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No More Homeless Pets Forum
May 12, 2003 Getting Along |
Why can't we all just get along? Diane Blankenburg, director of the Best Friends Network, gives advice on how to resolve differences, cope with misunderstandings, and create a harmonious workplace. Learn how to prevent problems and successfully resolve your staff and volunteer dilemmas.
Introduction from Diane Blankenburg:
Have you ever wondered why people who can be so compassionate towards animals have such a hard time relating to people with the same level of compassion?I've worked for the past 20 years managing, leading, facilitating, and coaching individuals at all levels of organizations and across a broad range of industries. I've discovered that the answer to this question is common and simple. Most of us were not taught basic communication and collaboration skills and did not have effective role models as we were growing up. As a result, many past attempts at resolving differences ended up making matters worse and confirmed the belief that it's too hard and painful to effectively come to agreement with other people. So we either railroad our way through decisions or avoid conflictive situations altogether.
Conflict is part of all organizations and I firmly believe it can be a key part of what makes an organization successful. After all, the existence of conflict simply means that there are expressed differences, whether they be over values, goals, perceptions, or facts. It's how that conflict is managed that determines if it is constructive or destructive.
To manage conflict constructively, it is critical to create an environment of trust, respect, and empathy. Only then can we truly understand each others' needs and work collaboratively to find a solution that works for all parties. This not only results in happier campers, but most often produces more powerful and creative solutions.
To approach conflict from this perspective requires a change in behavior for most of us. The key ingredients to changing behavior is:
- Awareness - that there is another way that will produce better results;
- Willingness - or the desire to do things differently; and
- Skills - to know how to behave differently to get the results we desire.
I am very passionate about this subject and look forward to answering your questions this week regarding the awareness, willingness, and skills required to bring about this shift in your organization. Hopefully, I can provide general insight into particular models, and tools that can assist you, as well as give you specific guidance and coaching on how you can personally make a difference in your own organization.
Questions
Conflict management skills
When area rescues are dishonest with potential adopters
New board member taking over the organization
Being an effective leader
Trying to make changes at shelter with a high kill rate
When a shelter doesn't want volunteers to help
Rude attitudes by shelter staff to the public
What to do when policies are not being followed and are not in writing
Building a coalition when one group doesn't want to participate
Dealing with a shelter that says "yes...but" to all ideas
Getting all groups in a coalition to develop the same vision
Is there ever a time to go to the media about a shelter?
Conflict management skills
Question from Patti:
After several years of being the leader of our organization, my character and judgment has been subject to attack on two different occasions. Each occasion resulted in one or two of our volunteers leaving our organization. I am sure I could have handled things differently and maybe these volunteers wouldn't have left. At the same time I feel that things had gotten to a point where I needed to be firm and put my foot down or more hurt feelings and trouble would have occurred. Each time I was criticized and made to feel like a tyrant.I believe that I am a patient person but we all work so hard. I also feel that I don't have time for a lot of handholding and ego stroking. Some volunteers are very high maintenance while others are easy going and understanding. It seems that there are a few of us that stick it out through the good times and the bad, and the rest just come and go.
We desperately need more help. Any suggestions you can give me on handling conflict between our members, and attacks on my management style would be appreciated.
Response from Diane:
There are many concepts and tools that could help you with your situation. I will pick a few to share in answering your question now, but will invariably hit on others throughout the week in response to other questions.Let me preface my answer by saying that we often put volunteers into a category where we think we cannot apply basic people management principles. Since they are not paid and are not employees, we might think we have no power. Well, we may not have organized power but we certainly have the ability to motivate and lead in a desired direction. Since volunteers are working out of the goodness of their heart and not for a paycheck, we have an even greater need to ensure that they are committed to the cause and guided in a direction that contributes to the overall success of the organization.
So now, let me get back to your specific situation. First, I think it's important to clearly define expectations for your volunteers when they first come on board. What do you expect them to do? How do you expect them to do it? What can they expect back from you? Many organizations are very disappointed with individuals and quick to give feedback regarding their disappointments without ever clearly defining what the expectations are. You might even have them sign a simple contract that outlines the expectations. Clearly defined expectations lay the groundwork for giving meaningful and constructive feedback when volunteers or staff get off track.
