The Unlikely GS Service Unit Manager

I am an unlikely Girl Scout Service Unit Manager, or so I thought. I didn't beg for the job, nor did I ever aspire to be a free employee leading hundreds of girls and leaders. I loved running my daughters troop, but went to the monthly service unit meetings as my obligation and thought that you must be a little bit wise and a little bit crazy to be a service unit manager. As I've now learned, it's really more like a lot crazy and the wise part will come, only after becoming a service unit manager. I accepted the position when nobody else would. The competitor in me just didn't want to see my local service unit go down in flames. All of the parents claimed they were too busy and too tapped out juggling kids and responsibilities, to assume the responsibility. I had those excuses (or reasons) too, but luckily, I had no idea what I was signing on for, so I said "Ummmmm, okay...I'll do it." That first service unit meeting as service unit manager was a bit overwhelming. The previous year, I had been the Girl Scout leader, slipping in the back of the meeting late and dodging out a bit early if possible, and now I was leading the service unit! How did that happen!?? Fate has a way of certainly getting us back and getting our attention. Now I had the daunting job of making the meetings interesting enough to keep leaders from avoiding the meetings like I had. Remember, they are volunteers, so there is no monetary incentive. I was also contending with leaders talking behind my back saying, "Who does she think she is running the service unit?" Luckily, my Council Membership Manager had a quick reply, "She's the one who said yes!" No easy feat, trying to make those meetings interesting enough to sacrifice an hour for! My enthusiasm and nervousness helped inspire leaders, even if it was marginal. I jumped in head first and set out to give it 200% or more. I don't ever do anything half way, so I decided to help improve the service unit any way I could think of. Some of the ways I approached it meant change (eventually) and yep, thinking outside the box. The most effective thing I have done from the start is that I infused my social work, therapy skills into my role as service unt manager. First and foremost, I started listened attentively to what leaders and girls needed most. The result: I added events to our roster, I set out to start a day camp, and much, much more. Like I said, it takes a little bit (or a lot) crazy to lead hundreds of girls and adults. Of course the crazy I mean is really passion. Thankfully, I like helping people, so passion was easy for me to tap into. Leading adults is actually harder than leading girls. The girls are open, excited  and they want more opportunities to have fun and learn along the way. Events make them happy, but they have to be events that truly tune into the kids of today and what inspires them. Some of the old school Girl Scout ladies run events that are a bit slow paced for today's girls. As Girl Scout leaders, we have to shift and change along with the girls we are mentoring. They won't listen to us if we are not listening to them. This is also true in all areas of our lives and in all types of leadership settings. The leaders in my service unit like the events too because it takes some pressure off of them to always keep the girls busy, but leaders need more, they need to be inspired. How do you inspire tired, frazzled, over committed Girl Scout leaders? In fact, how do you inspire tired and frazzled adults in general? That's the question of the day, and something I'm always trying to work on. I give raffle prizes at service unit meetings, because I am truly grateful that they carved out an addition hour of their time to help their troop and to contribute to the Girl Scout community. I approach the meetings with enthusiasm and spirit. You must role model behaviors that you are trying to bring out in others. I also never give up and I'm tireless about finding new ways to inspire others. When people see that spirit, it recharges their batteries, versus leaders who are passionless and angry. Those types of leaders do the opposite, they drain their subjects and create an environment of uninspired leaders.
       I am still passionate about inspiring girls after four years of being service unit manager. Thankfully, jaded and bitter did not catch up with me. I out ran Jaded and Bitter after watching so many fine troop leaders, parent volunteers, coaches and PTA members, leave volunteer positions with scowls on their faces. Jaded and bitter catch up too many amazing men and women leaders in general because they didn't delegate, ask for needed help, manage the parent complaints well, or they just became over committed. It's not easy shaking it off when a parent complains about your leadership, when you've been juggling the troop on your own and parents pick up and drop off. It's also not easy when you ask for help and nobody steps up. As with any problem, there has to be a solution. Sometimes, asking must become a nicely stated demand. Other times, letting go of expectations and remembering that ultimately it's all about the girls, is the most rewarding part and melts away the frustrations that come along with the job. I'm sure some leader complained about my mom when I was a Girl Scout. As a child,  more often than not, I was the one begging for rides to get to events and going to the store by myself to get the troop snack, because my mom was working and forgot to leave me a snack to share. I needed Girl Scouts, so just remember, there may be a girl in your troop that needs Girl Scouts too! I have learned so much in four years as a service unit manager. The number one thing I have learned is that all of the work has been worth every minute! I have become a stronger leader in general and I take more risks than I did before. I learned that I have a knack (or gift) for running events, and I derive much pleasure from watching girls, leaders, and parents enjoy themselves at those events. I especially love leading and inspiring older scouts. Teens and tweens are capable of much more than many adults realize and they lead younger scouts in a way that inspires me! I have learned to delegate, know when not to delegate, become more knowledgeable about people, learned more about myself, and I'm much better at being firmer in my limits and boundaries when needed. Being a Service Unit Manager has been the best unpaid job I've ever had! It's actually worth many thousands, but I'll take many thousands of smiles as my bonus. So you see, I'm an unlikely Service Unit Manager. It's those quiet ones in the back (in your troop/service unit/class/office) that are the ones that can surprise you the most! To be honest, sometimes I even surprise myself.