Vol. 34, No. 5, 8. An Insider's View.

• Author: by Sleeter C. Dover, Esq. Executive Director, Wyoming State Bar

Wyoming Bar Journal

2011.

Vol. 34, No. 5, 8.

An Insider's View

Wyoming LawyerIssue: October, 2011An Insider's Viewby Sleeter C. Dover, Esq. Executive Director, Wyoming State BarMost human endeavors proceed more smoothly and with more precision and success with careful analysis, thought and planning. So to the Wyoming State Bar. Looking back over the past four plus years as your Executive Director, 1 am struck by the quiet progress and accomplishments that have taken place over that relatively short time period. Even more noteworthy is the consistency with which that progress and success was accomplished. Still fresh in my memory is the palpable quest of your Officers and Commissioners to somehow get a more predictable and manageable management structure in place so that not only will the leadership, but the entire membership, be better able at a moments notice to find, understand, track, and predict the direction, goals and organizational strengths and weaknesses of the Bar. With this vision in mind in the late summer of 2007, we set out for the very first time to incorporate and merge the yearly Bar budget with the two-year Bar strategic plan. In essence the idea was, and remains, to allocate income to strategic goals and objectives as determined by Bar management over the next two-year period. Here is where you, the membership, come in. The bi-annual Bar Member Survey provides valuable insights, ideas and a birds-eye-view of the state of mind of the Bar as expressed by the members. From these insights, the Officers and Commissioners are able to set the bi-annual agenda for the organization by taking into consideration the generalized guidance provided. Hopefully, the organizational goals and objectives set forth by the leadership are in line with the wishes and aspirations of the membership. Of even more value is the resulting forced-choice management dynamic that keeps the organization on a clear and identifiable path towards achievement of outlined and agreed-upon objectives. Regular strategic plan review of goal achievement/failure measurements by management provides flexibility and consistency of organizational purpose. The reduction or elimination of disjointed or cross-purpose efforts by all elements of the Bar, ensures the achievement of structural improvements, efficiencies and continued future...