Second, as the leader of organization, it is important for you to really understand conflict management models. Most literature that I have seen is based on a model that was developed in the 1970's by Thomas and Killman. It defines five styles of managing conflict based on to what extent your needs are being met versus the needs of the other party. These five styles are Competition, Avoidance, Accommodation, Compromise, and Collaboration. Each style can be effective for particular situations. The key to managing conflict effectively is to know what style produces what consequences and make the appropriate choice to produce the outcome you desire. Collaboration is an important component of successful teamwork and requires a genuine desire to meet the needs of both sides. But it also requires more time and effort than the other styles. In the end, you can create an atmosphere where everyone can constructively express their differences and work towards a solution that meets everyone's needs. Not only will the parties involved be more committed, but in most cases you will have a more creative and powerful solution.
Another model that is useful in your situation is Compassionate Communication. When it comes down to specific situations with specific individuals, I think it is critical that you address the problem on a one-on-one basis. When a volunteer is not meeting your expectations, it is important to communicate this to them in a compassionate way. The problem behavior needs to be clearly described in a non-evaluating manner. This means without ANY judgment. Then you need to describe how this makes you feel and what need is not getting met. Once it's clear what isn't working, it's critical to follow-up with what you would like from this person so that your needs will be met. The key to the success of this model is to truly come from the place of no judgment. It's not about what someone is doing TO you but rather it's about you taking responsibility for getting your needs met.
I don't at all mean to imply that any of this is easy. Most of us have not been brought up to think this way. But as I indicated in my introduction, three things are required to change behavior--awareness, willingness, and skills. I have specific materials and resources around these models that can assist you in developing the skills. If you are interested in additional help, please email aimee@bestfriends.org with the subject line "help from Diane" and indicate you would like further resources.
When area rescues are dishonest with potential adopters
Question from a member:
I am the adoption coordinator for a small all breed rescue group. We have volunteer foster parents for our animals - no shelter. In my area, many groups are dishonest with potential adopters. They lie about temperament, health, and the age of an animal. If the person tries to return the animal, they are given a hard time and made to feel guilty about their decision. My group is honest. We know the dishonest groups reflect badly on all of rescue. So far, setting a good example and trying to reason with the other groups has been fruitless. How do we get along with these groups when their actions are strongly in conflict with my group's morals/ethics? Your input would be greatly appreciated.Response from Diane:
I am reading between the lines that you feel like you have a legitimate need to get along with the other rescue groups in your area. In other words, you have a desire to partner with them to further the overall cause. Assuming this is true, I have several suggestions.My first suggestion is to be sure you are dealing with real facts, and not just gossip, regarding how these other groups operate. It's very easy for information to get distorted and blown out of proportion.
Second, before anyone can give advice or help to others, the others need to feel like you are on their side. You need to truly be able to empathize with their situation and genuinely want to help. You need to trust that they are doing the best they can at the moment and would choose to do things differently if they were able. You will not be successful if you approach them with the attitude that you are better than they are.
Third, find something specific and tangible around which you can create a partnership with the other groups. Pick something that is not controversial and for which you can easily gain their buy-in. Use this as an opportunity to build a trusting relationship.
Last, continue to work with them to understand their needs and develop plans together that meet both their needs and your needs. Once they feel like you are for them and not against them, they will welcome your help with open arms. You might find additional suggestions in Gregory Castle's archived Forum on How to form Coalitions.
New board member taking over the organization
Question from Judy:
We have a new Board member, whose skills are in fundraising. However, it appears to some of the Board members that she is taking over the organization, without even knowing the entire background or purpose of our organization. Many of her statements are inaccurate and we are concerned that she is spreading the wrong message. A meeting produced tears. Please help us!Response from Diane:
As I mentioned in my answer to the previous question, I think clearly defined expectations for your board members is critical. There were previous forums that addressed what the roles and responsibilities should be for board members and I highly recommend you refer back to those.Although I have limited information on the specifics of your situation, it appears as if there is not a clear understanding of what the vision and mission is for your organization. Have you clearly defined these? Is everyone bought in to them? If the answer to either of these is no, I think you've found a good starting place. I would highly recommend finding a professional facilitator in your area to help you plan and lead this effort. I ran my own consulting business and found myself or other colleagues very willing to donate time and effort to help non-profit organizations.
