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How to Make your Chapter Grow:
HOW TO MAKE YOUR CHAPTER GROW From the Newsletter of the AOKN o/ Chicago
An association is only as good as the members who belong to it. Here are some tips which should help your Chapter grow into an even bigger and better organiz a t ’i o n . 1) Attend meetings regularly. Make it a matter of principle to do so. You can’t participate unless you are physically prrsent. He more than a “joiner” or “dues-payer.” If you think a group is worth joining. then it deserves your personal, intelligent, active and continuing support. 2 ) Keep in mind the purpose of our association. Read our bylaws once in awhile. 3 ) Live up to the duties of memhc~rship These are some marks o f a good member: a‘) She willingly fulfills the responsibilities that go along with her rights. b ) She knows that what she doe:;. 0 1 leaves undone, helps or hurts everybody. cl She realizes her limitations: hut does what is reasonably expected of her. d ) She opens her ears to listen a s well a:; her mouth to speak. el She carries out decisions promptly and intelligently. 41 Show a personal interest. Work i n an! organization can become quite cold and impersonal unless people go out of their way to inject a warm: personal not^ to pverything they do. For instance, you ran: Be cordial. 0 Blend gentleness with firmness 1%hrri yoin must take a stand. 0 Keep lines of communication open. 0 Disagree without becoming disaprwable. 0 Give assurance to those who are frustrated. 0 Respect the feelings and viewpoints of others, no matter how much yo11 may differ.
0 Listen attentively when others have the Roor. Whispering or causing distractions is discourteous, to say the least. 5) Think for yourself. It takes effort to be a thinker instead of a perennial “yes” man. It takes some initiative to study the various aspects of issues so that you can make judgments o n your own. Base your views on reason, not emotion; on principles, not personalities; and on the common good, not narrow partisanship. 6 ) Develop your ability to communicate. More than one organization has been saved from an embarrassing decision or omission by the voice of a lone individual who stood up and made his voice heard. However, be sure you know what you are talking about in the first place. Then if you want to share your good ideas, you should work hard to develop the skills of speaking to a group, presenting proposals clearly, making concise summaries. giving concrete examples, and mastering the basic principles of parliamentary procedures. Unlock your own pouers of leadership, and everyone will profit. 7 ) Promote a spirit of teamwork. Any organization can he crippled when the membership splinters into uncooperative or hostile cliqucs. But there is always hope! Even one person. through fair-mindedness and objectivity. can bridge the gap between opposing sides. No matter how diverse their backp-ouiida. ideas and personal interests, people can usually find some common ground. 8) Stir up listless members. Even though your organization is basically healthy, offer to take reluctant members to meetings. Re-
Continued on p a g e 20
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Continued froin page 17 mind them, too, that many worthwhile organizations are abandoned by default into the hands of the incompetent, the corrupt or the subversive because members are not on the job.
9) Seek the best interest of everybody. This is a double-barreled point: it means insuring that all members-and not just a handful-share in the benefits of the group and it involves taking i n t o account the interests of the public at large rather than the vested interests of the few. 10) Do your “homework” for each meeting. Lack of preparation is probably the chief sin of omission in a poorly run meeting. It leads to situations in which problems outrun solutions, resulting in confusion or hasty action. Take the time to be aware of current events as well as items and actiwities on the coming agenda. If F O U intend to talk on a particular point, consult uith other members, formulate your thoughts beforehand and come ready to +peak in a clear, brief and organized way. 11) Don’t lose your sense of humor. People who take themselves too serious]\ and others not seriously enough throw sand into the gears of any organization. By keeping your sense o f humor in the midst of iexing situations, you lighten the burden for eveiyone, including yourself.
This seven color, 24-page catalog i h trates and describes more than 900 different A.T.I. tapes and labels. Easy to select your needs. Easy to determine the price. Easy to order from. Included are A.T.I. Printed Autoclave Indicator Tapes for Operating Room and Central Service, and Printed Legend Tapes and labels for every other hospital department. A special page describes the new, time and money-saving A.T.I. Color Coding System-what it is, how it works, how it helps you. WRITE TODAY on your hospital letterhead for your free catalog and free sample tapes and labels, Attn: Dept. ORN-6.
L
ORDER FROMYOUR DEALER
,
12) Give credit where credit is due. Few persons cause more annoyance than the “credit grabbers” \$ho are first in line &lien it comes to taking a bow hut nowhere to be seen when responsibilitj must be shared. On the other hand, if you are truly concerned with the work to be done. regardless of who gets the bouquets. you will be rendering no small service to your organization. Don’t hesitate to praise a fellow member for a job well done. Your continuing effort to be balanced in evaluating the contributions of others makes organization work that much smoother.
