A and B are in the same society committee, where A is the president and B is just a junior executive committee member. A, being a third year student, is about to step down as the outgoing executive committee, thus she is trying to find more people to join the committee. As the Annual General Meeting is approaching, she looked at the poor application rate and decided to send emails out to the junior executive committee members to persuade them to take up major roles like directors, treasurer, secretary and running for presidency. Although B has already given A a month in advance notice that she will not be joining the new committee, A still sent an email to request B to stay in the committee. A has always been supportive of B and they often share same thinking in matters, thus B thought that by telling A in advance her decision to quit, A will understand her decision and not pursue it further. Hence, when B received the email from A, she hesitated. B believed that A would not have asked again if she has a choice, as such, B feels guilty if she has to reject A. Furthermore, A managed to cover and refute all of B's concerns and reasons for quitting in the email. However, B has already joined another club as an ordinary member, thus she will not be able to fully commit to the society like before.
How do you think B should respond to A's request?
Hello Jasmine!
ReplyDeleteHmm I believe many clubs face this same problem, especially in nus, whereby studies take priority over CCAs (basically over anything).
A's worries to find a suitable and capable leader for the future of the club is very real. However, although B may seem like the ideal candidate, ultimately the decision lies with her. If A tries too hard to coerce B into taking up more responsibility, she may unwittingly do more harm to the club. Leaders should be committed wholehearted to the cause (although that does sound a little idealistic, I have to admit), and not for the wrong reasons. Many times, candidates' true reason for application may be because of the prestige, or glamour, or just because it looks good in the resume. If A allows such leaders to take over her, it may cause even more tensions and conflicts over interests in the future.
Other than A and B, there is yet another party to consider: the club itself. The renewal of leadership in a club is essential to ensure its growth, and for that to happen, committed leaders are needed. If B has too many commitments and is unable to cope, she may tend to be negligent in her duties. This becomes even more likely if B is less interested in one club, as can be inferred when B joined another club later on even though she is already in the junior executive committee.
B should reflect on her priorities and what is most important to her. If she is mentally prepared and willing to make sacrifices for the club, then she should continue to run for the executive committee. If, on the other hand, she decides that she had enough responsibilities and would like to focus on other things, then she should not give in to pressure from A, but gently let A know where her priorities lie and how B feels. I'm sure A will understand and back off, because she will realize that it'll be a lose-lose situation all round if B takes up the position (and the responsibilities that come with it) if she was forced to and comes to hate it in the future.
I hope I have been of some help. Thank you, Jasmine, for sharing with us some very relevant conflicts especially to us students.