If you think your problem is really isolated to the one individual in question, please refer back to the Compassionate Communication concepts discussed in the previous question. Many people often have no idea what they are specifically doing to cause a problem, or what they need to do differently to make things work more effectively. Since you mentioned that there were tears in your meetings, I'm guessing that there were hurt feelings and wounded egos. Using a compassionate communication model can help depersonalize feedback, create a position of empathy, and then open the channels for rational solutions. Since this is already an emotional situation, I would again recommend getting some professional assistance if possible.
Being an effective leader
Question from Kathy:
I'm president of a non-profit organization whose mission is spay/neuter and rescue/adoption. We are an all-volunteer group and promote that with no paid staff or shelter expenses, funding goes directly to help the animals. Our voting membership makes up the officers and committees, which decide the group's programs. Our Board of Directors serves in an advisory capacity. I've been told at times our organization's structure is unusual and members shouldn't be making decisions.Over the past couple of years, membership, volunteers, funding and program services have greatly expanded. Because of this growth one of our Board Members suggested hiring an Executive Director. I'm not sure this position fits in our organization nor would it be well received by volunteers having to take directives from an ED. Even as president, I'm still just another volunteer.
While our efforts have been very successful, I'd like to stay open to change that might ultimately better serve the dogs and cats. Are there benefits to a group such as ours in having an Executive Director that I'm not recognizing? If so, advice on introducing this idea to the membership would be welcome.
Response from Diane:
I would like to answer this question from two different perspectives--as a non-profit volunteer and as a professional consultant. Prior to joining the staff at Best Friends, I worked over a period time as a volunteer for a non-profit organization that had a wonderful mission, but was floundering from an organizational point of view. In my opinion, the key missing ingredient was a full-time, dedicated Executive Director who would provide leadership, continuity, and consistency. Most volunteers do not have the resources or the skills to tackle this type of role. I saw several different volunteers sincerely take this on, only to get burned out in a very short period of time.From my professional experience and learnings, I firmly believe that every organization needs effective leadership. Leadership can come in many different forms, and may not have to be delegated to a paid position, but in whatever form, it is still a key ingredient for success of any team. You may feel that you are getting your leadership needs met sufficiently by existing members, and you may well be. But as organizations grow and evolve, the type of leadership required also evolves. You need to be sure you understand what your organization's needs are before you can really determine if hiring an Executive Director is the right choice or not.
Here are a couple of actions that I suggest you do to help you more effectively make this decision:
Research and understand what effective leadership is. A leader in my opinion is not someone who is "giving directives." There are two major facets of an effective leader: the capacity to have vision and the ability to influence others into action. An international study program conducted by Battelle Institute posed the question, "what are the characteristics of effective leaders in organizations?" to students from various countries. The four core characteristics identified across all countries and cultures were:
A clear vision of what the organization might become.
The ability to communicate this vision to others.
The ability to motivate others to work towards this vision.
The ability to work the system to get things done.
Motivation is probably the most misunderstood characteristic. In traditional management practices, one believed that motivation came from directing others. In a more progressive day, we realize that we motivate by inspiring, enabling, modeling, and encouraging the heart.
Assess the specific needs of your organization. I highly recommend that you bring in an experienced professional to help you assess your needs. There are lots of tools and methodologies that they can share and facilitate for you. As I mentioned in responding to a previous question, it is very common to find consultants who are willing to donate their services for the cause.
Select the kind of leadership required to meet your needs. I strongly recommend a more facilitative style, especially in an organization that is already very comfortable with lots of involvement. You might also find that other needs are identified to help with your overall success. Don't forget to address these too.
Determine if you have the required leadership from within. Make sure you're not asking too much of yourself or others. Burnout can sneak up on you quite quickly. You may decide that you are already getting your organization's leadership needs met by its current membership. If so, great, but at least you'll know that you are doing it for the right reasons.
If not, hire an Executive Director that meets your leadership needs. Use your research and needs assessment as selection criteria. Don't settle for less.
I truly admire your openness to address this issue, even though your operation is running smoothly. It sounds like you already have a grasp on what effective leadership is and are heading in the right direction. The only true constant in life is change--so openness to change is a worthy and commendable characteristic!
