A little advice here....

[Hal_Crawford]

Docrwm:

Thanks for the tip.

 

Actually, I just got an e-mail that he has been approved and has a number so that problem is solved. Still no DE for the foreseeable future and that is a bigger problem.

 

Hal

[broken]

As a former pro....

 

Grow a thick skin... some volunteers will throw you under the bus to your supervisors, even if its not deserved. A good field director/district director will know that 99% is BS.

 

get ready for some long nights, in the fall you will be out of the house almost every night doing recruitment nights.

 

be patient with your volunteers, often what is your priority is never theirs, it will stink having your goals directly dependent on volunteer performance.

 

Make sure to make time for yourself, if you have a night meeting, take time off in the morning to do what ever you need to do for yourself. Be careful because in Scouting there is ALWAYS something going on that you could be at.

 

Learn to turn your phone off on the weekends (unless there is a scouting event you are responsible for) You will have volunteers call you at 7am or 11pm. It will happen, remember, just because they call you at those ungodly hours doesnt mean you have to pick up the phone. Just be sure to call them back in a timely manner.

 

Try not to get caught up in unit politics, Ex - a pack tried to bring me in because they caught a dad buying his kids pinewood derby car off ebay. I respectfully declined, what good would my presence done? I let a commisioner handle that one. Pick your battles.

 

You will hear from volunteers that all professionals care about are #s or money. Which is true, without the $ the BSA cant run a program, many volunteers incorrectly assume that local councils recieve funds from National, they dont. Nor do they get huge sums from United Ways. Unfortunatly $ is what keeps camps open and operating, its what enables councils/districts to put on camporees, scout shows, etc. We recruit volunteers to run the program side of things.

 

You will also hear some volunteers complain about "council" and its policies, thats when you remind them that the policies council puts out are for the most part set by volunteers. If they dont like a decision, tell them to get involved, policies are set by those who show up.

 

And remember, at the end of the day, its just Boy Scouts, we are not trying to cure cancer or end world hunger here. Many people including professionals are passionate about the program.

 

Good luck in your job! If you need someone to vent to please feel free to message me.