Committee is dissolving

[vrooman]

I have worked with several great individuals in resurrecting a troop over the last three years. We had all the enthusiasm and energy of a College football team getting an invitation to a bowl game. All this began to fall apart about a year ago when support for the committee began to decrease because the old guard were used to doing things without an active committee.

 

Volunteers do not take hostile criticism to well, and it wasnt long before we began to loose committee membership. As the CC, I have assimilated the duties of the resigning members and I am finding it almost impossible to get replacements because no one wants to be a target of the SM and one of the ASMs. Not only did we loose the Mom who started the Pack and Troop back up, but we have lost our Outdoor Activities Chair, our Advancement Chair, one Secretary(who was replaced) and we never did obtain our Training coordinator.

 

Before I end up loosing my mind taking on too much, is there any way a committee can get assistance handling the responsibilities for our unit? Our district is low on volunteers, and I dont know if this is something our council can provide assistance on. Has anyone used other local resources, or can offer suggestions? And trust me, I have already tried to get more help from our Chartered Org, it isnt there

 

We are about two to three weeks away from having a non-existent committee. This is how the old troop ran many years ago, and it ended up dieing. The committee was just some names used to re-charter. I dont know, but I see the program really suffering if there isnt a committee.

 

vrooman

[AwHeck]

Have you tried talking to the SM and the ASM? What about your CO - are they involved with the unit at all?

[SemperParatus]

Your issue is larger than recruiting committee members, its all about you and the SM working off of the same page. I would suggest a very long lunch together to discuss troop operations and how to improve your program by utilizing the time and talents of adult volunteers.

[SeattlePioneer]

I agree with Semper. As Committee Chair, you have authority to appoint, and fire, the Scoutmaster and any Assistant Scoutmasters. If changes in the program needed to be made, you should have been confronting that fact while you had an active commmittee to support you.

 

With that committee behind you, you would have been in a good position to talk turkey to the SM and get the changes you needed, hopefully without firing anyone.

 

Now, you are in a weak bargaining position.

 

I'd still have the chat, though. You need to reach an agreement on whether you can live with the SM or prefer to live without he and his assistantts, and what kinds of co-operation you need.

 

You might also check with the rest of your team that has left and find out what it would take to get them to sign on again.

 

I doubt that your district is going to help you out much doing the basic repsonsibilities of your troop. The person to ask for any help would be you Unit Commissioner, if you have one. He should be willing to talk with you about your organizational conflicts anyway.

 

 

 

Seattle Pioneer

[Fuzzy Bear]

The SM works for the Committee and you are his supervisor on a year by year renewal. Your job is renewed as well but you have a different boss that you must satisfy. Any criticism directed toward the Committee from the SM is like shooting yourself in both feet at the same time with the same bullet. Simply put, cooperation in the spirit of good will is the way to get things done. If that spirit is less than adequate, then the Troop should not be in need of committee members. Your request should be for a new SM.

 

If you have any of that team spirit you talked about earlier left over, then recruiting though the CO and the Troop parents is first.

 

FB

 

[IBSteveC]

I agree with the idea of the Scoutmaster and Committee Chairman meeting to discuss the direction of the Troop. Sounds like there are two different directions. You made mention of the Scoutmaster and one assistant chasing away committee members. Doesn't sound like much of a team to me. The committee chairman should be coordinating the Troop Leadership (Both Scoutmasters, Assistants and the Troop Committee ) down the same path together. If that is not happening then you need to get there quick. In your condition I would organize a nominating committee to review the needs of the unit and recruit the necessary help. I would make sure the Scoutmaster is on the same page with me. If he isn't than you need to find common ground or make radical changes. You may need to involve your unit commisioner and Scouting coordinator in this process. Good luck let us know how it goes.

[Eamonn]

Hi vrooman,

What is happening to the committee is not uncommon.

At Wood Badge and other leadership courses,

Situational Leadership models are used. The works of Ken Blanchard and Bruce Tuckman are very similar. Both use:

forming

storming

norming

performing .

Understanding where the group is and knowing what style of leadership is needed can be very helpful. In Scouting we use all sorts of teams to get the job done or achieve the result we desire. Teams can be committees and Lord knows we have no shortage of them or the team might be a Patrol. Or a group of people brought together to plan an event.

The team has a Leader, in your case you as the Troop Committee Chairman are the leader. In my case as a District Chairman I lead the District Committee. I have taken the time to be trained in what my job or role is, I read just about anything I can lay my hands on and like to think that I do the job that I am supposed to do. I know at times that I'm guilty of sticking my large Romanesque nose in where it really has no business. When I find this happening I sit myself down and rethink what my role really is. I do get mail and calls from people who want or expect me to do or fix things, which I have no authority over. Parents upset about how a pack ran a Pine-Wood Derby race!! Sure I could stick my 2 cents in, but apart of this having nothing to do with me, nine times out of ten I will only make matters worse.

It is very important that people know what their job is and understand that they are accountable for doing it.

Please take my word for it. More people will quit doing something if they have nothing to do.

Please do not allow the Troop Charter to become a work of fiction. The Troop needs and you need real people who are doing real work. Anything else is just foolhardy.

I work very closely with our DE and our District Commissioner. Working hand in hand we strive toward the same goal. We all want the District to support the Council, support the Units and make Quality District.

We do this by ensuring that we have open lines of two way communication and sharing the feedback we receive from anyone who is kind enough to give it to us.

