Transparent Communications Philosophy

Good morning everyone,

First I would like to address this and because it is an extremely busy day here today, I will be placing inserts in red in the text to save me time and not fall behind on correspondence.

Hi Trish:

I realized that I already know you from contact with you on the web. I just can't remember specifically how or where though. You know me from White Schooner Publishing, PAM publishing, and Authors Den, plus a few other writing communities that we have both participated in.

Anyway, if you would reconsider working with us, I would welcome you as a member of our team. I know that you are highly talented and skilled when it comes to these types of projects, so please rethink your decision. We could really use someone of your high calibre.  Your letter from yesterday had nothing to do with the decision I made.  In fact, I made my decision before receiving your letter and although you have sent this request, it does not reverse my decision in any way.  Please see my notes below to Kevin.

All the Best,  Thank you for sending this!

Martha

From: Kevin Leland [mailto:klleland@gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 02, 2011 10:00 PM
To: trishmacqueen@gmail.com; Beverly Mucha; kevin leland; Martha Jette; petal mashraki; Phill Senters; Richard Wassem; Sally Collins; Stephanie Mayberry; Teal Blackwell; winterose
Subject: Fwd: Big Mistake! I am SO SORRY!

Trish,

Okay. I'm not above begging: Please reconsider! Sorry but at this stage of the game, I cannot reconsider this proposition, as there are too many issues to be worked out in your organization for me to consider tying my name to it.  This being said, I am not criticizing you or your group in any way, I am simply observing from the outsiders point of view, the comments, communication, organization, and content problems that have arisen since my involvement.  I feel that you need to better refine your position and how things will be handled. I've heard enough from you over the last few days to know that you are a class act! Thank you for this compliment, but if you understand this, you must honestly understand I am not willing to place my name on the line, at present, until I see some firm decisions made as to how things will be handled.  You are tenacious and honest, a stickler for detail who recognizes good performance, and you have a way about you that makes me think that you could promote my "no pyramid / group management" and "transparency" visions for this organization better than I can. You could do it with much more tact than I can anyway.  Your transparency vision.  Transparency I agree has its place, but I also understand that there are times when transparency can be a hindrance and not a help.  I have no problem with the theory myself, but I will take a minute to point out that in an open society where there are many people operating on equal footing, some people are not comfortable operating under this method, directly related to what happened yesterday. 

Although you urge this transparency, Martha obviously does not feel inclined to use it when it suits her needs not to (as will most others), or she would not have made the email to you personally (even though she accidentally send it to me) instead of voicing her true feelings publically. The problem with the transparency theory is it is all or nothing.  I have never found that to work simply because people who are pressured into it, although they may conform, they will never be happy with it and will continue to run behind others backs to make their point of view, which totally discredits the idea. (Martha – no offense intended)

I am a little bit different in my stance on this, as I believe if you have nothing nice to say about someone, don’t say it, and if you know you will hurt someone’s feelings when you don’t need to, then why voice it, while on the other hand, I have no qualms telling the person directly if I have a problem with them – but I tell them, not all their friends and peers, which is what will happen with your transparency theory…..that and before long, there will be so many hard feelings that the unit as a whole will no longer function as a team, due to the number of hard feelings built up between its members.

Open transparency, in my opinion, is only good if it is kept strictly geared to the work at hand and not to the people involved in it. I am not so sure your members can do that? In fact, my bet would be that the majority do not feel comfortable doing that???

I truly believe that you have the same intentions as I do, as far as making sure people get paid well, and getting the industry to cough up more money for our talents and efforts. I think you would be a "most valuable player" I don’t need to be a “most valuable player” on your team, I need to know your team can keep it together more than a few months, and to be perfectly “frank and honest”, I do not believe that will happen, as I am already seeing cracks in the mortar  on our team, and that is without even knowing what you bring to the table as far as clients and additional team members. You will find even if I do decide at some point to join your group of merry misfits (term of endearment, so don’t jump to conclusions) I will work with you to build a better place, but not offer to bring anything to the table, until I am sure as a group you can handle it without prejudice and problems.  You forget I have a well established name and I do not intend to have it dropped one notch by tying it to a group that so far has not pulled its act together.  I think you would balance me out, and help me win projects from clients that require a little more finesse than my sales style affords...Although you would be surprised that for certain clients, and certain situations, my way works better. Diversity is key!  This I have no doubt about at all.  Almost all people require different handling, depending on their personalities – something you might do well to learn – your own team is no different. 

Example:  Carol is a pain in the ass, but I have respect for her and tell her I love her.  Nice comment and although I too have found that to be true, on occasion, I am not so sure why other people in the group need to be made aware of this, or what it does to Carol’s credibility when new people to the group read this in your open communication.  I would think that it hurts the group as a whole, and will make new people not want to establish a working relationship with her because of the difficulty she is perceived to cause.  I have always found that although Carol and I have had our difficulties over the years, she also offers some intelligent choices and alternatives to solve the problems that have arisen.  (Carol, please excuse this, but I know you know this is meant to be helpful to the group, not mean or vindictive where you are concerned personally. You know I don’t believe airing dirty laundry in public is a good idea at any level).

We are still in the building stages here, and I see where you could be an important part of that as well. By your resume, it's obvious you have a ton of experience in this business, and from our conversations I can tell you have an ability to tell where things are going in this industry....nuff said.. I agree that you are building, but you are also operating in the public eye and right now from what I, personally, have seen – it needs some work.  You cannot build on the premise of bringing others in, if the ground rules are not established and that requires someone to lead, or a group to organize and set the parameters.  I don’t agree that there can be no leaders and all equals, and I defy you to show me an example where it has worked for any length of time.  Someone, a group of someone’s, has to take charge and lay the ground work and then continue to maintain it, if it is going to work.  You know the old adage…..”too many chiefs and not enough Indians” must have come from somewhere….

Pleeeeease join us! Sorry Kevin, but at the present time, I do not feel your group can live up to my expectations; therefore, I am not willing to jeopardize all that I have built, to date.  The price you are asking is too high!  Thank you and I wish your group the best with this huge undertaking. 

Sincerely, Trish