#773 wisdom

I have been invited to be a guest member of the board of a national association that I chaired over twenty years ago.  The guest position was created to allow the organization to bring a voice and perspective to the board that is desired, but not present through the elected members.  

When I shared this invitation with a friend of mine, her comment was "when did we become the elders?"  I had not thought about this appointment in that way, but I think "elder" (at least in my case) is a very appropriate way to describe the role.

Elder is most commonly used in church settings as a person valued for his wisdom and sought for counsel due to age and experience.  Several of the descriptions of elders ascribe teaching as part of the role: "Elders must be able to teach and to preach sound doctrine and rebuke those who are teaching error so that false teaching doesn't creep into the church."*  It sounds like a role every organization needs.

Think about how you can incorporate a guest experience or something equivalent to elders into your organization.  Are there past leaders who would be willing to share context and perspective with your current team?  Do you have long-time staff members or volunteers who could share more wisdom than they are currently doing?  What about previous donors who know what your organization was like "before"?

Take advantage of that accumulated wisdom and ask someone to share it with you.  If they're like me, they will be delighted to be in a redux role.

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

*Wikipedia Elder (Christianity) attributed to 1 Tim 5:17