Trying to make changes at shelter with a high kill rate
Question from a member:
Hi, I am 14 years old and volunteer with several rescue organizations and a local government shelter. Although I have worked a lot with animals the past three years I find myself overwhelmed, not just by the rescue efforts but the wall that is blocking me from helping them more. I have good relations with the people I work with, but I have to hide my beliefs from other people at the shelter because being a government shelter, laws are involved. The main problem is not the laws, but the management's ways of managing the shelter animal's euthanasia. The management does not work well with rescues and figures that euthanasia, although necessary with so many animals coming in, is the easiest option to go with. A sad part is that many times there is an opportunity to have them rescued but you can't let them know you rescue or they will not like you.I get stressed there because I could help save so many more if they would work well with rescues. I have thought about so many things I could do such as outreach at adoption centers and stuff. But I get stressed because I've been told the management is hard to get to work with you, pretty much impossible. I've already come a long way in being able to help them more and more. Should I be satisfied and just live with the fact of euthanasia or keep trying? A 14 year old giving them advice obviously is not an option. It is a very professional nice shelter but I really wish more animals could be saved. What should I do? Thanks.
Response from Diane:
I believe we have two basic choices when faced with something we don't like - change how we feel about it or change the situation. I have identified over my 40+ years of life that I have some basic principles that I will not compromise. At the same time, I've learned that most things that I thought I couldn't accept were really just a result of my judgment toward others.So the first thing you need to do is decide if the organization's actions are compromising your basic principles. If they are, then I suggest you put your efforts somewhere else where you can be true to yourself. If they aren't, then you need to accept and understand the organization as it is. This is the only true way to change others. We can't make others behave differently, but we can change our own behaviors, which create a different reaction from others.
Once you are truly on board with them, then you can start working to help them meet their needs. There may be other more basic needs that you can accommodate that will help them be freer to deal with the Euthanasia issue. You might find other adult champions for the cause that can partner with you and give you more credibility. The key is to be with them, not against them. Otherwise, you will just be spinning your wheels.
When a shelter doesn't want volunteers to help
Question from Elly:
My husband and I have been rescuing shelter dogs for over a year with a total of almost 1,000 dogs. A new shelter manager came in and with NO communication about ANYTHING has started closing doors on us. We would go in twice a week take pictures of al the dogs and put them on Petfinder. We would beg rescue and low kill shelters to take the dogs. The shelter we volunteer at has a high 70% kill rate. It was down to 30% while we were rescuing, now it's back to the original percent. We cannot get a answer as to why we were actually banned from the shelter. It is a non-profit shelter. No one--board of directors, Executive Director, shelter manager--will tell us. It breaks my heart. So we have been diverting our passion to rescuing the dogs before they go through the doors of the shelter.Response from Diane:
I'm sure this situation is extremely frustrating to you. I know that I would definitely want to know what happened just for my own personal learning. But most likely, it is totally NOT about you and your husband. My question to you is: How important is it that you work with this particular shelter? It may be that you can better put your energies into making a difference elsewhere, as you said, into "rescuing the dogs before they go through the doors of the shelter." If you believe in life signs, maybe it's a sign that bigger things are in store for you. When one door shuts, many more are opened.If you do feel your mission is to still work with this same shelter, then you will need patience and determination. It always takes two to tango and you cannot MAKE them tango. But what you can do is create an understanding of the benefit of tangoing with you. Do some research on their basic needs. Show that you want to help them be successful in the way THEY define success. Since you said the doors were already closing, this may take some extra perseverance to get them back open again. Once you get your foot in the door, remember to work with them not against them. The kind of behavior you described generally results from others feeling threatened. It may only be their perception, but their perception IS their reality at this point. The ultimate challenge for you is to remove that perception is that you can work side-by-side towards the same end goals.
Rude attitudes by shelter staff to the public
Question from a member:
I volunteer at a humane society where the girls who work at the front desk always seem to act as if they are unhappy to be there. They are rude to people on the phone and don't try to offer solutions to people calling in with problems, they often talk negatively about other employees or volunteers in front of volunteers, and they are often making personal calls from work or taking cigarette breaks all the time. I am a volunteer and feel like I can't really say anything to management because I don't want to make it worse, but I feel like I am there on my own time to help the animals and if they don't want to be there, they should find another job. How can I make suggestions as a volunteer?Response from Diane:
These kinds of behaviors are usually just symptoms of bigger issues and are a reflection of the organizational culture. They are very indicative of a situation where people are grouped together with no real team identity. There are basic teaming principles that define fundamental, core beliefs that affect human behavior and relationships with each other. These principles include having a common purpose, effective leadership, mutual trust, participation by all, maintenance of individual self-esteem, open communication, consensus decisions, and respect of differences. These things are not created easily or quickly, but there are specific activities that can start you in the right direction.So I suggest that you approach management on solving the bigger problem of creating a cohesive team, rather than just reacting to the symptoms that have been observed. If it's done appropriately, it will be more palatable and will have a longer lasting impact on the organization. This is no small task, so be sure you're ready for it.
