Re: DC limiting activities


"Ed" <ed@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1129914563.702739.295120@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> My DC, who has also been acting GSL of our group and three other groups
> in the district for the past three years)

That for a start is not an ideal situation, which I'm sure s/he recognises!

> has told me that we cannot
> run a ski trip for our scouts next year on the basis that we are
> already running a summer trip to Austria in 2006. We went to Canada
> last year and he thinks that it is not fair on parents to offer another
> expensive trip in such a timeframe.

That seems like a general opinion from him but unless he's got some
information you haven't got, or most importantly talked to parents, saying
that it's 'unfair' is a tadge presumptive of him right now.

>
> We wanted to offer the ski trip as we have had loads of requests from
> parents and scouts to run one,

So you're one step ahead of him in the planning stage. Maybe you need to
bring him up to speed?

> and we would offer it as a non-core part
> of our programme.

It's part of your programme! There's no need to give the impression that
it's somehow different. That won't help him form a good vision of what
you're trying to do.

> I understand our DCs sentiment,

I don't think it's semtiment, more likely he's being over-cautious.

> but feel that people
> should be able to make their own minds up.

You have to be sensitive to others, especially those whose support you do
need.

> I get really frustrated when
> we are stopped from doing things that are within the rules, just
> because our DC has got other ideas on what the ideal of scouting should
> be.

Is it really that he's being a 'dinosaur' or is it because he's seeing a
wider picture without specific details and is naturally cautious?

>
> I would point out that we run the most active troop in the district,
> and out membership is double of every other troop in the district.

Good, but not exactly relevant here. It shows you're likely to be good at
doing things, but it doesn't necessarily mean that you can do everything.

>
> Any ideas on what the best course of action is?

I think you're plans might have advanced too far in the DC's mind at the
moment and he's being over-cautious. You probably need to take a step back
in the planning (or more likely taqke him a step back in the planning stage)
and allow him to catch up.

He probably just needs convincing. So go out and convince him! Show him your
plans, talk through them and your thinking, put the plans into context, show
him the demand (from parents and yp), explain your efforts thus far,
describe and convince him of your capabilities and the resources you've got
to support the plans, rein back a bit at this stage and carefully check
whether there is any substance to his cautious concerns which you may have
overlooked, address his concerns and show him that they are not concerns,
etc. He has a problem with your plans; solve that problem!

He's somehow missed the bus. You need to get him on board.

> Do I sit here,

No! Don't you want to go!!?

> or take
> it further elsewhere?

Definitely no! You need his support and as he has the final decision on
whether to let you go or not, it's vital you get that support. Trying to go
around or over him would not be very joined up thinking and will only make
matters worse.

You need to convince him that his caution is unwarranted. You need to make
sure you're planning is A1 and you've thought about and covered all the
angles. You may like to consider getting some additional supporting advice
(e.g. from the ACC(I)), but be careful that it's only advice at this stage.
What you mustn't do is set people against people.

I know it means you probably will have to work a little bit harder in your
planning and progress may be somewhat slowed a bit, but you have to get the
DC on board and convince him that your plans MERIT his support, even if he
is a dinosaur at times in his thinking.

Look for solutions, not battles.

At the end of the day though if he says no then no it is. Go back to the
drawing board then and try another tack.

Good luck!

GAGS


.

Relevant Pages

  • jew #prep spiritual valve
    ... Will you have subject to the charter, if Kathy aside composes the ... turn in support of it. ... uncertain for Tariq to convince it. ... Hardly any tame pays are convinced and other interesting dancers are ...
    (rec.crafts.brewing)
  • Re: Does nobody at this retirement site ever talk about retirement issues???
    ... be several workers paying into it, to support even one recipient. ... I suggest that you access the Social Security web site and review the ... correct in that since the fund contained a surplus, government 'borrowed' ... If the holders of those defined benefit plans were doing ...
    (soc.retirement)
  • CFP: AAMAS Workshop on Coordinating Agents Plans and Schedules
    ... Call for Papers ... Workshop on Coordinating Agents' Plans and Schedules ... Multiagent planning is concerned with planning by (and ...
    (comp.ai)
  • Disaster has a name: capitalism
    ... After Hurricane Katrina came Hurricane Rita, which hit Southern states ... It takes social planning to figure out how people can ... The U.S. government plans many things. ... Revolution and bring capitalism back. ...
    (soc.culture.cuba)
  • Re: Commission calls for 11,000 affordable homes/yr in rural areas
    ... They are planning 700 in one village hereabouts and that is only ... not fail but they simply did not make enough to support employees or cover ... Not even 99p shops can survive. ... She will not be unhappy if the friends do what they are planning and move ...
    (uk.business.agriculture)