One Step Forward Two Steps Back

When I moved from Portland, Maine to North Conway two dear friends secretly had a betting pool going to see how long I would last. Both were convinced that urbanite in me would beat mountain lover into submission and I would seek refuge in Boston or Manhattan in no time.

One half of the couple gave me three months, the other a generous six. They confessed this plan over dinner about a year after the bet. This June is the fifth anniversary of the move to the mountains.

Not only did I fall in love with the place where we live over the last five years, I also became deeply fascinated by the unique socio-economic issues facing rural communities. To be clear, I am not referring to the Mount Washington Valley (where I live) when I talk about rural communities. Yes, there are places in the valley that are designated by the USDA as rural but the Mount Washington Valley is by all other accounts an anomaly in Northern New Hampshire.

Much of the work I do is focused on Coos County, the northern most county in New Hampshire. Coos has the smallest population and the largest geography of any county in the state. It is also the poorest county and arguably the most beautiful. The source of stories of groundbreaking innovation and heartbreaking economic decline the county is rich in paradox. Play around with google and you will find Coos is home to three of the remaining four Grand Hotels in New Hampshire and hundreds of small businesses fighting to keep their doors open.

I got on the phone at 8am this morning and email shortly there after, focused on the details of a Coos County based community/economic development event I am managing in early May. The event format is a-typical, the report out sessions are creative and encourage participants to stretch, in short I can't wait to bring the attendees together and bring it to life.

Along the way this morning I came across a series of stories about rural Maine which fueled my optimism that innovation, over coming the odds and moving forward toward a bright future is real for rural communities facing economic transition and challenge.

Then a press release from a Berlin, NH based company came across my desk. One of last major manufacturing entities in Berlin, a once thriving manufacturing city in Coos County, was closing the doors on its operations in the city, effective immediately. 46 people lost their jobs in Berlin today. A little hard to stomach when the region is fighting so hard to survive.

So tomorrow I am going to get up, get on the phone, fire up my email and keep working toward the future of the region.

Seeking: One Pair Ruby Slippers.

I am sitting in my office filled with the same feeling I remember from countless Christmas Eve nights in my childhood. For the last three days my morning americano has sat, untouched, on my desk, I have all the energy I can take at the moment.

In two more sleeps or one more days - whichever youthful counting method you prefer, I leave for the Red River Gorge with my good friend Katie. This is the fourth year of this spring pilgrimage, second with Katie.

A few things are true about this trip every year.

1) Climbing in 60 degree sunshine feels like magic after a long winter

2) 17 hour drives are really short on the way there

3) People from New England are always going to give you a weird head tilt and awkward grimace when you say you are going to Kentucky for vacation

I have one more major project to wrap up before I head out, final grant reviews with a fondation client and the I am free. Tonight the anticipation of sunshine, sandstone and Slade are making wish for a pair of ruby slippers.

Taking The Leap

As a child, Leap Day always made we think of two things, my dad's birthday and the Olympics.

Now that the Olympics are ever two years and my dad is perfectly happy to celebrate his birthday sometime in February or March Leap Day isn't really on my radar.

This week, however, I found myself thinking a lot about this one day, it's subtle and tremendously powerful role in our lives. Simply put Leap Day maintains the balance for the calendar year as we know it. Without Leap Day every four years our calendar would begin to slip out of balance and eventually we would find ourselves celebrating Christmas in July.

So once every four years we are given this gift of time to keep things in balance, we are offered the opportunity to take a leap -a careful, calculated leap. At the start of this week I spent my hour and half yoga practice thinking about the leaps in my life, focused on the qualities I had to summon to make them happen.

I landed on three: Courage, faith and the willingness to be uncomfortable.

At the close of practice on Monday our teacher retold the story of Hanuman's Leap, the Monkey God in Hindu mythology which reinforced the power of moving with intention, dedication and courage from where you are toward something you believe in.

Before the last hours of daylight tick away, before the clock ticks away the minutes of February 29th, 2012 and before you find yourself out of borrowed time - name your leap, summon the qualities you need support the action and start the journey.

A Little Over the Winter that Wasn't

I live in the Northeast and learned a long time ago that being grumpy about the weather is an absolute waste of time, wait 24 hours and it will change. Weather in northern New England is also great for many things.

1) Teaching preparedness.

2) Offering ample opportunities to reflect on your love for the first snowfall, a crisp bluebird fall day, a cozy rainy spring afternoon that smells of new growth or an endless summer day long enough to fit in everything you love and still leave time to watch the fireflies come out with a cold beer in hand.

