Someone I respect once said “It’s OK to wonder, fine to question and acceptable to not understand”. I will exercise this privilege now!
We are all here for the same reason, to protect a loved one. In this case our family of professional instructors. TBO and the NAFI Board whether we like it or not are family. It reminds me of the many years growing up next to another someone my parents insist is my brother. We are so different, but of the same blood lines. We can’t change this fact, so we might as well get use to it. If we are to move forward each member of this family must realize “THEY ARE US”. I hope the Board is reading this as they are part of the family.
In any family, all members should be able to contribute to family decisions. When all family members have a say, the family grows. When the family does not communicate as a whole, things break down and we have broken families. I have been a proud member of the NAFI family and have discovered relatives I never knew I had. I’m also aware some family members have resorted to calling each other names. I understand we all make mistakes in the heat of the moment but this is not acceptable and makes our family look like, well you know!
I’ve seen messages stating we need to do something and do it now. This was along the lines of flying along when things are going bad and not taking action. I am all in favor of taking action as long as it leads to the desired result. To react for the sake of reacting may make the problem worse or generate additional problems. We need to keep cool heads and to react appropriately.
The Board side of the family, please understand the family has a problem with the way our family in conducting business. From what I see the family has no wish to attack or disrespect its elders, they just want to have a voice that is heard by the elders. I am highly concerned when I see others request how the board will address our concerns and see only a few grey responses. I have emailed requests for clarification on the Master Instructor Program directly to NAFI and have not received a response in over a week. I am due for renewal and wish to know where two years of documentation will end up. If things are to improve, the board needs to start communicating.
The TBO side of the family, TBO should expect a reasonable time period for the board address our issues. I do also agree the sooner the better. I also hope that Plan A will win out, NAFI and TBO will emerge a single stronger organization. One of the hardest things to accomplish is to organize people into groups that can work on improving our organization. If plan A works, NAFI with open minds will have this structure already available from TBO NAFI.
One final word of wisdom I have received, “Learn to Listen Again”. We all could benefit with open ears and minds.
