June 12 2016

Tradition!

National Governance, National Operations, Opinions    8 Comments    , , , , , , , , ,

Let’s go on and get it out of the way because I know you sang it too:

tough cookiesA few months back, someone recommended that I read the book Tough Cookies: Leadership Lessons from 100 Years of the Girl Scouts by Kathy Cloninger, the CEO of Girl Scouts from 2003 to 2011 as a way to gain some perspective on how we got to be where we are today.  Tough Cookies was published in 2011 and discusses the overhaul, restructure, and strategies that were set in motion in 2004.   If you decide to read it, this information doesn’t start until halfway through the book.  The first half frankly struck me as self-important and frequently issues a call to arms since apparently there are not enough women in the boardroom or woman CEOs.  Did you know Cloninger was a CEO?  If not, she reminds you of this fact many times.  Because that’s the measure of a woman’s leadership in this world.  I say that with sarcasm, because it seems like this “every girl should aim to be a CEO” agenda was even pushed when I was a Cadette and Senior in the late 80s, so it’s nothing new.

To preface, let me state that I don’t dismiss all of the revamping that was introduced and continues to roll out as of today just for the sake of being argumentative or stubborn.  I realize that organizations have to continuously examine themselves and do what is necessary in order to stay effective and relevant.  All in all, I agree with some , disagree with some, and agree with some – but I feel the execution has been poor.

The Grand Canyon
GSUSA and/or Staff on one side and volunteers on the other

To prepare for restructuring, Cloninger begins in Chapter 5 by stating that we as an organization had to face what she calls Brutal Truths.  I would like to highlight one of them – the very first one she focuses on, in fact.  I see it as the crux of what has heavily contributed to a chasm the size of the Grand Canyon between GSUSA/council staff and volunteers.  I believe this divide has finally been recognized by GSUSA and councils and some steps are being taken to rectify it, but I don’t think what specifically I’m about to highlight has been acknowledged.

Here’s her first Brutal Truth as found on page 82:

Our cherished traditions of Girl Scouting – a longtime source of strength and bonding for our volunteers and girls – were keeping us from being flexible enough to respond quickly to the way the world was changing around us.  Adult volunteers were craving the same warm and fuzzy feelings from Girl Scouting that they got when they were children.  Our movement was being pushed by the past instead of being pulled by the future.

Wow.  Well, I’m going to assume that there was some kind of in-depth study or explanation for this viewpoint.  Nowhere in the book is there a rationale for this statement, so all I have to go on are these few sentences.  What passes as a “cherished tradition” is not defined nor are any examples given.  Also the fact that it’s the very Brutal Truth says to me that it was the most important one in her eyes.

brownies-singing2Regardless, I feel this attitude has been taken to the extreme.  Can nostalgia hold an organization back?  Absolutely.  There’s always going to be someone who says, “Well, this is the way we’ve always done it,” and refuses to budge or consider a new way of thinking. Was there enough of that attitude holding us back at that time?  I can’t give my opinion, because this revamping happened during my twenty-one year hiatus from GS.  I’m not sure what specific traditions she’s referring to, but I will say that most of them are no longer here.  Those ties are either gone, or if they are there, they are in the form of ghosts and lip service.  Based on my experience, the majority of volunteers have no idea about SWAPs, bridging ceremonies, or Scout’s Owns.  They know very few traditional Girl Scout songs or campfire programs (if they know them at all) other than the obligatory s’mores.  Sure, these may be covered as a brief paragraph on a council or GSUSA website or mentioned in passing during some preliminary training, but it’s in one ear and out the other.  There are pockets where they haven’t disappeared due to someone making an effort to keep them alive, but by and large, I’d say they’re gone.  Additionally, the lack of a GSUSA published Leader/Volunteer handbook has been a huge tradition killer.  There’s no “go to” place for reference.

Traditions such as the ones I mentioned earlier seem to be regarded as kitschy or old-fashioned when GSUSA speaks about how we have to cater to today’s girls. Badges that have been around for decades were all of a sudden determined to be out of date and tossed. Do badges have to be updated? Absolutely – but scrapping those badges completely or modifying them to the point that they are no longer recognizable?

So congrats Cloninger – I guess we don’t have to worry about those inconvenient traditions anymore.

