Every year, soon after the Father’s Day Festival, the subject of Board Elections comes up. I don’t have the long experience with the CBA that some folks have, but in my relatively brief involvement with this fine organization, I have seen an interesting phenomenon every late summer.
By August, most of the folks who have the strongest opinions on how the CBA should be run, get a collective case of laryngitis. The folks who complain that the CBA’s Board of Directors is just a privileged clique, suddenly find the situation tolerable, at least publicly.
I have seen many, many impassioned posts to the CBA’s Message Board and I have had face-to-face conversation with folks with similarly impassioned opinions about this venerable organization. But the vast majority of these people prefer to kvetch from the sidelines. When the subject of running for the Board comes up, they find compelling reasons why they just can’t.
The subject of time comes up a lot. “I just can’t spare the time”, people say, and they’re earnest in this belief. “It’s a good for folks who are retired, but I work full time”, they say, and of course that’s no lie. But try this for one month: track your time usage, even ifyou work full time. I know without a shadow of a doubt that some of the folks who say they don’t have the time watch 10 hours of TV a week. What if you only watched 5? Would your quality of life diminish? What if you watched five hours of TV AND devoted 5 hours a week, average to the CBA? I guarantee your quality of life will actually improve.
If you don’t have strong feelings about the CBA, if just paying your membership dues is the commitment you’re comfortable with, believe me, you’re a valued member. But if you do have strong feelings about the CBA, and some heartfelt ideas to improve the organization, it’s time to step up and turn passion into action.
Is it easy? No, but it’s not as hard as you’re fearing. Will it take up time you might rather spend elsewhere? Sure it will, but not as much as you’re fearing. Will you be inconvenienced by going to 10 or 11 Board meetings. Believe it, but inconvenience is rarely fatal.
If you love bluegrass music, the CBA is important, folks. It needs the energy and guidance of good people to continue. It needs a certain a number of people to step up and dare to be directly involved in the processes that make this organization run. It needs fresh people to replace those whose health, energy or family obligations require them to cycle out of the process. I have seen some wonderful people do amazing things, and I bet NONE of them knew the difference they could make.
If you’re one of those people who have a lot to say about the how the CBA should be run, the time for talk is over. Commit to running for the Board, and if you win a seat, commit to a year of effort. If, after a year, you find you really couldn’t spend the time, or your life suffered as a result of being on the Board, then at least you gave it a try. But I know some of you will find it rewarding and enervating, like I do. You just have to take the first step. Don’t give us just words – give us your energy, your passion and your time! Stand behind your words and turn them into action. The CBA needs you!
