Re: OT-HUMOR: was convention fuss

In a message dated 5/4/2005 10:25:37 AM Central Daylight Time, 
ChatOWhitehall@aol.com writes:


> So, is this your official position as a candidate for the Board of 
> Directors 
> of the Tall Bearded Iris Society?
> 

Well not exactly.

I'm not much of a politician. I am serious about advancing irises and their 
popularity. TBIS board participation offers me the opportunity to pursue both. 
I do not think one individual can move much beyond a deep sense of personal 
enjoyment without successful flower organizations. Too, for me flower 
organization success is defined by how well the organization meets the needs of its 
members and retains its membership while attracting new ones. I reject the 
hypothesis that external forces (cultural changes) are responsible for the topping 
out or declines in iris organization membership and submit that the reduced 
participation is a result of failure to adapt the products/services we offer to 
the needs of the potential membership base. Likely I'm in a minority in this 
respect. Maybe I'm in a minority in many respects.

I expect TBIS to fill "needs" and directors to move the organization in 
directions that do so. I expect the degree to which TBIS aids tall bearded irises 
to be recognized as the most regal of flowers to be another measure of the 
organization's success. 

Again, I'm likely the wrong guy for the director post if it requires 
political skills to be elected. I do have a skill set that serves me well and can be 
of benefit to TBIS if I am fortunate enough to be elected. My skill set is 
grounded it business, the understanding of people from a motivational and needs 
perspective.

I expect my term as a director, provided I'm successful, will be focused on 
meeting membership needs by doing my part in taking TBIS and tall bearded 
irises to where they should be in relation to image, popularity, perception, and 
function. If we are successful as directors in doing just this, almost 
everything else will fall in place naturally and without force.

It's easy enough to point fingers in the current fiasco. We can about spread 
all ten fingers, spin full circle, and hit a person who made flawed decisions 
with each one. Irrespective of that it makes little sense to assess blame and 
more to solve problems.

Like most other people I get a good bit of off-list communication here, some 
even from beyond the net. Someone, said someone else suggested a simple 
solution that seemed pragmatic to me. Just have one group meet an hour or so earlier 
than planned and the other meet an hour or so later and the needs of all duel 
members would be met. This would probably be too simple. Still other, yet to 
be confirmed, rumors arriving suggest TBIS may opt out completely.

Who is someone and someone else? I may not be a politician but know with 
certainty were I fool enough to do so, some of those with political 
influence/authority would summarily reject solutions based on personalities rather than 
reason.

So here we sit -- retarded, held back, stymied. For we are the iris world. 
I've always been a little incensed hearing irises called the poor man's orchid. 
I've not until now fully appreciated why. He we sit the orchid organization 
with 27,000 members and irises with not over four digits. For solace though, we 
have the grandest of flowers.

I do not see being a director as a difficult task-- more as an opportunity. 
Nor will it be my first visit to a board room. I attended many as an officer in 
publicly traded company in days of yore. Some were amicable. Some were 
hostile. The objectives of those meetings was profit production and profit increase. 
They had their share of finger pointing. If successful in election, my 
objectives will be service production and membership increase. We can do better for 
the iris world. I have a pretty good understanding of fiduciary responsibility 
as it relates to a director's obligations. For me there is a difference 
between competition, "working with," "working for," "cooperation," "collaboration," 
and "strategic alliances." All of which are intertwined but still distinctly 
separate issues.

Obviously the meeting schedule issue is a passionate one for some people. 
Sometimes I forget how intense impassioned people become when they get so close, 
so involve in an effort they believe correct. I've been there often enough. 
Ultimately, I usually eventually back off, look and say, what difference does 
any of this make? And, then wind up laughin' at myself.  I spoke with Loberg 
off-list as I have done so at length in the past related to this issue. I 
explained this to her and apologized. The intent of my post was humor. It's difficult 
for me to admit but the similarity between Kitty and cat sailed over my head 
at the time of its writing. It was actually written last night as a ditto to 
John Jones administrative post. But then ole John gets bent out if you use his 
administrative tag.

As a point in passin' I may hold the record for administrative cautions from 
John. Someone a month or so back suggested to me that we hold a boxing match 
as a fund raiser at the geek dinner. We probably coulda' done it if we could 
have found an impartial referee. I was kinda' glad one couldn't be found. Don't 
think I have enough air to go more than two or three rounds. Too, we'd hafta' 
fight some more about how to split the proceeds. <laughin'>

I am not hateful. I am at worst frustrated. Mostly though, I'm happy. I do 
have a convoluted sense of humor. I like women. I like irises. I continue to 
find the two have much in common. Every single one is beautiful and every single 
one has claws. Now I've got all of 'em mad. Yep, one fine politician I do be.

I'm hoping the Big Organizer in the sky blesses rather than laughs at us.

Smiles,
Bill Burleson

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