The duck on calm water.
Many association programs run on staff heroics. From the outside, the program looks calm.
By Ion Despoiu. Originally posted on LinkedIn, .
Ever watched a duck glide across calm water? It looks effortless, but under the surface, it’s paddling hard.
Many association programs run on staff heroics. Not because they’re broken. Because when something doesn’t quite fit the system, someone steps in to make it work.
From the outside, everything runs smoothly. Deadlines met. Decisions announced. Winners celebrated.
Under the surface, staff are:
- Replacing a reviewer at the last minute.
- Cleaning up scoring inconsistencies before a board meeting.
- Manually filtering and re-sending communications.
- Reconstructing rationale after discussions.
The program looks calm. The paddling stays invisible.
I’ve had plenty of “under the water” moments myself.