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Thefoliowing articles are taken from the Rural Seminars for Viral People handouts, which many WI members received at the Ontario-wide workshops. Chuck Jacobs, leadership specialist with the Rural Organizations and Services Branch, prepared the information. Realizing Member’s Potential The more people your group has working. the less each individual has to do and the stronger your group becomes. This statement may seem obvious but how do you get “more people working"? Principles of Working With Organization Members 1) People want to feel hat they are important and that they have something to contribute. 2) People carry out plans best when they have been invo ved at some stage in the planning. 3) People develop loyalty to an organization and its purposes when they are treatec like people, not machines. 4) People like to feel that they really belong to an organization. 5) People work better wnen there is a way for them to let their leaders know what they think and feel. 6) People react to dictatorial leadership with hosti ity and lose interest in the goals. 7) lnefficiency and apathy are often the results of poor human relations between members and leaders. 8) Often, workers can offer better solutions than the boss because they have better knowledge of the problems of the job. 9) Results are better when we work with people rather than dictate to them. Consider two types of organiza- tions: one where the executive is 20 always active and it seems like only a few people do all of the work, and one where most members have duties and the executive is only slightly busier than the members. The second and most desirable situation occurs only when two practices exist: 1) Leaders have responsibilities as members. (The executive must not let the members do all the work.) 2) Members have responsibilities as leaders and have a role to play in decisionâ€"making, goal setting, program planning, evaluating, etc. Once members are participating, they have a couple “rights”. If they have volunteered for a committee or a project, they have a right to know exactly what is expected of them and how much time will be involved. As most organization functions revolve around meetings, members should also have the right to attend effective, interesting meetings and be given the chance to contribute. Duties of a Good Member 1) Recognize and accept the fa participation takes time members will find the time, 2) Attend meetings regularly. absent, find out what Went 3) Contribute ideas and diSt willingly, but do not mom: speaking time. 4) Help other members contri' 5) Be aware of the organiz. goals and help to steer 1 them. 6) Take assignments of respon seriously. 7) Remain fair and butter» voicing objections openly in of the group. 8) Evaluate own work in the g- As one last point in “Rea Member’s Potential”, if a mem not participating, have they ever asked? hat t he hen on he 11y