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
Strategy is a word that many of us do not readily associate with our day-to-day involvement in Scouting. Clipboards and spreadsheets can seem somewhat out of place in the middle of a field, in torrential rain, when the immediate priority is putting up a tent or getting a fire started.
At different times in our Scouting careers, we all set out to seek advice from others. The receipt of guidance has been described as the passive consumption of wisdom – a great way to tap into the experiences and learning’s of others.
Theirishscouter opposes censorship.
Freedom of speech, even when you do not like what is being said (perhaps especially when you do not like what is being said), should be defended.
Continue reading Freedom of expression in Scouting Ireland (Part 2)
A writer with theirishscouter was censored today on the Scouting Ireland Chat Forum. A post was removed and the account was suspended. Before the post is published here (with associated details), in the interests of fairness, a rationale will be sought for the deletion. This is important because a lot of people are talking about transparency and fairness at the moment.
Freedom of speech, even when you don’t like what is being said, should be defended.
More Kafkaesque antics from the small-minded pen pushers who pull the strings of Scouting Ireland’s National Management Committee behind the scenes.
November saw a change to the Standing Orders of that Committee (yawn), except these changes will effectively gag the members of the committee in yet further evidence that whilst most exchequer-funded charities are moving towards greater transparency – the faceless bureaucrats at Scouting Ireland are determined to go in the opposite direction.
It’s that time of year and theirishscouter has some thoughts to offer on the subject of New Years Resolutions, applied to Scouting…
It’s 9am on a cold, crisp Saturday morning.
Already, the Scout Den is a hive of activity. The Burco bubbles in the kitchen and mugs are warming on a tray. There is a plate of mince pies sitting alongside (the er, breakfast of champions…) and two packs of chocolate biscuits standing upright, awaiting the call to duty.
Theirishscouter would never assume to tell other Scouters how to do their work.
Every group is different. Every Scouter is different.
However as a former scout leader who has had the immense privilage of having been involved in two hugely successful scout troops in recent years, one rescued from failure, the other founded from scratch, some lessons and learning have been picked up along that journey that might interest some (and might seem very familiar indeed to others). This is just part of what is in all likelihood a lifelong learning experience….
theirishscouter 