First, you need to get management's buy-in to let you help. It's important that they don't perceive this as a threat, but rather a sincere intent to help them succeed. I don't know if you have the skills and experience to do the work yourself. If not, then partner with someone in the community that does. Put together a proposal of how you would like to help them be more successful. It's always important to tie this to their perceived bottom-line. Again, we're back to "what's in it for them." The proposal should also contain an outline of activities that include conducting a needs assessment, evaluating the findings, and making recommendations. Once you get the go ahead, you start the real work.
Now you need to collect information regarding the REAL problem. This can be as simple as just sitting done with each staff member individually and asking them three basic questions: What do you think you are doing well as a team? Where do you see opportunities for improvement? What are the barriers that hinder making improvements? If you want a more extensive analysis, there are pre-designed surveys that will assess more specific aspects of the team's effectiveness.
Next, you need to assess the information that was collected. You want to identify the key strengths and the key opportunities for improvement, so that you can build on the strengths and focus energies on the improvements that will get you the biggest return. Over my many years in this field, I have found basic issues that exist in almost every team and/or organization--lack of trust, closed communication, and not feeling valued.
Finally, you need to make specific recommendations to management on steps you can take to work on the identified opportunities. It is especially critical at this point to be sure you have the proper expertise to make appropriate recommendations. Hopefully, your management will realize that you are truly on their side and that these changes will make their jobs easier and help them more effectively accomplish their organizational goals.
What to do when policies are not being followed and are not in writing
Question from a member:
I work at a shelter. The problem we face is that we don't have written policies on a lot of issues. Our Director will tell one person what the policy is and think that it has been addressed and that it will get passed on. The problem is that it often doesn't, or gets passed along incorrectly. When concerned employees try to tell our Director that policies are not being followed, which sometimes leads to not the best animal care or customer service, he won't listen to our concerns because he thinks he set the policy clearly. How can we convince him that he needs written policies and that they are not being followed when he is not there to see the policies being broken without sounding like a whiner or tattletale?Response from Diane:
I totally empathize with your situation. Even though it's a very common scenario, it's no less frustrating. I firmly believe that all organizational decisions need to be documented whether they are policies, processes, letter of understandings, team guidelines or actions lists. I know this easier said than done. Also, I believe that all the players that are impacted by the decisions should be involved in making the decisions. This will ensure that the decisions will satisfy everyone's needs and that all players are committed to their implementation. So, the documentation is important for several reasons:It records the process of coming to the decision and verifies that it meets the needs of all parties. In my opinion, a participative decision process is even more important than the documentation.
It records the actual decisions so that nothing is left up to memory.
It makes sure that everyone has the same understanding of the decision, whether they were involved or not. How often does a team of people walk away from a meeting with each having a totally different interpretation of what was decided?
It provides a media for communication with existing team members who might not have participated in the process.
It provides a basis of training for future team members.
It allows for configuration control, so that updates can be appropriately managed.
In direct answer to your question, educating your Director on the above benefits of documenting policies and other decisions would be a good first step. Second, is the understanding that documenting the policy will not necessarily ensure that the policy will be followed. If the players have been involved in developing the policy, then it becomes THEIR policy and implementation is a natural evolution. If the players were not involved, then it's important to help them understand WHY the policy is important, how it directly relates to the success of the organization, and how it helps them accomplish their tasks more easily and effectively. I believe that most people want to succeed and want their organizations to succeed. But they also need to understand how their personal success makes a significant contribution to the overall success of the organization. There is an old adage that has gotten a bad rap, which says that, in order to be motivated, people need to know "what's in it for them." This is not about the selfishness of individuals, but rather their caring and "wanting to make a difference" side.
