Concern is growing among members of Scouting Ireland that the costly bureaucracy that increasingly inhibits local scouting’s progress, is also getting out of hand in terms of cost. Expenditure is increasing steadily, yet revenue is shrinking and little seems to be getting done to address this.

The trend has coincided with a reduction in the transparency around the finances of the national association, whilst ever more administrative demands are placed on the shoulders of local volunteers.

Theirishscouter has been examining copies of the association’s accounts from 2007-2013 and offers a cursory analysis below….
Continue reading Account ability? →

Scouting Ireland’s National Council will elect ten, possibly eleven new members of the National Management Committee of Scouting Ireland in early 2015. This represents a thus far unprecedented opportunity to set an agenda for the coming three and possibly six years. A central part of setting that agenda will be the decision made about whom the association elects as its next Chief Scout.

The Irish Scouter, not known for being overly traditional, has some rather traditional views when it comes not so much to the role of Chief Scout, but to the personal attributes a Chief Scout should have.

Continue reading Choosing a new Leader →

Take a look in the business section of any bookstore or glance at popular business websites and the word ‘authenticity’ is rarely far away whenever ‘leadership’ is mentioned.

The basic premise of many leadership articles is that authenticity is a critical part of being a leader. Leadership is a tough game and many people try it and find themselves wanting, not least when it comes to staying authentic and true to their own values.
Continue reading Leadership. And Authenticity →