Page 3 - 2025 April Report

Bobby’s Page
Robert A. Krause
The staff story behind March 2025 meetings
Every team has moments when unforeseeable events collide, creating an overwhelming headwind impeding
the desired success. In the spring of 1983, our baseball team was heading into a series with a club out of Ithica, NY. It was one of the tougher teams on our schedule, and the day before our first game, the stomach flu ran through our team. The pitching staff, our shortstop, centerfielder, and the best hitter on the team, got sick. The manager posted the lineup, and in our pregame huddle, his best effort to encourage us before the game was, “I’ve got some good news for you boys today... the best team doesn’t always win - go get ‘em.”
It wasn’t the stomach flu, but the JSF staff had moments like this leading to the March 2025 meetings. Sharon had her hands full tending to family matters that we would all agree are far more important than work. Much of her heavy lifting in preparation for the meetings was done in a hospital room while tending to her husband, working late into the night and over the weekends. Mabel was in her first few weeks on staff at JSF and quickly stepped up to contribute to tasks that were new to her. Tommy was asked to cover matters that don’t fall within a CFO job description. Lisa stepped up to coordinate and cover additional responsibilities that were familiar but new to her. Added to the fury was a GPC agenda of five grant application presentations, committee charge revisions, and a new hotel to work with.
Following the meeting, I received several affirming comments from Directors and Consultants. Most of them centered around how well the meetings had gone and the evident preparation that was made. When things go well, the CEO receives a disproportionate amount of credit.
This is the first time I’ve used this article to commend the JSF staff. I meant to do it at the end of the Board meeting, but I forgot. The effort in the weeks prior to the meeting was remarkable, and I am very proud of that. That effort would have been muted had it not been supported by the extensive checklists and organizational skills of Sharon and Lisa.
The best team may not always win, but in March 2025 in Orlando, it did.
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