Talk:Wikimedia Foundation Executive Director Transition Team/2013/Update 9 December
Add topicThanks Jan-Bart for posting this, and thanks to the transition team for being able to make this surely-difficult decision and to have such a level of self-reflection about the team. Personally, it gives me a lot more confidence that the person who the team eventually picks will be end up being a fantastic fit for the WMF and the movement. Thanks. Mike Peel (talk) 19:57, 10 December 2013 (UTC)
- thanks, Mike. -- phoebe | talk 20:28, 10 December 2013 (UTC)
Overcautious? Give Sue a raise?
[edit]I wonder if the transition team was in any way overcautious about how they selected candidates. I understand it was a tough job and I'm not saying I could have done any better. I have no experience hiring executive directors. I also wonder this: should Sue get a raise for being so nice as to stay on? Best. Biosthmors (talk) 15:43, 15 January 2014 (UTC)
- I'm not sure many members of the team are following this talk page. E-mail might be better. --MZMcBride (talk) 04:51, 16 January 2014 (UTC)
- We are following this page (though you can also email any member of the team to get in touch) ... these are both good points :) In response to the candidates, I think we were perhaps a little overcautious in looking for certain profiles; we're expanding the search to try and find the right person. And yes, Sue is very, very nice to stay on! -- phoebe | talk 15:47, 16 January 2014 (UTC)
- Well, yes, you're following this talk page. You'd already edited here before my comment. ;-) But Biosthmors' ponderations seemed more directed at the full team (and perhaps even the Wikimedia Foundation board or Wikimedia itself). That said, I'm not sure a public discussion of Sue's salary is, er, couth. --MZMcBride (talk) 04:42, 17 January 2014 (UTC)
- I'm quite sure that it isn't. And it wouldn't be in private mail either. Alice Wiegand (talk) 14:43, 17 January 2014 (UTC)
- Well, yes, you're following this talk page. You'd already edited here before my comment. ;-) But Biosthmors' ponderations seemed more directed at the full team (and perhaps even the Wikimedia Foundation board or Wikimedia itself). That said, I'm not sure a public discussion of Sue's salary is, er, couth. --MZMcBride (talk) 04:42, 17 January 2014 (UTC)
- We are following this page (though you can also email any member of the team to get in touch) ... these are both good points :) In response to the candidates, I think we were perhaps a little overcautious in looking for certain profiles; we're expanding the search to try and find the right person. And yes, Sue is very, very nice to stay on! -- phoebe | talk 15:47, 16 January 2014 (UTC)
- @MZMcBride: I think if we can direct people to the main talk page for the transition team, that would be best... the full team is more or less following that for sure. But no, we are not going to discuss Sue's salary publicly (or privately). The point that she's nice to stay on is definitely worth acknowledging though :) -- phoebe | talk 17:00, 17 January 2014 (UTC)
Unicorn vs. Platypus
[edit]Regarding "Have we been looking for a unicorn -- somebody who doesn't exist in the real world?" - I'm reminded of Shel Silverstein's song The Unicorn - "I got - Your green alligators and long-necked geese - Some humpty backed camels and some chimpanzees. Some cats and rats and elephants, but Lord, I'm so forlorn, I just can't see no unicorns!". But I'd say you're not looking for a unicorn (you don't need what's basically a horse with a lance on its head), but a platypus (an improbable collection of qualities). You're trying to find someone who has the ability and desire to take on all the responsibility and aggravation of a top-10 website, but for almost none of the money and power which normally accompany such a position. Further, they've got to be able to maneuver in the contentious net politics where the WMF has put Wikipedia into play (with the SOPA protest), yet delicately handle a massive rank-and-file with much inherent potential for scandal (cough, Commons, cough ...). That's a tough set of requirements to meet. It may not be impossible to find someone like that - but it's definitely not going to be easy. -- Seth Finkelstein (talk) 11:26, 30 January 2014 (UTC)