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Last updated
02 July 2000
What does a city council, a congressman, a group of high school students, local artists, law enforcement officers, farmers, and the coast guard have in common? They are all involved in the Kinetic Sculpture Race. This race as the Founder, Hobart Brown says is "Where Human Powered Vehicle Racing meets High Art, Low Comedy & Mediocre Awards."
From the beginning of this race it was dependent on teamwork. It was dependent on the inclusion of people from every conceivable segment of the population. The race evolved as a response to a complaint from city officials in Ferndale, CA. Hobart had an art gallery on the main street and his son's bicycle was often left on the sidewalk out front of the gallery. City officials said it was a hazard. So Hobart turned it into an art object and one day a U.S. Congressman who happened to be a Ferndale resident wanted a test ride. Then there was a two person "race" down main street. The other local artists decided they could build better machines and the rest is history.
As Hobart says, "You absolutely must get everyone of importance involved in your race, and you must do it early on while the excitement is high." There was a lot of divisiveness in the town in 1969 when the first race was held. But the success of the race brought people together, got them involved, and things began to change.
"..every once in a while you'll have someone come into the race who's a bit bizarre, but don't put a damper on that person because sometimes they do some pretty great stuff, and later, once they've accepted the rules, they become good friends of the race. "
".. you can get that kind of creativity when you allow others to look at the problem with you, and stay open enough yourself so that you can accept and encourage suggestions from others."
".. it should be pointed out that in these races we hold each racer responsible for what they've built and require them to follow the safety rules of the race, without exception."
"..its better to be quick on your feet and flexible enough to recognize a potential problem and do something about it before rather than after it becomes a catastrophe."
"The secret I think, when your working with a town, is to make sure that the ..leaders of the community, know that they've had the opportunity to be involved, and in any way you can, get them involved. Because it seems that if any of them get bypassed for any reason. that's when the trouble starts. So make sure that everybody who can have a say in what happens to your race gets contacted, gets invited to help, at the very least gets a personal invitation to watch the race."
These are powerful ideas for associations of all sorts. Association leaders can enhance the teamwork of their boards, their committees, and the membership at large, by developing solid groundwork, bylaws, policies, ethical statements, and achievable goals. They need to understand that sticking to the guidelines defined in these documents provides a common base, establishes clear expectations, and minimizes ambiguities. They need be open to ideas and suggestions, even from unlikely sources and to take the view that each member can add his or her own unique perspective to the association. Association leaders must understand that giving people responsibility encourages more active involvement and more commitment. Association leaders must be ready for the unexpected. They must assist the association to plan ahead, to take a pro-active view of the future, to look for potential opportunities and potential pitfalls.
The number one lesson is good communications. Associations must utilize every means possible to make sure that the entire membership, potential sponsors, external support services, and others that could benefit or support the association know what is going on. When members are kept informed they feel included and are more likely to support the efforts of the association and promote it's benefits to potential members and other people in their spheres of influence.
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