny curiosity as to what they may bring with them on this journey.
The bus appears to always be full of passengers as it travels an undetermined route towards the nameless destination. More often than not, the journey to the destination is often overlooked for the anticipation of what to expect when arriving at this nameless destination. The flat tire, the overheated engine, the rude bus driver are all forgotten when the journey ends and nostalgic reflections and cherished memories are all that remain. Many disembark prior to arrival and others are still waiting to arrive, despite it all, the journey in itself can possess beauty in the people you will meet and chat with, the layovers and stops along the way and the photographs you took.
Looking out the window, I see vast pastures with many more barns and silos as the bus continues to travel further away from where I once boarded. The scenery changes ever so gradually, from urban to rural, however, most on the bus aren’t noticing the succession, as they’ve not been on the bus for the entire journey.
Regardless whose driving the bus, the organization will prevail, and despite facing challenging roads ahead, I remain confident the journey is half the fun. Until the day arrives when I arrive my final destination, I will sit back in my seat, look out the window on occasion, chat with a few fellow travelers and listen to my iPod.
For now, I’m going to put my headphones on and maybe close my eyes, but as I do, a song from my years of operating early childhood programs comes on. I silently sing along…and by now you all should have read and know, “Please Don’t Let Mr Robert Sing” and fully understand why I am silently singing along.
“The wheels on the bus go round and round
Round and round, round and round
The wheels on the bus go round and round
All through the town.”
While gazing out the window, I find a silo, fire engine red, towering the fields of wheat and corn we pass and declare metaphorically representative of my career with the YMCA. I continue to stand tall, looking weathered despite everything around me changing yet blend in perfectly with my environment. Ultimately, I can only hope when my journey comes to an end, I have left a lasting legacy in the seats to be picked up by the next passengers boarding.
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NOTE: The posts title RIDING AS A DEADHEAD ON A LINKED PASSENGER TRIP refers to a non revenue passenger trip from origin to destination on the transit system. Even if a passenger must make several transfers during a one way journey, the trip is counted as one linked trip on the system.
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