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Our Philosophy
Jurassic Parliament believes in strong leadership exercised with care. In our view, the first important task any leader faces is to define and understand the responsibilities of the leadership role. Many leaders fail because they don’t understand their job.
In our modern world we commonly encounter two different types of organizations.
Accountability hierarchy
An accountability hierarchy has a pyramid-type structure. The person at the top is responsible for the work of the people underneath her. She hires them, directs their activities, and fires them if they don’t perform. Businesses and the military are both good examples of this type of organization.
Voluntary association
A voluntary association is very different. In this type of organization, a group of people come together to achieve a common purpose. They establish guidelines and select a leader.
The leader of a voluntary association, however, has a very different role from the boss of a company. She is a peer—she has equal standing or status with her fellow members. She is not ‘in charge’ of their activity in the same way that the head of a corporation is in charge of the employees. Nonprofit boards, membership associations, city councils, and a myriad of other voluntary bodies fall under this type of organization.
Limits on leader’s role
Understanding, accepting and embracing the limits on the role of leader of a voluntary association is critical for success. Any board chair who tells fellow board members what to do, or mayor who gives instructions to city council members, will fail. The leader of a voluntary association must achieve results with colleagues by persuasion and influence, not by issuing directives.
To learn more about our approach to leadership, read these articles.
Post your questions about our philosophy to our blog, Robert’s Rules in Real Life.
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