Habits of Highly Successful Pools 

Schools Insurance Authority (SIA) recently sponsored a "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" workshop for SIA staff and member districts. Many of us across the state are familiar with these "7 Habits" and have incorporated these skills within our organizations. Many of these touchstone concepts, such as "Seek first to understand before being understood," are always healthy to revisit as a reminder of the importance of healthy communication. As my wife, Debra, often reminds me, "two monologues do not make a dialogue."

If we were to extrapolate from "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" and turn our attention to joint powers authorities, how would your members and staff best describe the culture within your JPA? Do your JPA's interactions and practices reflect habits to which your organization would most aspire and encourage in others?

August 5 is the date legislators are slated to return to Sacramento for the last six weeks of this year's legislative session. At least some of them do.

2013 marks the first time when the two houses have different return times from their annual summer break. The Assembly returns on August 5 and the state Senate returns on August 12.

Which leaves little time to conclude this year's business, as both houses will have less than six weeks to power towards the September 13 autumn interim recess date.

The clash between ideals and reality is seldom harsher than when we have a board member who has to be fired. The call to service on a nonprofit board is inspirational and uplifting, evoking the best of our human interest in our fellows and our idealism. Sometimes, however, people who accept that call lack the interpersonal skills or the genuine commitment that is needed to serve successfully. Sometimes, people become a negative force, paralyzing an organization and keeping it from moving forward. Sometimes, board members have to be fired.

Should you find yourself in this unhappy situation, the first thing to do is to determine what California state law permits. The laws pertaining to your particular type of joint power authority or nonprofit corporation define your possible range of action. Next step is to check your authorities-the articles of incorporation, constitution, if any, and bylaws-to see what they say. Having had some sad experience of this problem, we recommend including a procedure for removal of directors in your bylaws. Here is some sample language, which must, of course, be approved by your attorney:

With the conference this year focusing on "innovation," the perfect choice as our opening keynote speaker was Josh Linkner. Josh Linkner is the NY Times best-selling author of Disciplined Dreaming - A Proven System to Drive Breakthrough Creativity. In a world that is changing at a fast pace, innovation and creativity are extremely important. Linkner teaches and inspires us to think outside-the-box and unleash new ideas. He will show you how to unlock this in yourself and in the workplace. Through this, you can learn how to apply creative answers to bad situations and cultivate leadership and innovation. With this kind of thinking, the future has many possibilities!

Learn more about Josh Linkner at www.joshlinkner.com.

Also please note: The Embassy Suites Lake Tahoe has now become the independent, all-suite resort, the Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel at Heavenly. They will continue to offer the same exceptional service and immerse you in the Tahoe experience. Under its new management, the Lake Tahoe Resort will honor its contract with CAJPA and will have some surprises in store as they have planned a renovation on the hotel's sleeping rooms and meeting space this summer. Room reservations continue to be open at our contracted rate. Feel free to make your reservation with the information on the CAJPA website.