VIEW FROM THE TREMBITA LOUNGE

by Taras Szmagala Jr.

Open letter to the UNA General Assembly

Dear members of the newly elected UNA General Assembly:

Congratulations! The delegates to the Ukrainian National Association's recent convention have entrusted you with representing their interests and conducting the association's affairs for the next four years. And, as you begin that task, I can't help but share a few thoughts with you.

Now, you may feel that I have no right to comment on the past convention - and you may be right. After all, I was a delegate, but was unable to attend. So, in one sense, I forfeited my right to speak on UNA affairs as a result. If you feel this way, and I can't say that I totally disagree with you, feel free to stop reading now. But those of you who know me also know that I really can't help but spout off when I have an opinion ... so, for what it's worth, here goes.

First, a note to those of you who were elected (actually, re-elected) to full-time positions with the UNA. It goes without saying that you have assumed significant responsibilities. I suggest, however, that these responsibilities are not, first and foremost "saving our publications," or "saving Soyuzivka," or even "saving the UNA." Rather, you have the responsibility of determining what, exactly, the UNA ought to be. Only when we know what it is we want to "save" can we actually save it.

Your job is to lead that process. Start with the fundamentals: why does the UNA exist? What's our business model? Should we retain our ethnic Ukrainian character or lose some of that ethnicity in an effort to appeal to a broader base? And if we retain our ethnicity at the expense of breadth, what role do we seek to play in the community at large? Should we minimize our reliance on branches and switch to a mostly professional sales force? Should we focus on selling life insurance first, with fraternal benefits as a secondary matter? Or should we focus on fraternal benefits in the hope that this will attract new members? And what of the type and quality of financial products the UNA offers? Are these products sufficient to achieve our membership goals?

As a practical matter, I realize you are under no immediate pressure to answer these questions. First and foremost, it does not appear that many UNA members really care. Indeed, in reading the reports of our most recent convention, I did not see many of these topics come up very often, if at all. (Sure, lots of folks made individual suggestions, but we did not have a conversation on the fundamental reason why the UNA exists or what it should do.) Further, judging from the (lack of) response I've received to my two earlier articles on the subject, there is not exactly a "buzz" within the community on the future of the UNA.

Yet, you are leaders who are dedicated to the association, and I firmly believe that you do, in fact, want to resolve these issues. To do so, you may want to consider doing what most businesses and well-run non-profit entities do: develop a comprehensive strategic plan to guide you for the next 5 to 10 years. Through the strategic planning process (which should involve the entire General Assembly, as well as interested UNA members), you can begin to address the core questions that face our organization in a planned, thoughtful and constructive way. And, at the end of the process, you'll have a road map for the future.

Will this guarantee success? No. But at least you will cut a new path and move forward in a focused manner. The alternative is to remain trapped in a 1950s business model that will only assure the continued decline of the UNA.

Now, a few words to the new advisors. Reflecting on the position of advisor, I am reminded of the comments of John Nance Garner. When asked of his impressions of the office of vice-president of the United States, he famously replied: 'it isn't worth a warm bucket of spit." Garner viewed the vice-presidency as a largely ceremonial position, carrying a nice title but lacking the ability to effect real change. His colorful description fits the position of UNA Advisor, as well.

For, while advisors are members of the General Assembly, you don't have much real power to change anything. (If you take a peek at your by-laws, you may be shocked to see how little real power the General Assembly actually has.) You can enact a budget, but you don't have much recourse if the executives don't follow it. You can pass resolutions, but you are almost powerless to ensure they are enacted. Why, you ask? Because, unlike the way most other organizations are structured, the executives don't work at the pleasure of the board. Rather, the executives are elected by a convention and we're not having another one of those until 2010.

Does that mean the position is worthless? No, it just means that too much politics and confrontation will get you nowhere. The only way you can effect change - real change - is to work with the executives in a cooperative manner. Now, I am not saying that you should not disagree with the executives when necessary. But I have seen many, many advisors try to force executives, via General Assembly votes and the like, to do things they did not want to do. And guess what? The advisors lost almost every time. Constructive engagement with management is really your only option.

During the next four years, you advisors have the opportunity to be remarkably constructive. In particular, if the executives decide to develop a strategic plan for the UNA, they will need a lot of help - and that help should ideally come from you. In your role as the representatives of UNA policyholders, you could (and should) be the voice of the organization's membership as we debate our mission, priorities and goals. When we ask "What sort of an organization do we want to be five years from now?" we look to you to moderate the debate and generate potential answers.

Keep in mind, however, that advisors have to be proactive. No one will tell you what to do, or give you assignments. It's really up to you to decide how active you want to be, and how you want to contribute to the organization. The good news is that the executives almost always welcome the help. While they may not ask for your assistance, they generally don't reject good ideas - especially if you're willing to do the work to implement those ideas.

It's popular to say at critical times in the history of an organization that it is "at a crossroads." The UNA, however, passed the crossroads many years ago, and we're not sure exactly where we are headed today. It's up to you, the newly elected members of the General Assembly, to figure out where you want to go - this must occur before you consider how to get there. Let's begin that process now.

Taras Szmagala Jr. may be reached at [email protected].

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, August 6, 2006, No. 32, Vol. LXXIV

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