3)Providing enough days perfect for play balanced with enough days to get your work done. Confession...If I lived in Boulder, Co I am not sure I go ever bring myself to go inside and work.

Now that I have affirmed all the great things about living a in northern climate with four distinct seasons - six if you count November Rain and Mud Season, I am giving myself a brief window to say...I am over the winter that wasn't.

Winter 2011 - 2012 will be remembered for unseasonably warm temperatures, almost no snowfall and plenty of wet, slushy matter to go around.

With some quality days of ice climbing behind me and a few less days then I'd like on my teles in the books, I am ready to think about trail running, road riding and rock climbing.

On Thursday (February 23rd just for the reminder) temperatures in North Conway hit the 40's and what's more impressive, that didn't really surprise anyone, including me. Embracing the warm temps, I grabbed my sneaks and microspikes and left the office at 3pm for a long run in the sun. It was glorious, I felt like I was floating along, great tunes in my headphones and spring was just around the corner.

Remember what I said about waiting 24 hours.

Friday afternoon the snowflakes began to fall, they continued through the night and six inches or so of Sierra Cement greeted me as I left for yoga on Saturday morning. I smiled through the day, appreciating winter's last hurra and then last night temperatures dipped and winds howled through till morning.

The sun is shining this morning and the winds have died down some but I can't shake the itch for spring. I looked around the house this morning and the feeling seemed mutual. This is the 11th March Guinness has patiently waited for the sun's strength to grow, the snow to melt and the fields to open up so he can once again play ball for hours without his jacket. As the sun came through our glass slider the wind gave one more howl through the trees, Guinness looked up, one eye open as if to acknowledge the longing for spring we both feel.

For now the porch is full of snow, my bike is still on a trainer in the basement and this morning rather then brave the cold I decided to bake a batch of cinnamon, almond, walnut muffins, pour myself another cup of lady gray and read the New Yorker cover to cover while Guinness follows the morning sun from spot to spot through the living room.

Cartesian Merger

This week I helped one of my clients hire their first employee. The women they hired is a perfect match for the organization and I look forward to working with her. During her interview the new hire asked several questions about the work culture within the organization, her questions came out as more of a cautious inquiry - What days and times she need to work? If there were weeks when she worked less then her contract 20 hours was that ok, could she work more hours if needed other weeks?

Much to her surprise and pleasure when she had asked her questions my face lit up, I might even have giggled. I immediately told her to relax. What is important to the culture of this organization and to me is the work gets done with excellence, in a timely manner and that the people doing it love what they do.

I have file folders full of templates for work plans, paper and digital systems for project and time management which provide the architecture for working in a more organic and individualized fashion.

This management style plays to individual strengths - some of us work better in the early morning, some of us (ME!) crash hard at 3pm and need to get out and get some exercise before returning to work, others like to work in the evening, standing up at their desk, working with music or without. Thinking about the merger of work and life rather then the separation of work and life provides flexibility, creates a more productive work environment, encourages creativity and in the end the product, whatever that may be, is better for it.

Dennis Crowley the CEO of Four-Square was interviewed on Marketplace a few days ago and I love what he had to say about going to work, it is a feeling a share and the type of work environment I help my clients create.

Crowley said, "I never think of it as going to work everyday. It's just, hey this is where I go to do the stuff I like to do."

Will You Join Our Board of Directors?

I recently finished a three year term on the board of a local nonprofit. During my tenure the organization hired its first full-time executive director, expanded its program service area and grew the board to include members new members. When it came time to consider another term I made the decision to encourage new leadership and continue my support as a volunteer.

A month after my last board meeting I received a phone call inquiring about my interest in joining another board. The inquiry reminded me of being college, of meeting the trustees of my alma mater, thinking about a board seat more like an Oscar rather than obligation, hopeful that one day the honor would be bestowed on me.

Years later, the inquiry fills my brain with probing questions, allure and prestige are the furthest things from my mind. Being a board member requires a significant commitment of time, often the commitment to make a gift, personally, or find others who will, fiduciary responsibility and the duty of care to the organization's constituents. As a board member you are a critical ambassador of the organization's mission, which means you should make sure it is something you are passionate about. Think about it - if board members of an organization aren't excited, engaged and willing to go the extra mile why would anyone else feel compelled.

Before you hear the words board member and jump to how it will look on your resume or the relationships you might build in that role, spend some time getting acquainted with some standard commitments board members are asked to make and then start asking some hard questions.