If the information above is not enough to convince the Director, you might try selecting a pilot project of a policy you feel needs to be discussed, agreed to, and documented. I suggest making it something fairly simplistic and non-controversial so that you can easily have success and SHOW the value of these processes versus just TELLING. If you choose to do this, it is critical to have a trained professional to facilitate the effort (see footnote below on facilitation).
Footnote: I have mentioned facilitation throughout my answers this week and realize that many of you may not be familiar with what I mean by this word. According to Fran Rees, "facilitation is both a science and an art. A facilitator applies a specific set of skills and methods, . . . along with a sharp attention and sensitivity to people, to lead a group to peak performance." It's a powerful form of leadership that brings people together to solve problems, plan, make decisions, and obtain resources. If you would like to study this subject further, Ms. Rees has written an excellent book called The Facilitator Excellence Handbook: Helping People Work Creatively and Productively Together. It not only provides further insight into the benefits of facilitation, but also outlines specific methods, tools, and techniques.
Building a coalition when one group doesn't want to participate
Question from a member:
We are trying to build a coalition and have gotten a lot of positive support from many of the local groups, but there is one group who feels that the coalition will be in competition with them for funds, volunteers, and community support. They think we should turn over any resources or connections we get to them or do programs that benefit them specifically and not for other groups in town because they have the most animals. We want to help all the groups equally but are having a hard time figuring out how to work with them and make them happy without upsetting the other groups.Response from Diane:
The first question you need to answer is do you need the resisting group to be a part of your coalition in order to have success. And the only way to answer this question is to define your coalition's criteria for success. You might come to the conclusion that making them happy is not a good enough reason to include them and that you don't really need them to be successful. If you move on without them, the worst that can happen is that they won't hold you back. And the best thing that can happen, as you demonstrate success, is that it becomes unpopular to resist and they are pulled on board by popular demand.If you decide that they are critical to the success of the coalition, then it's important to clearly define and communicate your mission so that it meets the needs of all members, including them. The principle value of a coalition is based on the concept of synergy where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. But synergy is not a given just because you put parts together. There needs to be a common vision, a common understanding of each other, and the willingness to work towards a solution that meets everyone's needs. This requires effective communication, creativity, and perseverance.
Dealing with a shelter that says "yes...but" to all ideas
Question from a member:
Do you have any suggestions for what to do when a county shelter won't take any suggestions for improvements from volunteers or staff? Our dog warden will not even allow volunteers in the facility or any help taking pictures, doing adoptions, or fostering because he says there are too many liability issues. Some rescues and the humane society have offered to show him how other communities handle it and offered volunteers to assist him but he always has an excuse for why our ideas won't work or says "yes....but". If he never tries them of course they won't!Response from Diane:
Whenever I come across a standoff such as this, it immediately puts up a red flag for me. Often when two parties have two opposing views, it suggests that they have both taken positions on a particular question. These positions actually represent only two of many possible solutions that meet the needs of both parties. It's quite natural for many of us to jump to a solution that we think is the ONLY solution without even defining the real issues at hand. When you hit this kind of stalemate, it's important to back up and ask what are MY needs that brought me to this position. Then it's important to ask the other party what are THEIR needs that caused them to take their position. Once we are able to back up to the most basic needs of both parties, then everyone will realize that there are numerous solutions that will totally (no compromise) satisfy both sides. The result being a true win-win solution.One commonly used, but simple, analogy for this concept is based on two people arguing over wanting an orange. They both say they absolutely NEED the orange. Need, used here, means they each believe that they have to have the orange, which really equates to a solution that ensures his/her own needs are met. After probing more into the REAL needs of the two parties, it's discovered that one person needs the juice of one orange for a pie and the other needs the zest of one orange for a cake. If one party takes the orange and wins, the other loses. If they compromise and each take half, no body totally wins. But if they work together and one uses the zest and the other the juice, both parties win and both sets of needs are totally satisfied. The real challenge is distinguishing between positions and true needs.
I recommend that you apply these concepts to your situation. Start by being very clear on what your basic needs are and then work hard to understand the needs of the warden. It may take some probing and repeated asking, but as long as you do so with empathy and compassion, you will probably be quite successful. Most people really want to be understood and once that is accomplished, you have won half the battle. After both sets of needs are defined and understood, put on your collective creative caps and brainstorm away until both sides agree that they have found a solution that is totally satisfying. With willingness and determination, I believe this is always possible.