20
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AORN Journal
An association is only as good as the members who belong to it. Here are some tips which should help your Chapter grow into an even bigger and better organiz a t ’i o n . 1) Attend meetings regularly. Make it a matter of principle to do so. You can’t participate unless you are physically prrsent. He more than a “joiner” or “dues-payer.” If you think a group is worth joining. then it deserves your personal, intelligent, active and continuing support. 2 ) Keep in mind the purpose of our association. Read our bylaws once in awhile. 3 ) Live up to the duties of memhc~rship These are some marks o f a good member: a‘) She willingly fulfills the responsibilities that go along with her rights. b ) She knows that what she doe:;. 0 1 leaves undone, helps or hurts everybody. cl She realizes her limitations: hut does what is reasonably expected of her. d ) She opens her ears to listen a s well a:; her mouth to speak. el She carries out decisions promptly and intelligently. 41 Show a personal interest. Work i n an! organization can become quite cold and impersonal unless people go out of their way to inject a warm: personal not^ to pverything they do. For instance, you ran: Be cordial. 0 Blend gentleness with firmness 1%hrri yoin must take a stand. 0 Keep lines of communication open. 0 Disagree without becoming disaprwable. 0 Give assurance to those who are frustrated. 0 Respect the feelings and viewpoints of others, no matter how much yo11 may differ.
0 Listen attentively when others have the Roor. Whispering or causing distractions is discourteous, to say the least. 5) Think for yourself. It takes effort to be a thinker instead of a perennial “yes” man. It takes some initiative to study the various aspects of issues so that you can make judgments o n your own. Base your views on reason, not emotion; on principles, not personalities; and on the common good, not narrow partisanship. 6 ) Develop your ability to communicate. More than one organization has been saved from an embarrassing decision or omission by the voice of a lone individual who stood up and made his voice heard. However, be sure you know what you are talking about in the first place. Then if you want to share your good ideas, you should work hard to develop the skills of speaking to a group, presenting proposals clearly, making concise summaries. giving concrete examples, and mastering the basic principles of parliamentary procedures. Unlock your own pouers of leadership, and everyone will profit. 7 ) Promote a spirit of teamwork. Any organization can he crippled when the membership splinters into uncooperative or hostile cliqucs. But there is always hope! Even one person. through fair-mindedness and objectivity. can bridge the gap between opposing sides. No matter how diverse their backp-ouiida. ideas and personal interests, people can usually find some common ground. 8) Stir up listless members. Even though your organization is basically healthy, offer to take reluctant members to meetings. Re-
Continued on p a g e 20
17
Continued froin page 17 mind them, too, that many worthwhile organizations are abandoned by default into the hands of the incompetent, the corrupt or the subversive because members are not on the job.
9) Seek the best interest of everybody. This is a double-barreled point: it means insuring that all members-and not just a handful-share in the benefits of the group and it involves taking i n t o account the interests of the public at large rather than the vested interests of the few. 10) Do your “homework” for each meeting. Lack of preparation is probably the chief sin of omission in a poorly run meeting. It leads to situations in which problems outrun solutions, resulting in confusion or hasty action. Take the time to be aware of current events as well as items and actiwities on the coming agenda. If F O U intend to talk on a particular point, consult uith other members, formulate your thoughts beforehand and come ready to +peak in a clear, brief and organized way. 11) Don’t lose your sense of humor. People who take themselves too serious]\ and others not seriously enough throw sand into the gears of any organization. By keeping your sense o f humor in the midst of iexing situations, you lighten the burden for eveiyone, including yourself.
This seven color, 24-page catalog i h trates and describes more than 900 different A.T.I. tapes and labels. Easy to select your needs. Easy to determine the price. Easy to order from. Included are A.T.I. Printed Autoclave Indicator Tapes for Operating Room and Central Service, and Printed Legend Tapes and labels for every other hospital department. A special page describes the new, time and money-saving A.T.I. Color Coding System-what it is, how it works, how it helps you. WRITE TODAY on your hospital letterhead for your free catalog and free sample tapes and labels, Attn: Dept. ORN-6.
L
ORDER FROMYOUR DEALER
,
12) Give credit where credit is due. Few persons cause more annoyance than the “credit grabbers” \$ho are first in line &lien it comes to taking a bow hut nowhere to be seen when responsibilitj must be shared. On the other hand, if you are truly concerned with the work to be done. regardless of who gets the bouquets. you will be rendering no small service to your organization. Don’t hesitate to praise a fellow member for a job well done. Your continuing effort to be balanced in evaluating the contributions of others makes organization work that much smoother.
20
++
AORN Journal