Let’s move on to what she says about the warm and fuzzies.  I think just the use of this phrase in and of itself is indicative of the hidden disdain of tradition that I sense from both GSUSA and councils in general (notice I say in general).  I don’t know if they are purposely promoting this attitude in the GSUSA CEO class, but if they are, it’s now obvious where this negative attitude stems from regarding volunteers who have many years of experience.  Usually the phrases “old-timers” or “stuck in the past” are thrown around.  You don’t hear it as much now because those volunteers or what I call “retired leaders” have left out of discouragement or disgust.  I guess you don’t have to worry about dealing with the “Well, this is the way we’ve always done it” people because they went out with the baby and the bathwater.  Onward and upward, I suppose?

Long-time volunteers and alumnae leaving has had an extremely detrimental effect on the program.  Usually roles such as trainers and service unit team members are filled by them. They have the ability and resources to fill in the gaps that the average troop leader doesn’t have the time to do, especially on the service unit level.  When those people are gone, the work falls to the already overworked SU team members who are also trying to juggle their own troop at the same time.  Usually things fall by the wayside and SUs become stagnant.  In turn, this part of the volunteer support system breaks down.

Service units have taken on the additional burden of providing programming that councils used to sponsor.  Now that councils are so large in area and many properties have been sold, a troop in an outlying or rural area may have to travel long distances to attend a council event.  No volunteer is going to travel any further than an hour to an hour and a half to get to an event.  MAYBE two if it’s a great one.  Any more than that, and it’s not worth the drive or time.  Two hours one way?  You’re talking four hours in the car.  That’s a lot.  With young girls, I might add.  SERENITY NOW!  So in turn, guess who has to take up the slack for local programming?  The service unit led by retired leaders?  Nope, those people are gone.  Without the support system of seasoned volunteers, you’re putting a crushing load of work on the SU team who’s just attempting to keep their head above water with their own girls.

Nostalgia Central!
Nostalgia Central!

Back to the warm and fuzzies.  “Adult volunteers were craving the same warm and fuzzy feelings from Girl Scouting that they got when they were children.”  Well of course they were craving it!  Ever taken a marketing class?  Warm and fuzzies sell!  Shows like The Wonder Years and 80s radio stations LIVE by the retro hook.  But when you change things so drastically, you just make things a lot harder on yourself.  The continuity is gone, and since that tie is no longer there, it’s easier for people to walk out the door – never to return.  I daresay many volunteers are drawn to Girl Scouts BECAUSE of the warm and fuzzies that they have from their memories of being a Girl Scout while growing up!  You’re being completely shortsighted and foolish by not using it as a positive tool and instead using it as a scapegoat.

The girls pick up on it too.  If you don’t believe me, watch me bring my patch blanket with all of my badges and patches from the 80s.  My troop loves it, and they ask me to bring it to a meeting from time to time.  I brought it with me to our service unit’s summer camp (run by a “retired leader,” I might add) and the girls went nuts over it.  During the camp, we earned a retired badge that was around when I was a girl.  I showed them the badge on my patch blanket.  They couldn’t believe it!  They asked, “And we’re doing it too?”  When I tell them they are about to participate in something that’s been done for decades, you can see how it affects their perspective.  They become part of the big family that’s been around for over a hundred years.  And I don’t care what anyone says, everybody wants to be part of a big family and feel like they are engaging in something important regardless of their age.  We’re cheating girls by not giving this gift to them.

Cloninger said it herself about how tradition is a huge strength by being “a longtime source of strength and bonding for our volunteers and girls.”  But hey, let’s throw that out the window.  And to add insult to injury, let’s promote a disdainful attitude toward it.  It’s ironic that all of this happened during our centennial celebration.

But wait!  Cloninger ends the book by asking all Girl Scout alumnae to “phone home” which really means, “Bring your checkbook.”  Yes, “phone home,” but don’t bring any of those old-timey traditions with you!

Flag ceremony? What's that?
Flag ceremony? What’s that?

