Slavomir Manasek

Member Association: Volt Czechia

Gender: Male

What strategy would you implement to recruit and retain highly specialised volunteers for the functional teams, for example in communications, policy, or data, over a full Board term? 

My suggestion is to adopt proactive headhunting within our organization but also, if need be, convincing external partners, aligned with our ideas and vision, to join our teams. Second approach consists in making sure that we have as diverse teams as possible reflecting different realities and experiences from all across Europe. This requires especially in smaller chapters to explain that sending their member to the European level is an investment for the future, this person will eventually come back to the national or local level with deeper knowledge or the organization, new skills and deeper connections across Volt. 

Non-executive Board members must both support and challenge the executives. Describe a situation where you would publicly back the Co-Presidents, and one where you would publicly dissent. What guides your choice?

As a collective body, we should stand to our decisions that are collectively approved. The support is obvious when the co-presidents present a new project or a new approach that might be questioned by some members, our role is to help with explaining and convincing that our decision is the most adapted one in the specific situation. I personally don't think dissent should be make public, our differences are to be voiced during our meetings before a decision is reached. However, if a hypothetical decision would represent a severe damage to the organization, that could represent an example where public dissent is to be considered.

What would you do if you believed the Board was making a decision that conflicted with Volt Europa's core values?

I always believe in the power of dialogue. It is always possible to raise our concerns during board meetings or ask to reexamine the proposal for the next meeting, giving us the time to warn other colleagues against such decision. If dialogue isn't possible, it is always possible to ask for arbitration or legal check of such decision.