lame duck?

Returning to Greenlights after 2-weeks in Russia turned out to be more unusual than I had anticipated. True, there's always a reshuffling when the ED is out of town. Like any family, different people emerge as leaders, intergroup squabbles are settled in different ways, and there's lots of pride that comes out as the group solves probolems, experiences success and sees progress, without the leader around. So when I came back to the office I heard kudos of all kinds from staff and board about fellow staff and board.

But I also heard a new tone. People weren't holding problems for me to solve on my return. They were addressing things as issues came up. And once back in the saddle, people weren't coming to me for help, advice, or feedback as much as before.

I think this is a reflection of our distancing from one another. I won't be around in the same way next year, and staff are feeling the need to do things their own way and establish patterns that don't rely on me. Little things - like the editorial focus for our monthly newsletters, the plans for next year's programs, and budget priorities - are now being worked through without me being invited to either participate or comment. Not that this is a bad thing....

But it does feel a bit odd. And the other odd thing about these new patterns of shared leadership is that I am not sure when I can or should pull rank and say, "we need to keep doing things my way", when staff are beginning to do things in a different way. I am known for exacting standards - and Greenlights' reputation is for quality. Are these changes maintaining high enough standards, or not?