Getting all groups in a coalition to develop the same vision
Question from a member:
Help! I am a board member of a new (2 year old) and small rescue group in a medium sized town. That said, we are the largest no kill non-breed specific animal rescue group in the area.We are also founding members of a new animal rescue coalition, which the local shelter is a member. The other members of the group all seem to think that the shelter is a great place, and we admit that it is much better than it used to be years ago, however, we still feel that there is much room for improvement. We want to work with the shelter and other groups, yet the shelter is rather hostile towards us...
Only recently have they allowed us to pull animals out of their facility for free and then it is the less adoptable ones. We have had a hard time in dealing with them and have heard stories of people with nightmarish experiences with them. Recently, we have been told that the shelter was trying to corner in on our corporate sponsor donations - without which our group would be much smaller and operate at a much lower adoption rate.
We know that changes need to be made at the shelter, but there doesn't seem to be any forum to address the problems without the shelter director becoming angry. I understand that it is usually the people suggesting the changes that need to alter their approach, but really, many groups in town have expressed problems in this area. We have considered going to the city council meetings and asking for a review of operations but don't want to make the problem any worse.
Please advise - we would like the coalition to function, but hate being the only group with concerns of the shelter... our ultimate and only goal is for the well being of the animals but we would like to do it with as few political head aches as possible.
Response from Diane:
First, I suggest you read if you have not already, the answers to the previous questions regarding coalitions and making organizational changes. After you have done so, I have a couple of other particular things to say in response to your specific situation.It sounds like you are working with a lot of hearsay. I suggest that you only work on issues that you have personally experienced. It's very easy for information to get distorted once it passes through another set of hands. So try using the suggestions around conflict management that I have made in previous answers to work through your specific differences.
Secondly, you mention that they have made improvements, which shows that there is a willingness to change and an openness to new ideas. I suggest you build on past successes as motivation for future activity. They've already proven that they can and will make improvements.
The bottom-line, as I have mentioned before, is how much do you want them to succeed and how important are they to the success of the coalition and it's goals!
Lastly, I would make sure that you are in general alignment with ALL the coalition members. Do you have a mutually agreed upon vision and mission? Do you have a strategic plan in place that everyone is willingly working? Do you have team guidelines and norms that everyone supports? If not, develop these as soon as possible.
Is there ever a time to go to the media about a shelter?
Question from a member:
At our shelter a lack of policies and leadership is resulting in animals not always getting the best care and some even being euthanized that shouldn't be. We have tried going to our Director but he tells us that he is addressing it and then nothing ever happens. We have tried going to the Board, who tells us that we need to go through the Director. A couple of people think we should go to the media to expose what is going on (it is that serious) but we are afraid that if we do, this will only hurt the animals. But we don't know what else to try. Do you ever think there is a time to go to extreme measures like going to the media if you have tried proper channels of communication?Response from Diane:
I do believe there are times for extreme measures, but I don't believe those times are very frequent. It should be as a very last resort. I think a lot people do things like going to the media because it's easier than trying to address issues and concerns directly. And it can make things worse if they don't fully understand, or are prepared to handle, the potential backlash of extreme measures. And it can severely damage individual and organizational reputations.You said you went to the Director and he said he would address it and hasn't. My guess is he is overloaded with the day-to-day operational activities. It's very difficult to find time to be proactive when one is constantly reacting and just trying to stay above water. Have you asked your Director what his/her needs are? Have you asked him/her what you can do to help? Have you shown him/her you understand and empathize with the difficulties of the position? Have you given him/her ideas, methods, or plans on how to address the issues? Have you looked for professionals in the community that might donate time and services to help? Are you willing to take some of the responsibility on to your shoulders? Maybe he/she does really want to address the issues, but doesn't know how. There are professional coaches whose job is to provide personal guidance and advice regarding management practices. There are professional, independent consultants who might give you specific counseling on how to approach him. Most people will not turn down help if they really feel it comes from the heart and with honorable intentions. Does he/she see you all as there to help or just asking him/her to do what might be perceived as an impossible task even if there was plenty of time and energy?
After you feel you have REALLY exhausted ALL cooperative, compassionate methods AND after you fully understand and are prepared to handle the potential negative consequences of extreme measures, then and only then, I would say, YES, do it.
