GMO Conflict Management for GMOs Dressage enthusiasts have strong opinions. Here’s what to do when those opinions differ. By Penny Hawes
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n any group, occasional conflict is not unusual. When the members of the group are passionate dressage enthusiasts, the stage is set for a potentially contentious situation. Fortunately, serious disputes among board members of USDF group-member organizations (GMOs) are not all that common, but they can and do arise. We asked GMO presidents and board members, as well as an organizational and leadership consultant, to share their advice on handling and defusing conflict.
ruffled feathers (“a very good person but very, very sensitive”), a touch of social awkwardness (“people with their hearts in the right place but lacking the necessary people skills”), or a “strong personality” that can steamroll others’ opinions, that one person can be a bit of a challenge to manage—although our sources say the extra effort is often worth it. (“It’s easy to sit down with her and discuss why we’re seeing things differently than she is, and have amicable, reasonable, adult conversations and come to agreements.”)
didn’t say a word, and we’ve never seen her at a meeting since.” South Florida Dressage Association (SFDA) president Barbara Harty recalls the time that a member who attended an open meeting “disagreed with a decision made by the events chairperson. She was verbally abusive during the meeting. We called an emergency board meeting the next night. We agreed to tell that person that the rude behavior is unacceptable. She dropped off, but so did the events chair, saying, ‘I don’t need this!’—but that’s the only serious case over fifteen years.” One GMO president who asked not to be identified recounts the tale of a fill-in board member who made “some rather nasty social-media posts. She was taken aside quietly and asked to leave, at which point she turned around and sued the club.”
NOT IN HARMONY: When conflicts arise, GMO leaders need to know how to handle them
That One Person… Most GMO officials describe their boards as cohesive—consisting of likeminded folks who get along well and who serve their organizations relatively peacefully and effectively. That is, except for “that one person,” as several sources put it. Some GMO boards, we’re told, contain one member who requires special handling. Whether it’s easily
There are, however, a few war stories. A guest at a Rocky Mountain Dressage Society (RMDS) board meeting once behaved badly enough that the GMO “sent them a letter and said if they came to another board meeting and acted that way, we would escort them out,” says longtime RMDS member and office manager Beth Geier. “We have a member who’s a police officer, and he came out to the next meeting. The person
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Some GMO boards have found that written policies are effective buffers against potential conflict. “People used to joke that I’m the policy wonk,” laughs New England Dressage Association (NEDA) president Iris Berdrow. “I wrote policy for everything, because if you’ve got a policy and it’s written down and you [receive] a question, all you have to do is pull out the file and say, ‘But here’s what we agreed to.’” That paper trail, Berdrow says, aids in quashing conflict because the board can point to the policy and say, “No, we said this is what we’re going to do.” To the challenger, the board can respond: “‘If you want to reassess the policy, put forward a motion, but this is what we said we were going to do.’ You’ve got to have a guidebook.” “It’s really important to have
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Policies Are Your Friend