Seriously, I’d love to know the specific reasons why Cloninger felt that tradition was holding us back.  The world is ALWAYS changing.  So Girl Scouts all of a sudden has a problem with flexibility?  A whole HECK of a lot has happened in our world and culture since 1912.  A LOT.  Do I really need to list the large societal upheavals that changed history in the 20th century?  And now all of a sudden it’s an issue?  Why is that?  Could it be that the ones in charge didn’t want to even try to creatively bridge the past and the future?  Perhaps they wanted to put their own stamp on the program?  Were they threatened by tradition and felt like it would overshadow their own legacy?  In other words, they tossed tradition out for egotistical purposes?  I’ve personally found that to be the case more often times than not.  Ego and pride can easily masquerade itself with grand statements and flashy promises.  Maybe the problem isn’t the tradition itself but the inflexibility and insecurity of the people in charge.

Cloninger felt that traditions were causing us to be “pushed by the past instead of being pulled by the future.”  For what it’s worth, I think the Girl Scout movement will move along even faster if we’re pushed by the past AND pulled by the future at the same time.

Addendum 6/17/16:  In this blog post, I wondered why Cloninger felt tradition was holding us back.  Apparently at some point the phrase “unhealthy devotion to traditions” went around the block during this restructuring process.  I asked on a FB group where that was referenced, and someone provided a presentation that was given at a 2008 CEO summit.  The complete phrase was “There is unhealthy devotion to traditions on standards, uniforms, and awards.”  I’d have to have more in-depth explanation of what was meant by that statement and how management felt that was holding us back before commenting.

8 COMMENTS :

  1. By Elizabeth Sheppard on

    I totally agree! We need to start offering classes for new leaders like we used to. Think: Girl Scout History, Girl Scout Ceremonies, and lots more. We need a new Leader book that includes these things and much more.

    AND we need Staff and Volunteers joining together for leadership AND tradition weekends. We still have some adults who remember what can be GREAT traditions that bond all Members together. Why not use them?

    Some councils ARE still using them. That is a plus. Let’s bring the Alumnae back, not just for money donations, but to show us the road ahead, which MUST include both our wonderful traditions AND move us forward. We need more representation on National Committees and in planning our Official Program. We also must require more communication between National and our Councils, between Staff and Volunteers, between everyone who is a Girl Scout.

    The GSUSA official “More Than S’Mores” study was a shocker to many, I think. We all saw here that Girl Scout girls DO want to get outdoors and camp, AND have adventures – – along with learning Leadership and more. And it’s so good for them, physically and emotionally, as proved by many MODERN studies and evidence. So Juliette Low was ahead of her time. We knew that. And still do know that.

    I say, let’s not give up on our Movement. Let’s showcase ALL of our great traditions – – singing, games, ceremonies, and everything fun – – and NOT be ashamed of these. They matter! They bind all Girl Scouts together in a way nothing else ever could. They have great meaning to all of our Members. And those who don’t know about them, can ask to find out more.

    I’ll be reading this posting again. I agree with it so much. Many Member-Volunteers, and also Staff Members are realizing that we must do something to stop the decline of membership and volunteers. And also to bridge that great chasm that now exists between us. That chasm was not only there. So it CAN be bridged.

    Who is in charge of the Girl Scout Movement? We are! We have a LOT of power to make change, as part of a Democratic Process that is built into our Movement.

    And quoting from the official Constitution of Girl Scouts of the United States of America:

    “The ultimate responsibility for the Girl Scout Movement rests with its members. We govern by an efficient and effective democratic process that demonstrates our leadership in a fast-changing world.”

    I say, let’s all Take Action at the 2017 National Council Session in Columbus, Ohio, October 4-7, 2017. We hope to have some Official Proposals and at least one Discussion Proposal there. Go, Girl Scouting!

    Reply
    1. By Elizabeth Sheppard on

      . Many Staff Members had lots of Volunteer experience too. At one time, ALL Members of Girl Scouting worked together for the good of the Movement. We need that feeling and constructive working together back. Let’s have trainings at Macy again! Let’s have many Members – both Staff and Volunteers – coming up with ideas and being on committees together. It’s a win-win…

      Reply
    2. By Jeannie Meadows on

      As an Alumnae of Girl Scouts of 35 years I was treated the past 2 years with very much disrespect. My girls who are 19 and 12 grew up in Girl Scouts. My 19 decided it was not worth it anymore because it became more about the awards and who sold what or who was put in the paper more than the true meaning of scouts. My youngest daughter and I have decided last year to step away from Girl Scouts because the tradition no longer matters. It became more of schooling then hand out to the community. It is more of popularity than teaching every girl grow. I would love for a traditional scouting not to come back. No one would listen to my concerns at a council level or service unit level. I believe of 35 years I was with Girl Scouts my voice mattered but it did’nt.

