TCAN -- a House Divided:
For those of you that don't know, TCAN was a vision for a community arts center in Natick which would serve MetroWest residents and beyond. It was the vision of one Michael Moran who single-handedly transformed this idea into a reality: he assembled a volunteer base, a performer base, an exhibitor base, and a respectably large fan base. He opened a storefront on Main Street in Natick to house and nurture the birth and growth of the TCAN concept. He secured an obsolete firestation on Summer Street in Natick, and painstakingly transformed it into a performing and graphic arts center that the community can be proud of. TCAN is nonprofit, and is operated by Michael's volunteers … that is, it was up until mid-Marrch of this year when their board of directors decided to decapitate the creation they were charged to protect by firing its driving force, i.e., Michael Moran, TCAN's executive director.
We now have a house divided. At last reading, there is TCAN and TCANITES … the former being TCAN's board of directors and the brickks and mortar of the firehouse; the latter being Michael Moran (TCAN's founder) and a staunch, loyal cadre of volunteers, performers, and supporters. Well, folks, the spirit of TCAN still lives, but TCAN, as an entity at the firehouse, is faltering, and that is a shame. The fact is that the TCANITES have the support and following of people, while TCAN's board of directors merely have a physical facility and, of course, money.
What the board of directors must do is recognize the value of esprit de corps: the common spirit existing in the members of a group and inspiring enthusiasm, devotion, and strong regard for the preservation of (and loyalty to) the group. Michael Moran is the root source of TCAN's esprit de corps! TCAN needs him back, pure and simple. Then again, the board can always try to rebuild TCAN from the ground up: new volunteers, new performers, etc., but (and this is a huge BUT) the character of the place will dramatically change, and it will take no small amount of time.
Since the board of directors is at odds with Michael's management style, not his integrity, they'd best realize darn quick that without him they'll soon have very little to direct! No team fires a winning coach.
Phil Blake (April 12, 2004)
Framingham, Massachusetts