Following Procedure / Think Before You Hit Send.

[Eamonn 61]

I know that when I was younger, at times I acted very much like a bull in a china shop. I was so sure that I was always right, that when I saw something that I thought wasn't right or thought that something wasn't fair I started at the top and let everyone know how I felt. Sad thing was, I wasn't always right and at times in my desire to go to the top I missed communicating my grievance to the right people or the people who might have been able to fix what was wrong or inform me why I was wrong.

Now of course I'm not so young and when people act this way it really upsets me.

I am having a big problem with our District Commissioner, he just doesn't seem to want to follow procedure and I can only think that some of the stuff that he does is done to try and make him seem important. The truth is that it the end it makes him look foolish and at times puts the District in a bad light.

The council offers camperships to families that help.If a family needs this help they can pick up a form fill in the details and send it into the Council Service Center. It then goes to the Council Camping Committee, where they make a decision.I have never sat on this committee and don't know how they reach a decision. As a District we have a Cub Scout and a Boy Scout leader who sit on the Council Camping Committee.

It seems that a Den Leader from the District applied for a Campership for a Parent and Son weekend and the Council does not offer Camperships for Parent and Son weekends. This Den Leader is upset and sends the District Commissioner an E-mail saying that he is very upset and is going to quit.

The District Commissioner sends out a mass E-mail to everyone including the Scout Exec. The Council President. The Council Commissioner. The Den Leader and the Cubmaster. He doesn't include the District Chair.(Me) Our DE. Or anyone on the Camping Committee.

This E-mail is full of powerful stuff and is a real tearjerker. In it he has "He has always been there for me, where are we when he needs us?" and stuff like that.

The Scout Exec. forwarded the E-mail to me asking what the heck is going on? He also forwarded it to the Council Camping Chair. (A nice chap who worked as a DE in another Council) He is more then upset he is mad. The E-mail that the District Commissioner has send is written all in Capital letters and is titled "Denial of Campership."

Both these two think that I should be able to control the District Commissioner. In fact I have no knowledge about any of this.

I phone the District Commissioner and inform him that he has managed to get everyone upset and that this Den Leader wasn't denied anything as it wasn't there to start with.

The District Commissioner becomes ill and misses two key3 meetings.Yesterday he copies me on an E-mail that he has sent to the Den Leader. It is full of junk: "I wish that I had your application at hand and I would deal with it." and "I made my feelings known to the highest level.."

Needless to say now I'm really upset with him. I call him on the phone and explain that this isn't the way to get things done and explain that if he has concerns that the District Committee is the place to bring them too. He starts telling me about his personal feelings. I am feeling like I want to tape up his mouth!!! He keeps on telling me how he feels. I inform him that so far he has by-passed the District Camping Committee, by-passed the District Committee. Managed to get the Council Camping Committee all riled up and achieved absolutely nothing.

The Den Leader still isn't getting any help from the Council. If there is something wrong with the application form (Which I think there is.) It still hasn't been fixed. The District Camping Committee is mad at him and I'm about ready to ask the Nominating Committee to look for a replacement.

E-mails and E-mailing is great. However thinking before hitting that "Send" button is a must.

Eamonn

[Bob White 20]

Hi Eamonn, A good lesson for anyone in a leadership position, whether council/district or within a unit. As we have learned on this forum the tone of a written message is often misunderstood. Personal contact is the most effective way to communicate when dealing with a problem in local scouting.

 

Anytime I give an e-mail answer as a district representative to a local volunteer I always CC the members of the Key 3. They need to know what questions are being asked by the units in order to improve communications from their end, and I have a responsibility to keep them informed of how I represent the committee.

 

Is it fair to say that a new DC may be needed?

[Twocubdad 665]

Sounds like this guy should get along well with you Field Director. Maybe you should let him handle the problem.

 

The fee for a parent/son weekend had got to be, what, 30-40 bucks? I'd be tempted to tell the guy that since he felt so strongly about the matter that I would chip in half the amount if he would pay the other half. Or better yet, that we could start a fund for such camperships and I would match any amount he contributed.

[Eagle1973 10]

I'm with 2cubdad, always think of how the first answer could be "yes". It could be "yes, I'll look into that and find out....." or "yes, while we don't usually fund such and such, it's a great idea...."

 

Starting out with "no", or worse yet "we've always done it that way before" usually puts one on the defensive and you get into more scraps as you described.