Try to do a good turn every day

It was always part of the Promise Ceremony to ask the girl to "keep your Promise and try to do a good turn every day". Enid said to me yesterday that she thought the world be a much better place if everyone remembered that and acted on it. If I do you a good turn perhaps you will do a good turn for some one else. Good turns make us feel good as both givers and receivers. Feeling good makes us more positive...it is a virtuous circle. The old ideas are often the best aren't they?

Emails and politeness

I am on a one woman mission!

The trouble with emails is that they are short! To the point! Direct! Curt! and (dare I say it) sometimes downright discourteous.

We have all done it - shot from the hip in response to something we have seen or heard that we want to upbraid or challenge someone about. MY ADVICE - write your email and DO NOT in any circumstances send it. After an hour, read it again and then see how it comes across. Did you mean it to sound like that? Do you need to soften it? Would a "Dear X" at the top and a "Thanks" at the bottom help? Then question whether you are actually emailing the right person - messengers are not there for shooting.

If you are satisfied on all those points - go for it.

Actually the same advice goes for letters, phone messages and direct conversation - hard messages can be softened and made more palatable if delivered in a measured and reasonable way.

We all do it, don't we? Some more than others. Well, let's do less of it from now on and then life would be so much more pleasant. It's what we tell our Brownies.

It is not what you say....

...... it's the way that you say it!
Some people really lack self-awareness, don't they? We all know someone who opens their mouth and offends everyone by how they say the least objectionable thing. How do you get through to them that they are being hurtful even though we appreciate their thoughts and contribution? They don't appear to be the least bit aware of the crestfallen people around them. It is funny really because it is so easy to say things in a pleasant way and to thank people afterwards. Saying "would it be worth trying.." or "it might be even better if ...." is so much better than saying "I don't like... so change it."
The basic principle, whether we are dealing with girls, adults, work colleagues, neighbours... is that they should feel that interacting with you is a positive experience - otherwise we won't bother doing it anymore. That's not too much to ask, is it?

Herons Wey and Water and the Centenary

So - the quiet of Christmas is at last at an end.
Having spent a little time at Weyside this weekend helping with the cleaning (Thanks to Muriel, Val and everyone else who came to help) I am back at Herons Wey today, in the pouring rain, to talk about the borehole. When it is so wet you can forget just how dry Herons Wey can be but it is gravel there and free draining although, fortunately, water is not far below the surface. It would be great to have the water supply improved before the camping season but the wheels seem to grind very very slowly....
On the water theme I need to look at how far Imber Court is from the river - could we arrive by boat? That would be different at least. I have already invited my guest - we can invite a guest provided they have at some point made a Guide Promise. Well, my mother was a Guide just after the war, although she may not thank me for telling you the dates. So I have asked her if she would like to come.

Widening the talent pool - or sharing the load

There is a saying that if you want something done you should ask a busy woman and that seems to be true - those that do something, do everything. Maybe they just can't say "No" or maybe there is someone equally capable in their shadow who doesn't really know how to get themselves noticed.

So today I wrote a long "Situations Vacant" list covering everything from those developing County strategy (long term plans) to fundraisers to Advisers to people to do one-off projects and so on. I know it is ambitious but I think we can fill these roles - maybe not if we just tell Leaders but definitely if we tell our friends, families, parents of the girls, Trefoil Guild.......so let's go for it. It is very hard to resist if someone asks you directly. Optimistically I hope my email will be bursting over the next few weeks with offers of help. Just a small wish, I feel, but one that you can make come true if you really believe.

(Widening the talent pool is business speak for making sure we know about and make best use of everyone's talents. )

Optimistic views about the recession and Guiding

Working for an organisation (Hay Group) which is generally thought to be at risk from companies cutting discretionary spending (they won't buy consultancy while funds are tight), my thoughts have been focussed on what impact the recession will have. My conclusion, perhaps surprisingly, is that Guiding will do quite well from it. Here's why:

1. It is a low cost activity so we are unlikely to lose members on the basis of cost - indeed we may even gain some because other clubs etc have become to costly.
2. We can offer practical (but not financial) support to those needing to build, develop and revive their skills in certain areas. That should help with those needing to find new jobs.
3. Our finances do not depend on donations, legacies etc so should be fairly stable although our Treasurer will be suggesting that we could do even more with the money we have.
4. If we have any building work done (not impossible) then we should get it at an economic cost.
5. The support of the Guiding family will be even more important.

The outlook may look gloomy on a jobs front but let's hope Guiding provides a ray of hope in a cruel world.

Happy New Year

Dear Guiders, Advisers, and all other supporters.

Happy New Year!

2009 promises to be a fantastic year for Guiding with the start of the Centenary celebrations in September launching 13 months of festivities for everyone. Not only will events be taking place internationally and nationally, but also across Surrey West, in your local Divisions, Districts and units. I am sure everyone will have a fantastic time and we should give an almighty pat on the back to all of those who are working so hard to make it all go well. There is so much to do in planning and making everything work well that we sometimes forget that people just like you and me are behind it all.

On a different note, though, 2009 may be a difficult year for some people with the current economic upheavals. Some of you, your family or friends may find yourselves without a job. Some of us have been through this before and know that it is very hard to cope in these circumstances although for some it is an opportunity to move on and do something different –I did a Masters degree which I wouldn’t have had time to do before.

As members of the Guiding family, there are some positive things we can all do when our friends and relatives are in need of support:
Provide a sympathetic ear for anyone who just needs to talk. We can all do this and it is of great value for such a little effort.
Offer the opportunity to keep skills going, to refresh old skills or even develop new ones. We need so many talents that I am sure we can find somewhere in Surrey West that can benefit. In my MBA dissertation on bridging career gaps, it was clear that people demonstrating that they had kept their skills alive were seen positively by future employers – so Surrey West may be able to give practical support.

2009 will be a year of change – in your lives and in ours. I want Surrey West to be the best Guiding County, Herons Wey to be the best campsite it can be and the Centenary celebrations to be the most memorable of anything you have done in Guiding. I hope you want to be part of it and will help me achieve it.

In the meantime, here are a few suggestions about how you could be involved:

Making Surrey West the best Guiding County
§ Let us know what you think we should focus on – and how;
§ Volunteer to join our Guiding Development Group. Currently we need people to represent Advisers, Learning and Development, and Commissioners. You need not be involved at the moment with any of these but will represent their views on the Group that will put together our plans for the next 3 – 5 years;
§ Look at the Situations Vacant on the Weekly News and website and see if you can find people who would suit the roles to be filled.

Making Herons Wey the best campsite
§ Do you have ideas for improving the site? Let us know what they are;
§ Do you have skills we could use in developing the site and/or the business of running it? At the moment we need someone to pull together a computer programme to help automate bookings – is that you?
§ We have to improve the facilities, especially the water supply but this costs money (which we need to raise) and manage the project. Could you help?

The best Centenary Celebrations
§ We are already well ahead with planning but we need to move from outline plans to details and that will need many volunteers in a range of fields. Could you help?

I have one big request for you all; look at your skills and ask yourself if Surrey West could use them. I am sure we could although it might not be obvious immediately.

This will lead to two magnificent results:
Everyone feeling involved in how Surrey West is run, and
Making the best use of everyone’s talents.

Happy 2009.

Georgina