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Reply:
The
Chief Staff and Chief Elected Officer Partnership
By Henry L. Ernstthal, CAE, Ernstthal and Associates,
Washington
Susan, you almost got it right. The CSE/CEO relationship
should be based on mutual respect and clear well-understood
individual roles and responsibilities. But by urging friendship
you have crossed over the reasonableness line.
Neither the Chief Elected Officer not any member of the
Board should be thought of as your friend. They have conflicting
interests. If you are not serving the association well,
they will fire you, and so they should. Their friendship
with you just complicates things for them and for the
needs of the institution to which they have a serious
fiduciary responsibility.
Equally problematic is the impact it has on the CSE as
he or she makes his or her own decisions. You and I have
no doubt known execs who have let their affection and
commitment to the association blur their judgment and
keep them from either confronting problems or individuals
or avoid seeking career opportunities and then be badly
treated by their leadership.
THE ASSOCIATION’S LEADERSHIP ARE NOT YOUR FRIENDS.
THEY ARE YOUR EMPLOYERS.
Does that mean you should not be friendly with them? Of
course not. Knowing their background, family, hobbies,
likes and dislikes, how they manage people at their place
of work, it helps you to understand the individual and
manage the relationship for your joint and mutual benefit.
So, sure, be friendly. But don’t get so emotionally invested
that it clouds your judgment. And don’t start thinking
that friendship will protect your job when push comes
to shove.
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