Committee Chairs, Bobwhite Blather, Page 7

November 4, 2013

Can Cubs go ziplining, and other questions

Over the last couple weeks I’ve received questions on various issues from readers. Since they’re probably subjects that others may have questions about, I’ll discuss them here. (And as Joe Friday would say, the names have been changed to protect the innocent.)

Can Cub Scouts go ziplining?

A local nature center is sponsoring a Cub Scout activity day. They’ll be running nature activities for Wolf and Bear advancement as well as some of the Webelos activity badges. Our pack is going to sign up. They’re also offering an opportunity, for an additional fee, for the boys to go on the zipline. Is it OK for them to go on the zipline, and what’s involved in getting the parents’ OK? Continue reading “Can Cubs go ziplining, and other questions”

October 28, 2013

Committee chair timeline: November

While the Scouting calendar just keeps going, the end of the calendar year is almost upon us. This means there are some important housekeeping items to take care of before the clock strikes twelve. Continue reading “Committee chair timeline: November”

September 30, 2013

Committee chair timeline: October

October’s here. Across the great deciduous forests of the north, the leaves are changing and crisp camping weather is here. Sunsets are earlier too, leaving less time to set up camp in daylight and more things for committee chairs to think about as the month progresses.

The big one that comes around this time of the year for most units is charter renewal. Continue reading “Committee chair timeline: October”

September 23, 2013

Your “open door” policy

Committee chairs have a lot of people who either report to them or who they serve in one way or another. The Scoutmaster or Cubmaster, the various coordinators on the committee, the chartered organization representative and the unit commissioner all require open channels of communication with the committee chair in order for everything to work smoothly. This includes parents of Scouts as well.

You should therefore strive to be accessible and available to listen to, learn from, and offer assistance to pretty much everyone who has anything to do with your troop or pack.

But how can you do this? Continue reading “Your “open door” policy”

September 16, 2013

Micromanaging: a bad idea

We’ve all been there, I’m sure. We’ve worked for, or with, someone who quite figuratively can’t see the forest for the trees. Someone who fusses over every small detail of a project, process or workplace and who directs even the most minute function, whether it’s something he or she knows about or not.

Micromanaging, as it’s come to be known, is the bane of corporate existence. Articles and entire books have been written about the phenomenon and what to do about it. It has even spawned a wildly popular comic strip,Â Dilbert, in which a typical engineer is tormented daily by his boss with inane orders, processes and obstacles to getting any work done.

Unfortunately, Scouting isn’t exempt from the micromanagers. Continue reading “Micromanaging: a bad idea”