360 review for Scouters

[infoscouter]

The BSA already has a couple tools you might want to investigate.

 

"How Do I Rate as an Effective Leader"

http://www.scouting.org/filestore/CubScoutMeetingGuide/PDF/Appendix/511-805.pdf

 

Boy Scout Leader Assesment Tool

http://old.scouting.org/boyscouts/training/start.jsp

[SSScout]

Among the Quakers, we call these "queries". Go to any Yearly Meeting website and search "queries".

 

Sing "Scout Vespers" to yourself...

 

Say to your self... Have I been Trustworthy? and pause for the answer to come. Repeat thru the Scout Law...

 

As to Scout bureaucracy, and being the best SM, CC, ASM, etc. you can be, yeah, "feedback is a gift", but be willing to accept the answers you get without defensiveness. Just accept the answers. Don't try to "explain", just accept the answers others may give you. Compliments are nice, but knowing who feels slighted can be good too.

 

 

 

 

[JFL49]

pbiner - as part of the Wood Badge course presentation, there is a handout of a sample 360 Degree Assessment Survey. I'd recommend asking your Troop Guide or Course Director for a copy of the handout if you weren't given it during the course (weekend 2 - day 5).

 

Good luck - hope this helps.

[CalicoPenn]

First, welcome to the forums.

 

Second, in defense of Narraticong, his gripe was clearly aimed at the concept of a 360 review in Scouting and was not a personal swipe at our new poster.

 

Third, I agree with Narraticong - Green Bar Bill must be rolling in his grave, along with Baden Powell, Daniel Seton, and every Scoutmaster and Scout Leader of the first 80 years of Scouting that has departed this planet we call earth. The last 20 years? A 360 review would have fit in there at any time.

 

I'm not a big fan of using the latest and greatest corporate evaluation tools in a non-profit setting, and especially as an individual evaluation. Does anyone really care about ISO 9000 (or 9001 or 12001) or Six Sigma anymore? If a vendor came in to my office touting that his company was ISO 9001, I'd laugh him out of my office - I don't care what certification the company's office processes has, I care about the quality and usefulness of the equipment they make. How the company files it's paperwork doesn't matter to me.

 

We had a well-meaning board member suggest a 360 review process for individual reviews - what am I supposed to do, ask a suicidal 16 year old how I'm doing? Thankfully, that didn't get far. Everytime I hear about the 360 review, I get an image in my head of former New York City Mayor Ed Koch popping into a diner asking "How am I doing".

 

That said, I wouldn't be opposed to this kind of evaluation being done at a unit level, district level and council level. A Troop or Pack should ask their Chartered Organization, the Scouts and the parents the type of questions that evaluate how the unit is being perceived so it can adjust as needed, on a regular basis - at least annually. Scouts and their parents may give feedback all the time, but doing an annual formal evaluation allows for consolidation. Put together, you might discover that Scout Bill, Scout Jim, Scout Tom, Scout Wes all have the same issues, all expressed those issues individually before, but only by seeing them together do you realize that you, or you and other leaders, have heard the same thing expressed by different Scouts at different times - it's much easier to dismiss one "complaint", it's a lot harder to dismiss 4 "complaints" about the same thing.

 

I'd even survey the Chartered Organization 2 times a year - very informally - the "how are we doing" question put to the Institutional Head and the Chartered Organization Rep may be all you need to start a good conversation. Too many times, units go about their business without checking in with the CO from time to time, and too many CO's just let little gripes build up until one day the inevitable explosion occurs which damages any relationship, often permanently. How many times have we heard of units being kicked out of meeting places, of their own sponsoring institutions, because the sponsor didn't like how the chairs were set up after the Scouts left for the night, without the sponsor ever saying anything to anyone until that final blow-up? You might discover that the CO thinks everything is ok, but it sure would be nice if the Unit would help out with a little service project work every once in a while.

 

As for doing a 360 just for yourself, I'd not sure I'd formalize it as an individual review. Frankly, doing a full 360 as an individual is just corporatism run amuck. You'll have much better results in informal, individual conversations. Around a campfire with your fellow leaders during the day when the Scouts are doing their activities - and be cautious when asking the Scouts - I don't believe it's constructive most times to ask the Scouts how you're doing - you may look at it as a measurement of personal growth, but Scouts likely won't see it that way - they haven't reached that maturity or experience level yet - they're far more likely to see it as an expression of self-doubt - a weakness to be exploited. If you feel the need to ask Scouts, limit it to the older Scouts - and by older, I suggest 16 and up - those who are starting to deal with evaluations by others on a more personal level - the ones asking for and getting feedback at work, at after school activities - who have learned that these evaluations are actually a tool for growth. Give a 14 year old a bad grade and they think of the immediate consequences - being in trouble at home. Give a 16 year old that same bad grade, and he's wondering how to mitigate it so it doesn't screw up college plans.(This message has been edited by CalicoPenn)

[pbiner]

Thanks for all the replies, food for thought.

 

infoscouter - Thanks, that is exactly the sort of thing I was looking for!

 

JFL49 - Got it at Wood Badge, just wanted more and different question ideas.

 

CalicoPenn - Very good points. I think a Pack evaluation is something I am going to put up to the Pack Planning Committee. For my 360 review, it would not involve the Scouts (Cubs in my case), but the Scouters and parent volunteers that I work with to keep the Pack running smoothly, especially after a leadership change this year.

 

Thanks again for your replies, I do value the feedback; good, bad or indifferent.

[ctbailey]

pbiner:

 

I wonder if you might expand upon your thought of using a 360 review as a ticket item. Although it may give you good feedback as to how you are doing, but shouldn't the ticket be set up to ultimately provide service to the unit(s) you serve?

 

In other words... sure - the 360 is a good tool, but like a hammer is a tool to build a house, a 360 is just one of the tools we have all acquired through participating in WB21.

 

What is the goal here? Might it possibly be to utilize some of the feedback provided to improve a certain process or function you provide to your unit?

 

To simply "do a 360 review" accomplishes nothing unless action is taken according to the feedback provided.

 

Craig Bailey

[pbiner]

Hi Craig,

 

I couldn't agree more. Right now I am very involved in my unit and at the district level. I actually wrote up 9 ticket goals, there is so much to do. Trying to get parents to volunteer and run the pack is very important. I am the Camp Director at a Day Camp this year and I can't use THAT as a ticket goal because I started working on it before Wood Badge.

 

They want you to pick a personal goal, along with the other goals, one also being something to do with diversity. I picked the 360 review as my personal goal, it just seemed like a good way to get feedback on how I have been doing and of course, how I can improve. Asking for feedback and/or advice and not taking it into consideration would be a waste of everyone's time. I value my time too much to waste others.

 

Thanks for your reply,

PB

[moosetracker]

They keep tinkering with the ticket set up don't they?

 

When my husband went through he could do anything, including a ticket item to help with district training though not working at district level.

 

When I went through I had the diversity, and had to work at the level I was currently at.

 

When my son went through they had added the Umbrella that everything had to arrange their tickets under a common word that defined them all.

 

New now is the ticket as a personal goal.

 

I also don't remember anything about a 360 review (not as a ticket of course, but as taught as part of the course) But, my memory on that could be hazy.

[AvidSM]

To a person with a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.