If we disagree on something, we iron out our differences at a key 3 meeting and never allow the key 3 to seem at odds in front of the District Committee or the volunteers. At times this does mean that one of us does have to stand down or compromise.

You need to be working hand in hand with the Scoutmaster and hopefully the COR.

We are blessed in Scouting to have a lot of very talented people, however at times they can be a little over talented!! I am very much for giving someone a job to do and expecting them to get it done. Sort of comes under the heading "A Scout is trustworthy". While friendly advise and a few pointers are fine, interferences are a pain.

You have people who have been selected to do a specific job, you must not allow other people to tell them how to do it. If they need help that is your job, if they need trained you need to help them get trained. You have to be the go to person. You are the team leader.

I have found that 30 day goals work well for me and the District Committee. We rarely if ever vote on anything. We set goals.

The Membership Committee has been working on a spring Tiger Cub recruitment. They decided that they wanted to do 3, one in each community or School District. They needed to secure 3 locations at one time that was a 30 day goal. They needed a patch, selecting a patch that was within our budget and ordering it was a 30 goal. They needed handouts and activities. That was a 30 day goal.

They as a committee decided who was going to take on doing what.

I knew who was doing what. About ten days or so after the meeting I called the Membership Chair and asked how we were doing with such and such a goal? Was the patch ordered? Where were the 3 recruitment sites? If I saw a problem I offered my ideas, if something wasn't being done I voiced my concern. If I knew that some immediate action was needed I called the DE and we went to plan B.

Before making the agenda for the next meeting (5 or 6 Days ahead) I call all my Chairs and see what they want on the Agenda and how things are coming along. There are of course times when the 30 day goal isn't met. We only managed to secure 2 of the 3 locations and this becomes one of the goals for the next 30 days.

At our meetings the Chair gives a report of what they have done and what they will be doing.

I believe that they are doing their best, I know what is going on and I don't care if the Finance Chair is happy or unhappy about the patch or the locations. He has his own area to work with.

Of course new committee members are going to lean on you and turn to you and at the start you need to take them by the hand. But as time passes you need to step away and let them start

Performing.

I also believe that it is very important that we recognize people who do a good job and that we celebrate our successes. Cakes are not that expensive and inviting the committee to a backyard bar-b-Que when you have reached a goal goes a long way to help recharge everyone for the next goal.

Take the time to read over the features of

forming,storming, norming,performing and spend some time looking at the style of leadership you need to be providing for the team that you lead.

forming - stage 1

High dependence on leader for guidance and direction. Little agreement on team aims other than received from leader. Individual roles and responsibilities are unclear. Leader must be prepared to answer lots of questions about the team's purpose, objectives and external relationships. Processes are often ignored. Members test tolerance of system and leader. Leader directs

storming - stage 2 (Where I think you are at)

 

Decisions don't come easily within group. Team members vie for position as they attempt to establish themselves in relation to other team members and the leader, who might receive challenges from team members. Clarity of purpose increases but plenty of uncertainties persist. Cliques and factions form and there may be power struggles. The team needs to be focused on its goals to avoid becoming distracted by relationships and emotional issues. Compromises may be required to enable progress. Leader coaches

norming - stage 3.

Agreement and consensus is largely forms among team, who respond well to facilitation by leader. Roles and responsibilities are clear and accepted. Big decisions are made by group agreement. Smaller decisions may be delegated to individuals or small teams within group. Commitment and unity is strong. The team may engage in fun and social activities. The team discusses and develops its processes and working style. There is general respect for the leader and some of leadership is more shared by the team. Leader facilitates and enables.

performing - stage 4

The team is more strategically aware; the team knows clearly why it is doing what it is doing. The team has a shared vision and is able to stand on its own feet with no interference or participation from the leader. There is a focus on over-achieving goals, and the team makes most of the decisions against criteria agreed with the leader. The team has a high degree of autonomy. Disagreements occur but now they are resolved within the team positively and necessary changes to processes and structure are made by the team. The team is able to work towards achieving the goal, and also to attend to relationship, style and process issues along the way. team members look after each other. The team requires delegated tasks and projects from the leader. The team does not need to be instructed or assisted. Team members might ask for assistance from the leader with personal and interpersonal development. Leader delegates and oversees.

Your goal has to be to move your committee to stage 4 as quickly and painlessly as possible. But be careful, just when you think you have everything in order things can change, new members can bring you back to the Storming Stage as can new goals.

You as the team leader do need to be ready to step back in and use the style of leadership needed to move them back to stage 4 ASAP.

Please whatever happens, don't lose faith, what is happening is not unusual. All that is needed is for you to step up to the plate and start being the leader.

Good Luck.

Eamonn.

 

[Lynda J]

This just happen in the pack I move out of but in the reverse. A Den leader took CM training and took over the pack. It needed to happen. The CC was running parents off and the CM didn't have a clue what he was doing. Suddenly the pack that was dying with only 4 boys 2 months ago is up to 12 and going gang busters.

 

The one thing is LOOK AT HOW THE TROOP MANAGEMENT IS STRUCTURED. YOu will discover that the CC is above the SM and ASM. If there is a problem than you need to get with your Unit Commissioner or a District commissioner and sit down with the SM and talk it out. Our SM it a very strong personality and keeps things pretty well under control. But he makes sure that it is a BOY RUN TROOP.

How long ago did the SM and ASM take training? Have you taken Committee Specific Training?

You would not believe how training can take care of so many problems.