“How will we ever decide on one?”
Let’s Do This!
This was the big question for members of the Class
of 2019 as we headed into the second month of our
Leadership Morgan Hill program. We generated 17 ideas
for our community service project, and had passionate
debates about which one had the most merit.
To address this challenge we created prioritized
project goals. Project ideas had to be aligned with these
goals. That led to our decision to provide artistic bike
racks for downtown Morgan Hill. We named our project
Rack N Roll.
Our reasoning was this: Morgan Hill is the home
of Specialized Bicycles, a stop on the Amgen Tour of
California, a City known for its on- and off -road cycling
routes and weather conducive to year-round riding.
Our class project would support a cycling-friendly city
theme while highlighting destinations in downtown with
a creative take on the common bicycle rack.
What’s Next?
We needed a project manager, and class members
Andrew Chafer and Kathrin Hardie volunteered to share
the role. We created a timeline, defi ned sub-teams, and
class members volunteered for their sub-teams of choice.
Everyone was encouraged to leverage their experience
by taking on roles as team leaders:
Class Liaison: Marie Noriega
Procurement: Nancy Acker, Laura Uden
Marketing: Anne Kappmeyer, Elizabeth Mandel, Brigid
O’Rourke, Marie Noriega
Fundraising / Business Outreach: Kim Gaxiola, Tammy
Herlihy, Janet Pocus, Idalia Young, Jennie Tucker
Permits / Approval / Budget: David Mason, Kim Gaxiola,
Idalia Young, Marie Noriega
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
We tackled assigned tasks within sub-teams and
then communicated our progress at meetings of the
larger group. We discussed and voted on issues under
debate, and sought guidance and approvals from the
Leadership Morgan Hill Board and the City of Morgan
Hill staff when needed, bringing a high level of integrity
to our project.
We created fl yers and a website (racknroll-lmh.org)
to promote the project and sponsorship and donation
opportunities. The Fundraising team approached
businesses, and team members promoted the project
on social media.
Rack N Roll was received enthusiastically by
the Morgan Hill community. Within two days of City
and LMH Board approvals, most of the bike rack
sponsorships were already secured.
As Morgan Hill Councilman John McKay wrote,
“The LMH project brings more vibrancy to the down-
town district by adding a colorful artistic fl air and
interest to the normally mundane bike racks which will
also serve to highlight our active community’s interest
in bicycling.”
Looking back, we learned a lot about leadership
and collaborating with others who have a variety of
perspectives. According to Kim Gaxiola, “A leader must
understand what each team member’s strengths are
and delegate tasks best-suited to them.”
Andrew Chafer added, “Ground rules are key.
Everyone deserves to be heard, but without a hierarchy
for decision-making or an agreed-upon set of rules to
keep the project moving, a few steps backwards can
seriously disrupt a team or project.”
Looking ahead, the Class of 2019 will continue
to pursue opportunities to serve our community and
society as a whole.
FALL/HOLIDAY 2019
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