The Contradiction

By July, the central contradiction of the role was impossible to ignore.

I had been recruited to change things.

Change was creating resistance.

That does not mean every person who disagreed with me was resistant to progress.

Sometimes people disagreed because I was wrong.

Sometimes because I moved too quickly.

Sometimes because I had not explained the reason well enough.

Sometimes because different people had different legitimate priorities.

But there was also a structural issue I kept returning to.

Did the Association actually accept what appointing a CEO meant?

The onboarding framework created a clear distinction between Board, CEO and General Manager.

The CEO was strategic and accountable to the Board.

The GM owned day-to-day operations.

The Board Sponsor was there to provide clarity and support.

The reality felt less settled.

I documented concerns about hierarchy, role clarity and staff acceptance of the new structure.

I sought clearer boundaries and stronger Board support.

I was also physically separated in an office arrangement that, from my perspective, made everyday staff interaction harder rather than easier.

Small things compound.

An unclear reporting line.

A conversation held without the person who thinks they own the issue.

Feedback travelling around rather than directly.

A decision questioned after it is made.

A Board member stepping into operations.

A CEO stepping too far into operations because the boundaries are not functioning.

None of these necessarily breaks an organisation.

Together they can make leadership almost impossible.