Cynthia D’Amour on Leadership and Life

For the girls.
I just dropped my dogs off at Doghouse.

It’s their favorite place to stay when they can’t stay with us.
Doghouse is not your typical kennel.
(If you are in Ann Arbor, you should check them out.)

Raindrop and GiGi are very different dogs.

Raindrop is seven and prefers people to dogs.
GiGi is just a little over one [...]

Filed under: Community building, Orientating New Members | No Comments »

   It was bizarre.
Turned out the lights in my room.

Staying in a hotel.
Long day.
Ready to sleep.

The symphony started as if on cue.

I had surround sound.
Voices on both sides.
Above and below too.

Conversations infiltrated my room.

A man shouted with fury.
A woman sang goodnight to her children.
And a juicy exchange made me blush.

I was trapped in the middle [...]

Filed under: Keeping members, Orientating New Members | No Comments »

   Or Not!
Last night I had one of those terrible nightmares.

Never-ending.
Couldn’t break free.
Felt drained when finally found a way to wake up!

Was stuck in a chapter’s new member orientation.

One past president after another.
Sharing glory stories.
Who cares?

This went on for hours.

Could have been done in one.
30 minutes social.
30 minutes information.

After all what’s the purpose of a [...]

Filed under: Orientating New Members | No Comments »

   And left to burn.
A fairly new member violated the chapter’s listserv norms.

She promoted her business.
Blatantly.
Proudly.

She thought she was responding appropriately to a request.

She learned she wasn’t.
Others corrected her via email.
To her it felt like an attack.

She’s now debating membership value.

She’s frustrated.
She had good intentions with her answer.
How was she supposed to know she was [...]

Filed under: Keeping members, Orientating New Members | 8 Comments »