Rules of Engagement (Final)

Post date: Feb 03, 2016 2:22:28 PM

From: Chris Riemer [mailto:jcr@knowledgestreet.com]

Sent: Wednesday, February 03, 2016 9:19 AM

To: 'FP Board'

Subject: Suggested Rules of Engagement

Greetings, all -

As discussed last night, these are the suggested Rules of Engagement. And since I presented them to a largely empty room, I'll also recap what I said.

This document is the final work product produced by last year’s Venue Chair Autonomy Committee (VCAC). Last summer, the board had gotten very polarized on a number of issues, one of which had to do with how we balanced venue autonomy and board oversight. Where should this line be and what do we do when either side feels it’s being crossed? So in August, Barrett put together a committee that included himself, Elizabeth, Mike Agranoff, Jay and me. We met twice and discussed the matter via email.

And we came to realize that the issue wasn’t procedural, it was interpersonal. That is, it wasn’t a matter of what we were doing or not doing, but of how we were doing it. So we put together some suggested “rules of engagement,” which you can see in the attachment. Understanding that this is just a more elaborate way of saying “play nice,” we still felt they couldn’t hurt. So this memo will formally close out the work of the VCAC, an ad hoc committee that is now dissolved.

Regards,

Chris

Chris Riemer

Treasurer

The Folk Project

www.folkproject.org