Expectations

Ask about them. It is in your best interest and the organization's to be clear about what is expected of board members. This clarity helps you understand your role and promotes a culture of accountability. Most established organizations have this documented in a clear list or narrative about what they expect from all board members. If the organization you are considering doesn't have this information, be concerned.

Board Meetings

Frequency and length of meetings vary tremendously. It is common for organizations to meet quarterly or monthly for a few hours at time but other organizations may operate with a different model. One thing is always true - you are expected to be there. Skipping out on meetings not only makes you look bad but can build resentment among other members and make it difficult to get work done. Most boards schedule meetings well in advance to ensure members can be there. Unclear about the meeting schedule, duration or frequency? - ask before you say yes.

Committees

Most organizations have board subcommittees (Ex: Finance, Development, Board Resource) and they expect each board member to serve on one or more. These committees often meet between board meetings and are responsible for tasks related to their area of expertise. How does the effect you? In short this means planning for occasional meetings in addition to board meetings and time to get committee work done. Committee commitments vary depending on the organization and within organizations depending on circumstance (Ex: The finance committee may meet more often that start and end of the fiscal year.) Before joining a board be sure to ask about committee structure, requirements and goals.

The Big "F"

You don't have to love fundraising to be a board member. You do need to understand that you will be asked to support the organization's fundraising efforts in one way or another. Many boards require that every board member make a personal contribution to the organization annually (amounts vary). Fundraising is a broad term, yes it includes asking people for money but it also includes preparing mailings, sending thank you notes, proof reading grants, researching prospects and attending events. Figure out where your comforts lie, consider stretching a bit (remember the organization can't survive without money in the coffers).

Passion for the mission

I am ending the list with this, you might argue that interest in board membership should start with passion. You are right, so I am, here's why. You can appreciate services offered by an organization, believe in their value to your community but you need to be willing to tackle everything I just wrote about and the unexpected things I didn't mention to serve on their board, that requires a commitment that exceeds appreciation, allure and the promise of a nice addition to your resume.

If you would like more specific direction on what questions to ask before agreeing to join a nonprofit board check out this great Board Source article. Serving on a nonprofit board is incredibly rewarding, it can also make you want to pull your hair out. Before you say yes, do your homework, find an organization that needs your skills and one you are passionate about supporting. Your work ahead of time will benefit you and the organization interest in your support.

Cheap Inspiration.

I turn thirty this July. The milestone doesn't phase me much but I am using it as a mid-year marker to get some things done that made there way to the bottom of the list in 2011 in favor of other urgent, necessary items and some spontaneous whims.

A few of the items on my list are investments in professional development. I never have trouble dropping money on these items or carving out time for them. There is always room in my budget for a new workshop and time in my schedule to learn from my peers.

There is a gross inequity in the way I treat the other items on my list, the personal ones and specifically the utterly self-serving and absolutely critical to my well-being ones, they always draw the short straw. But not in 2012. And here's why.

It is January and the ground is brown here in northern New Hampshire so I decided to borrow a bike trainer and get a jump on training to knock one item off the list, the Rev3 Olympic Distance Tri in the summer of 2012. When I picked up the trainer from my friend Sarah we got to talking about the event. I mentioned that I hadn't officially registered yet. No, I wasn't intimidated by the training or the .9 mile swim in the Atlantic. My hold up, spending $115 to compete in something just for the fun of it.

Sarah's smiled and said, "$115 is cheap inspiration, just do it".

She is absolutely right. When I register for a professional development workshop I sign up, carve out the time and go because I paid for it, because I'll learn something, meet a new contact and come back inspired to push myself in the office.

Being outside, pushing my physical and mental limits makes me a better person, feeds my creativity and productivity. And, I don't think I am alone. So as you look forward this year what items on your personal list will prioritize to challenge yourself, to connect a sense of adventure and accomplishment, to spark your creativity? Whatever you choose, make it count, make it epic.

“There is a certain part of all of us that lives outside of time. Perhaps we become aware of our age only at exceptional moments and most of the time we are ageless.”

And there you have it. Game On

You have registered for the 2012 Rev3 Maine

A copy of your receipt has been emailed to you.

Event Confirmation #

60592777-010512171833

Date

Sunday, August 26, 2012 @ 7:00 AM

Address

Old Orchard Beach, ME

Purchase

Alexandra (Sasha) Eisele - Olympic Rev - USAT Member