Yet another DE

[oldisnewagain1]

Sounds about right...

 

fixed King Ding Dong's post

[ProScouter06]

Well said @@BadenP

[MattHiggins]

Like most people here, I have been involved in Scouting from a few different angles. I was a Scout, I got involved again as a parent, quickly became a Scouter (assistant den leader to den leader, assistant Cubmaster to Cubmaster). Not the most original story. Like a few, I have worked on the professional side as a DE--thankfully only briefly.

 

While I love Scouting, I hated that job. I didn't care for the council management (leadership style or goal achieving methods), but I was blown away by or most disappointed with the animosity from fellow Scouters. Of course, many frustrations with council were warranted (but often Scouters would never see council actions with an open mind) and I'm sure I dropped a ball or two (who doesn't), but animosity was the default behavior from a huge number of Scouts.

 

As a DE, you didn't have to prove yourself a failure to be treated poorly, you had to prove yourself to be super human to be treated remotely decently. The council and DE were, in my experience, often the scapegoat. DEs are often (as in always) caught in the middle-- a nasty crossfire of blame. Charters are a perfect example.

 

This animosity for the professional side of Scouting was something like oral tradition. Leaders learned to hate anything council before they met anyone from council. I have to admit a quit the job because of council management. They make most DEs miserable and have an uncanny turnover rate to thank for it. And, it's not just my council, it seems to be an epidemic. That said, I have to go back to how disappointed I was in how un-Scout-like many Scouters behaved. Oh well. All I really have to say is to maybe work with a DE and not against him or her. At least treat them like you'd want to be treated.

[SeattlePioneer]

This thread once again reminds me of what I have to be thankful for:

 

 

A council that is well managed and well funded.

 

District Executives that have consistently worked hard and with reasonable effectiveness to advance the goals and purposes of Scouting.

 

In the past eleven years,  we've had one DE promoted to a council fund raising position,  and later to a national BSA position.

 

We've also had a DE who has been promoted to Field Director in another council.

 

 

Both of those men were hard working and effective staffers.

 

Our current DE continues that pattern of being a hard working and effective staff member.

 

My heart goes out to those who aren't as lucky as those in the Chief Seattle Council.

[SeattlePioneer]

This thread once again reminds me of what I have to be thankful for:

 

 

A council that is well managed and well funded.

 

District Executives that have consistently worked hard and with reasonable effectiveness to advance the goals and purposes of Scouting.

 

In the past eleven years,  we've had one DE promoted to a council fund raising position,  and later to a national BSA position.

 

We've also had a DE who has been promoted to Field Director in another council.

 

 

Both of those men were hard working and effective staffers.

 

Our current DE continues that pattern of being a hard working and effective staff member.

 

My heart goes out to those who aren't as lucky as those in the Chief Seattle Council.

[desertrat77]

Seattle, you are right in counting your blessings.

 

In our district, we have had four (4) different DEs in the last 12 months.   One didn't last a week.

 

Says something about the nature of the job when that happens.

 

Then again, it's the volunteers that make scouting happen, especially at the unit level.   Pros come and go.

[Krampus]

Never seen my DEs. Ever. Couldn't pick them out of a police lineup. For all I know we don't have any.

[MattHiggins]

Never seen my DEs. Ever. Couldn't pick them out of a police lineup. For all I know we don't have any.

 

Your council doesn't require the DEs to attend Roundtables? I'd contact your council's Scout executive and ask for that to change.

[Krampus]

Your council doesn't require the DEs to attend Roundtables? I'd contact your council's Scout executive and ask for that to change.

 

I am not sure having him there is a good thing. Have never seen him or heard from him. If he can't bother to even communicate with his units -- especially on of his biggest units -- then I really don't care to have anything to do with him.

[JasonG172]

In the Past year we have lost 2 DE's as well as the Field Director.  We have 5 Districts and at one point almost 2 DE's per District.  I know we are volunteers and from time to time beat up on the professionals and there are times the volunteers make the DE's look good, we all know that.  Scouting is not an 8 to 5 Job and some of the DE's believe that it is, scouting is 24/7 even for the volunteers. 

