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Grassroots 2021: Bring It Home
by Andrew Petrazelli, AIA, 2021 AIAENY President-Elect Grassroots was a success for me, even in a virtual format during turbulent times. All of the lectures and events were easy to sign in to and went on seamlessly with the content flowing freely and plenty of time for Q & A sessions. One of the first events I attended was “Developing a Partnership Between Boards of Directors & Component Staff” presented by Bob Harris, CAE and Jana Itzen, AIA. This was quite eye opening to me—even in my third year of service at AIAENY. Of most importance were the definitions of roles, including the President and the Board versus the staff and Executive Vice President. It seems it is critical to keep the specific tasks of each role clear and to make sure correct delegation is occurring while always keeping the strategic plan in mind when making decisions. Keeping the topic of discussion and the level of details in-line with the type of meeting is crucial. Board meetings should always be the most-broad, while executive committee meetings, and finally specific committees and micro-volunteering task meetings being to most specific. Ethics should always be present and one should strive to achieve the following characteristics when in a leadership role including: accountability, transparency, integrity, innovation, diversity and be strategic in nature. It was also recommended to review the publication “The Speed of Trust” by Stephen Covey. Additionally, we discussed risk mitigation and the development and presentation of strategic plans. A strong and thoughtful plan is only the
first step, not only must it be implemented and continuously developed and annually reviewed, but it must also be advertised to the membership and tasks and milestones tracked to ensure a transparent and inclusive environment. We learned about the power of consent agendas and ways to ensure meetings stay on task and are always able to provide ample time and attention to true collaboration and innovation, not just being tied down to the agenda with procedural tasks. All of the discussions will prove helpful in the months and years ahead as we continue to strengthen the chapter. The small actions we take can help in providing accessibility and opportunities for others. What are items in your everyday tasks that could be slightly altered or shared with others in the chapter through events, town hall discussions, or committee involvement? PAGE | 3
