Now you're Talking
I would like to share my thoughts and philosophies, brought on by 42 years of belonging to model airplane clubs. I want to tell you how to be a Prime Mover in a model airplane club and survive to tell about it.
The three groups
Model airplane clubs specifically (and all clubs generally) are made up of three groups:
- The majority: a rather apathetic group that appears to be following the leadership, but in reality are not even moving.
- The opposition: a small, vociferous group. Though loud, this group fails to impact the club because its demands are erratic and its wants inconsistent.
- The Prime Movers: a small group often called "the guys" or "the clique." The Prime Movers set the projects and direction of the club.
The club president should be well aware of the Prime Movers. They will either let him lead the club in their direction or let him fail for lack of support.
Prime Movers: role and reality
The Prime Movers are the ones with the experience to know what works and what won't. They are also the work force that makes things happen. The club president must choose between using these talents and being a hero, or ignoring them and becoming an overworked, burned-out political non-entity.
The Prime Movers elect the officers of the club. An officer outside the group may not feel this is true, but if the Prime Movers feel the inclination they can field a candidate at the last minute and the majority group will usually elect him. An officer from outside the group should realize he is either being given the opportunity to join the Prime Movers or being set up to fail, and have the majority group strip him of his political power.
As groups go, Prime Movers are not perfect. Sometimes they are arbitrary, seem misguided, and often appear self-serving, but they do what is necessary to keep the club together and functioning. They seem to have a collective sense about the distance and direction the majority will tolerate.
Now that I have drawn a picture of what a Prime Mover looks like, do you still want to be one? Of course you do. Everyone wants to be part of the "in" group, and they are it. Well then, step into Ol' Doc Al's Attitude Adjustment Chamber and let me show you how. There are attitudes that help and attitudes that hinder. They are action/reaction triggers that govern success and failure. So let's take a look at some of them:
Attitudes that help and attitudes that hinder
- Good attitude: You only get as much or as little out of the club experience as you put into it.
Bad attitude: I paid my dues.
- Good attitude: I spend 100% of my available time and money on my club activities and I believe everyone else is doing the same even if it is less than mine. I accept their effort without any concern.
Bad attitude: George isn't doing his fair share; why should I do more?
- Good attitude: I am doing what I do because it gets me a place to fly, friends to fly with, expertise on building and flying to draw on, and activities that I enjoy.
Bad attitude: I do all this work and some guy who only pays his dues gets the same benefits.
- Good attitude: The club flying field is a necessary evil. It must be maintained and kept quiet to make benefits (social interaction, lasting friendships, increased education, and expanding talent) a reality.
Bad attitude: I pay my dues to have access to a flying field. I don't need that other stuff, if it even happens.
- Good attitude: Nothing in the world that is worthwhile comes for free, even if it costs me nothing. If it's free to me, someone else paid for it.
Bad attitude: The club owes me these services and opportunities, and everyone expects me to take advantage of all I can.
These good attitudes eventually lead to the realization that what you do is rewarded by that warm little feeling of self-actualization, knowing you did well with or without others' praise.
The bad attitudes set you up for dissatisfaction, disenchantment, and a new hobby—where the cycle can be repeated.
Stress and motivation
The stress of competition on a diver is not the same as the stress of a diver on a diving board. The stress of club activities and competition flying is not the same as home- and work-related stress. One is voluntary; the other is not. One can be debilitating; the other, exhilarating. A person's attitude lets him thrive on managed stress or use stress as a self-inflicted wound. It is easy to feed, shelter, and bore a human to death, but to feed, shelter, and work or play him to death is not likely.
All these attitude adjustments do not automatically get you "in," but they set you up to do the things that will. You will discover you are sharing your time with people who need help flying, building, or working on the field. You will find that the type of event you build for and fly is not as important as the fun you had doing it and who you did it with. Instead of club offices being a drudgery, they become a satisfying challenge.
The most amazing thing that happens is that you find a way to make more and more time for your hobby and club without other important things suffering. I don't know how this works, but it does. I suspect we actually get more efficient at sorting out trivial activities and more adept at doing ongoing chores.
As these clubs and flying activities become more absorbing and important, you become less aware that a clique exists. Then you come to the realization this is true because you are it. You are "in." Prime Movers are the "doers" of the club—and you have become one of them.
You will also have learned a few tricks of the trade that make these people of the power structure loved and trusted by the majority and hated by the vociferous few.
"Forgive and forget" is a lovely trait, for your friends are not lost to misunderstandings and minor disagreements. Your enemies will gnash their teeth with frustration if you forgive and forget their criticism, because it gives an appearance of benevolence to the majority and of not taking them seriously to the vociferous few. Yes, "forgive and forget" is a very useful tool.
You also learn to listen and to feel the vibrations of change so you are at the forefront and leading rather than playing catch-up. This is how the power structure enables a president to lead without relinquishing control of the direction of the club.
After you have read this, I hope you are inspired to become a Prime Mover and enjoy your club and flying friends to your potential.
- Al Culver
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
