Get people to tell you what is bothering them before they tell you.
I may have mentioned this before, but I am treasurer for the Geyser Observation and Study Association, a group of geyser enthusiasts who share a fascination with… well… geysers. The group does a lot of work around watching, researching, and writing about the geysers of Yellowstone National Park, as well as other geyser fields throughout the world. It is a community of fans, citizen scientists, and actual scientists.
(If you are interested, you can go to GOSA.org and get a taste for what the group is doing. Really interested? Drop me a line and I’ll send you a free copy of our newsletter, The Geyser Gazer Sput. And, no, I’m not making this up.)
Recently, the board of directors received a letter from one of our members — a long-standing member who was instrumental in the success of the group. It was a multi-paragraphed tirade laying out everything he thought had gone wrong since his personal involvement. Our president got together with the board, determined where we all stood on the matter, and put together what I thought was a well-reasoned response. Of course, the long-time member responded, and with such actions does a war of words begin.