I know of 2 exceptional DE's and one just got bumped to the vacant Field Director position. 

 

Why don't you extend your Hand Krampus to yours.  I understand not all Councils are great and they need work and even guidance, but without them then where would we be? 

Edited December 29, 2015 by JasonG172

[Krampus]

Why don't you extend your Hand Krampus to yours.  I understand not all Councils are great and they need work and even guidance, but without them then where would we be? 

 

ROFL, why? I don't need him for anything. I have 80+ scouts and families to manage, a slew of volunteers, recruiting, advancement, training, SMCs, scout issues, etc. He's been in the role for several years. He doesn't attend any RTs. He doesn't email anyone. He doesn't call anyone. Using the logic of simply contacting him to say "Hi", I might as well contact anyone I don't know to say "Hi".

 

He gets paid to develop relationships with units. It is literally one of his paid duties. Not sure why I should help someone do their job when they obviously could not care less about me, my unit, my CO or anything related to our well-being. There has to be a line drawn at some point when trying to help others otherwise 1) they will never learn to do things for themselves, and 2) everyone has a limit to which they can help someone.

[JasonG172]

Well then your DE's are unlike the DE's I deal with on a Weekly Basis. I don't only communicate with my specific DE but I am pretty close to a few others in the other Districts.  We all have a mutual goal. 

[MattHiggins]

ROFL, why? I don't need him for anything . . .

. . . He gets paid to develop relationships with units. It is literally one of his paid duties. Not sure why I should help someone do their job when they obviously could not care less about me, my unit, my CO or anything related to our well-being. There has to be a line drawn at some point when trying to help others otherwise 1) they will never learn to do things for themselves, and 2) everyone has a limit to which they can help someone.

 

Do you have a relationship with anyone at your council? I imagine you must. I wasn't suggesting your role is to help the DE.Doesn't sound like he needs any help if he has had the job for years and doesn't have interact with any units--not even send an email. If I was you, I'd be more interested in seeing how he can help your unit. Maybe your unit is an island and you don't need your council for anything.

 

Still surprised a DE is never required to got to Roundtable or even contact a unit.

[TAHAWK]

This thread once again reminds me of what I have to be thankful for:

 

 

A council that is well managed and well funded.

 

District Executives that have consistently worked hard and with reasonable effectiveness to advance the goals and purposes of Scouting.

 

In the past eleven years,  we've had one DE promoted to a council fund raising position,  and later to a national BSA position.

 

We've also had a DE who has been promoted to Field Director in another council.

 

 

Both of those men were hard working and effective staffers.

 

Our current DE continues that pattern of being a hard working and effective staff member.

 

My heart goes out to those who aren't as lucky as those in the Chief Seattle Council.

 

You situation suggests a real leader filling the Council Executive position.  I know a few of those are around, but mostly not.

 

We have a nice man at the top who arrived to hold his terminal position and has been pretty much retired-in-place since.   

 

Our new super district started out with five employees, none of whom was remotely professional and all of whom were fired or quit in seven months.  The five positions have not all been filled in the four years since. Average tenure is just under six months.

 

Somewhere in there we had one actual professional.  He was impressive.  However,  he got discouraged a quit after eight months.  Competent people tend to remove themselves from incompetent organizations.

[Krampus]

Do you have a relationship with anyone at your council? I imagine you must. I wasn't suggesting your role is to help the DE.Doesn't sound like he needs any help if he has had the job for years and doesn't have interact with any units--not even send an email. If I was you, I'd be more interested in seeing how he can help your unit. Maybe your unit is an island and you don't need your council for anything.

 

Still surprised a DE is never required to got to Roundtable or even contact a unit.

 

I think we've discussed this (use of a DE and/or district) before. I have no clue what a DE could do for me. All I have ever seen them do is hassle me for recharter paperwork (when it has already been submitted), request my JTE form (also already submitted), hound me about FOS, request attendance to RTs that provide no help or assistance, etc. Just no clue what he would do for me.