      Reply
  2. By Elizabeth Sheppard on

    I am so sorry to hear about that… I hope that you can come back someday. Your experience and wisdom are much needed to help bring Girl Scouting back to its roots and back to the true meaning of the Girl Scout Sisterhood. I hope you will consider it. Thank you for sharing that… I believe the Tradition DOES still matter. We all must work hard to really bring it back. My take.

    Reply
  3. By Jim Franklin on

    I can look at Girl Scouts as an outsider, but one who watched another beloved organization almost destroy itself trying to “modernize” while doing away with many aspects of its programming which attracted potential members. Before it was finally discarded, there was a loss of 40% of the membership. Unless changes are made and made rapidly, Girl Scouts is headed down that same path.

    Girl Scouting has a rich history, one which offers a tie to the many members who have gone before and who can share their knowledge, experience and, yes, wisdom, with current leaders and the GIRLS. After all, who is more important than the GIRLS?

    The lure of “new and hip” seems to have lured the current leadership into thinking that girls want the flashiest stuff, all the bling, with no need to ever be uncomfortable due to temperature or weather. That couldn’t be farther from the truth.

    Given the opportunity, most of our girls choose the Outdoors, camping, hiking and developing a bond with their troop-mates. No, they don’t realize yet how important it will be 30 years from now to be able to point to someone and say “I met her at camp in 2016!”, but just listen to the “retired leaders” talk about that very thing and you will know it is important.

    What a great link to the Girl Scouts of the past, to be able to sit in the places they sat, hike the trails and learn some of the same skills. Unless we act now, with this opportunity before us in choosing a new CEO and making program changes that really matter, more camps will close and our membership will shrink further.

    So, let’s band together and make every effort to have maximum impact on this process and thus on Girl Scouting, for the present and, more importantly, for the future!

    Reply
  4. By Sandra Dent on

    I actually took it as a measure of pride that I believed in many of the Girl Scout traditions. I never saw them as a barrier to change, rather as a bridge between generations.

    So when some of the employees started to tell the the membership and other employees that “There is unhealthy devotion to traditions on standards, uniforms, and awards.”

    Well! Better a devotion to tradition than to throw EVERYTHING out as trash.

    Reply
  5. By Shelley on

    As a former, and now current volunteer I wondered what happened. I had been a troop leader, service unit member and trainer for the years my girls were in scouts. I even was a staff member for 5 years. Then I took a break until my granddaughter needed a leader. So once again I jumped in to a leader role. Boy was I surprised by the chances! (I was also a Girl Scout as a child.)
    The old traditions are gone, ones we loved and remember to this day. Camping has become Troop Beverly Hills. It’s now all about leadership and stereotypes, like women are still nothing in today’s world. I don’t know where they get this because I see women in everything! It’s like those who write these programs are still living in the past and can’t see the present. The program is too much like school for the girls and they hate it, so we leaders must adapt.
    I remember when I first started as a leader the entire council staff was fired and a revamping was done. Why? Because paid staff was doing everything and this was supposed to be a volunteer lead, volunteer driving program. Only then did volunteers get to step up and start sharing their skills and experience with others. We loved it! And you know what, so did the girls. They got to experience events run by volunteers, including girls, and they set their goals to do the same thing! That’s what our troop did – they wanted to run events for other girls and had a blast doing so.
    But they didn’t stop there, we did lots of outdoor program including backpacking the Grand Canyon twice, canoeing, camping, and some went on Wider Ops focused on the outdoors. They provided service to agencies giving their TIME, not money. Now the entire “service” focus is about raising money and donating it to other agencies, no longer about giving your time to help.
    There is no support from anyone any longer. I feel sorry for the new leader. I at least have my past (guess that’s a bad word) to draw from. Too many programs today rely on outside agencies and business providing the activities, and at great cost to the troop – which we cannot afford. The money we earn from cookies doesn’t last beyond 1-2 local activities and wasn’t even enough to be able to take the girls to summer camp because of the increase in cost in even that.
    I’m glad I saw this article. It sheds some light on what happened during my absence.

    Reply
    1. By GS-Amy (Post author) on

      Thanks for your comments. It’s interesting that you bring up living in the past, because that is something I am covering in my blog post about this book.

      Reply

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