Wednesday, August 26, 2009

ISA needs a new chairman that has the confidence of everyone


Not all is well at the International Stuttering Association. Suzanna's no-holds-barred interview brought into daylight the tensions within the ISA board which have been simmering for months. Benny, the current chair and among those heavily criticized by Suzanna, wrote in his editorial to the June edition of One Voice: "The ISA Chair, just as a self-help group leader, needs to also confront "troublemakers" on occasion. For example there are board members who have been sending an excessive number of emails to the group – that is, they are being too “noisy”..." Did Benny have Suzanna in mind? The situation seems to have reversed now: the troublemaker is confronting the ISA chair. No sharing of information. No fund raising. Resignations of two board members. No access to forum. Personal insults. No reply to emails. And to the shock of all in front of everyone. But she is also critical of Thomas for not being active enough, in Benny's world surely not a trouble maker for he was not too noisy.

It is easy to imagine that Thomas is the perfect board member. Reading Benny's editorial raises the frightful thought that his definition of troublemaker is someone who creates trouble to him and maybe who helds a different opinion. There is no doubt that washing dirty lingerie in public is considered bad style by many. When is whistle blowing effective? A never ending debate. At least, we have a public debate now. Certainly, email comments from insiders to TheStutteringBrain reinforce this view. In their eyes, Suzanna is guilty of disturbing the all-is-well and we-are-a-family attitude for a personal vendetta. Others point to her not-so-perfect own performances. Surely she has disqualified herself from a higher office as they say in politics. But so does Benny who is in higher office. Can we have a chairman who publicly states that there are trouble makers on the board that he leads? No, Benny, you cannot lead an organization as a self-help group. ISA is an umbrella association where each association's representative must have a voice, and the trouble they are creating is often just the expression of a different agenda. It is the chair's responsibility to bring all the board members on board and find a consensus.

But the most devastating and serious critique comes from the British Stammering Association. More specifically from BSA CEO Norbert Liekfeldt, a German famous for his word mincing: "Keith stressed his view that ISA is potentially a worthwhile organisation - however, under current circumstances he felt he could achieve more outside ISA than within its structures. We wrote formally to the ISA Board and Chair to express our concern and stated that, for the moment, we would not wish BSA deleted as a member organisation from the ISA website. However, we were keeping this under review." So here we have one of, if not the, most professionally run national stuttering association, active for many years with full-time staff and recipient of the IFA consumer award 2009, effectively saying that ISA is run badly, that their representative has given up on ISA as it is now and that the only thing that prevents them from leaving is that ISA is potentially a good idea! Can it get any worse? Yes, as long as people criticize each other, they care as Suzanna does. But the BSA, and I can only confirm this view as an ex-BSA trustee, cares little. The prevailing view is and has been that ISA is largely run by a few enthusiasts who have little management experience, mostly care about their own agenda, love giving talks about themselves and travelling around the world. But let's pay the dues anyway; ISA is potentially a good idea... ISA is an umbrella association, and therefore ISA must care for its associations first. And ISA must care for the big and professionally run associations, for only they can provide a stable and continuous support to build up new national associations and thereby helping people who stutter.

There is only one solution to the current dilemma. ISA needs a new start: a new chair that has the confidence of everyone and the ability to make the big associations care for ISA and get them involved in their umbrella association. Benny needs to go, Suzanna has spoken enough in public, and Thomas has been there for far too long to be still motivated. Now it is time for the national associations to show that they care deeply about all people who stutter worldwide, and do what they have to do, for it is their organisation!

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

How about Michael Sugarman....who else is more qualified as a temporary solution?

The NSA turned to Michael Sugarman in the early 1990's when the executive director of the NSA walked out and started FRIENDS to compete with the NSA.....

Time to draft Sugarman. Who else?

Honest Reporter said...

Tom, why don't you focus on reporting/serious blogging about the upcoming BSA conference?

Mark Onslow will be there, will you two have tea?

What will you be presenting, give us a preview. Will you talk to Onslow.......

Anonymous said...

Onslow is a crackpot. Give him a crackpot award.

Anonymous said...

why is Onslow a crackpot? Isn't he a respected stuttering researcher in Australia?

Tom Weidig said...

Hi,

The national associations need to sort this mess out. I do not know Michael Sugarman well, so I cannot judge his management skills, but I never heard anything bad about him.

Someone said that Dave and Suzanna are friends and that's the reason of the interview. Even if that might be so, she still has only voiced her side of the story. But as I wrote the more devastating critique comes from the BSA's statements which complements this version of events, and so does clumsy Benny's editorial.

Best wishes,
Tom

Tom Weidig said...

I will talk about the BSA conference. I will give two talks.

Norbert @ BSA said...

and you can all hear Tom live - last minute booking still just about available!
www.stammering.org/conf.html

Anonymous said...

how often are the BSA conferences? every year or every two years? Who are the keynote speakers....Tom Weidig is not a stuttering researcher, only a stutterer, maybe a smart stutterer, but so what.

Two talks???

Norbert @ BSA said...

Conferences are every two year and as they tend to have a very strong self-help element, there are no 'key note' speakers as such. You can find a detailed programme on the website above.

Anonymous said...

Thx!

Anonymous said...

I say bring back Mark Irwin. I think he did an excellent job as chair. The fact of the matter is that the management of the ISA needs to be people who are good communicators at all levels both written and spoken in English, a clear vision, the resources to travel to international meetings, the time to write detailed and complicated email exchanges, the ability to garner support from top end consumers and professionals, and finally a diplomatic demeanour. The only people who have shown interest in the role who I believe would meet that criterion would be Mark Irwin, John Steggles or Michael Sugarman as far a I know. Sugarman is probably not interested but Steggles and Irwin probably may be and would make a good team. There may be others but the chairmanship is too important to not be given the same personal specifications as the CEO of any organisation. Maybe it is time you Tom and also Dave Rowley threw your hat into the ring if ever anything is ever done about the current situation.You would both make a great Chairman. Just remember it is a bit of a thankless volunatary role.

Steve B

Anonymous said...

All of the world wide professional and self help Stuttering Organizations should be turned over to Jane Fraser and the SFA. She and her crack professionals are the least biased and most respected in the world.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous, Steve B,

Have you noticed that all people you suggested were all native English speakers? Don't you see that what you are saying is the same as if the world would ask everyone to speak fluently ot to shut up? You are discriminating all of us, not native English speakers. This is against everything that the ISA and the whole civilized world stands for.
I am sure you could understand what I wanted to say although I am not a native English speaker.

Anonymous said...

hey anonymous, Steve B. maybe you can volunteer to run the ISA better. I can understand you perfectly!!!!!!!!!!!!

The ISA stands for International Stuttering Association. The more democratic the organization is, the better. No corruption allowed!!!!!!!!!!

The SFA is run by the Quenn, Jane Fraser. Not sure if good queen or bad queen. Hopefully, she is a good queen.

BTW, which non-native English speaker do you suggest??? Any possibilities?

Dave Rowley said...

Hi Steve, thanks for the vote of confidence, but I'm not eligible to join ISA (I'm not a PWS). Hope the situation gets resolved soon though. PWS need and active, strong ISA.