Re: More On TAG/PAM/Interaction/Communication

["David Lass" <davidlass@villasunscape.com>]

It seems to me that what Mike wrote earlier is correct -- we should be
thankful for the free promo we are getting.
We are spending much too much time and energy on this, and it is unraveling
a number of very good people.
I agree with Karen that Erik should try and work it out with Dave.
David

----- Original Message -----
From: Erik Olson <erik@thekrib.com>
To: <aga-sc@thekrib.com>
Sent: Tuesday, November 21, 2000 10:52 AM
Subject: Re: More On TAG/PAM/Interaction/Communication


> This is an unsent letter to Mary which was written last night after the
> note she sent to me and you individually. I am sending it unedited to you
> guys, and at Karen's request, I will send a slightly-edited version to
> Mary if I can figure out a way to get across point #5 without her replying
> like a child, and thus having it become a self-fulfilling prophecy.  To
> tell you the truth, I have doubts that sending it in any form will
> generate anything other than more pain.
>
>   - Erik
>
> PS: Please vote yes or no on whether to contact Dave and negotiate two
> pages for PAM.  I need to give him an answer now.
>
> -----------
> Mary,
>
> 1.  I hear and understand that you are unhappy with my approach to the
> current problem.  I acknowledge that I could have presented my dialogue
> with Dave in a more constructive manner to the Management Committee.  In
> fact, I regret forwarding his messages at all, because they often only
> serve to get people riled up.  What can I say?  I thought it was the right
> thing to do last week.  I can also understand how reading things from your
> perspective, especially seeing them all as one block Friday morning you
> would interpret this as being "planned behind your back."  I am sorry for
> this.
>
> 2. Now step outside your viewpoint and try to go back and read
> the archives from Thursday from MY perspective.  I did not PLAN with Dave;
> I responded to his questions, and made a few alternative suggestions.
> For the most part, he wrote (quite out of the blue, in fact.  I did not
> write him!) and told me a bunch of things he wanted, and I told him, No,
> can't do that.  No, can't do that, and no, can't do that.  And then
> attempted to show him that Yes, there was still possibility for the
> two-page spread even without all these things he wanted, and that I'd go
> back and talk to the MC.  That's where it ended.  And that's where it
> still sits today. There is a mail message from him saying "tell me what
> you would like to run."  It is unanswered.
>
> 3. So let's consider your DEMAND that any and all future discussions with
> PAM or any other entity must be filtered through the AGA Management.  You
> say that what I did in this case was not enough, and that I should not
> have even SPOKEN to Dave without first talking to the MC.  I think this is
> an UNREASONABLE request.  We tried to do this with aspects of the
> convention, and failed miserably at even coming up with some simple
> trivial auction rules in a timely manner.  Same with whole thing about the
> taping.  If Charlene had waited for us instead of taking the initiative,
> we would have had no auction, and probably no convention.
>
> Rather, I beleive that it is perfectly HEALTHY to come up with some
> preliminary ideas, and *then* approach the Management.  What is wrong with
> having a little momentum behind an idea?  That's how we did it with the
> Showcase.  That was a fully-formed PROPOSAL by the time it hit management!
>
> If an idea is presented with absolutely no momentum, recent experience
> predicts that it is probably going to stall out.  I already KNEW that you
> and James had agreed it was OK for PAM to print things as long as TAG got
> "first dibs".  That seemed enough for me to continue talking, while
> simultaneously keeping the MC abreast of the progress.  And in fact it was
> the *dialog* with Dave, learning what he wanted to print (which
> coincidentally was what I knew he COULDN'T run because of our plans) that
> got me thinking about what MIGHT work.  What do you suppose would have
> happened if I said "Dave wants to run 2 pages of winning entries in PAM
> #4."
>
> Make no mistake, I do not want to see things happen like when Bob Cashin
> decided to run the PAM ads without even TALKING to the Management
> Committee, or when you and Neil decided to give discount memberships to
> Glaeser's club without mentioning it to anyone.  Frankly, I should have
> come down on the two of you like a ton of bricks when I learned this, but
> instead I brought up only the practical aspects of setting future policy.
>
> Contrast this with what you are doing here: you are making a demand of
> future policy as a condition to your acceptance of the current deal.
>
> 4. I have to tell Dave something.  He told me Thursday that he needed an
> answer within 5 days.  THERE IS NO PLAN.  He is waiting for us to get back
> to him and tell him if we want the two pages.  I cannot even tell him yes
> or no.  *WE* as an organization are now being rude in this manner.
>
> 5. I am at breaking point here.  I try to keep my personal feelings out of
> the issues, but every time I get another one of your e-mails, it pushes me
> one step closer to resigning.  I have spent many hours the last five days,
> talking with others or composing replies that try to address your points
> in a direct and logical manner, only to have you reply "No, that's not
> true." I try to come up with a scheme that will satisfy everyone, and you
> reject them for no discernable logical reason other than you don't like
> Dave or you don't like that I talked with him before talking with you.
> Maybe at this point I have internalized this into a personal issue.  The
> way I see it, I've done what I thought was best at the time last week, and
> you're PENALIZING me for it and holding a decision hostage.  I cannot work
> with you under these continual stresses. I will resign before I spend
> another 2 hours replying to another of your angry e-mail messages.
>
>   - Erik
>
> --
> Erik Olson
> erik at thekrib dot com
>
>
>
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