› Forums › Geocaching in Wisconsin › Off Topic › Thread Stealers With Too Much On Their Minds
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huffinpuffin2.
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01/26/2018 at 8:27 am #2057618
This seems like the perfect place to post this since it’s about anything and everything, geocaching and non-geocaching alike. I’ve never been very vocal on forums because I don’t find much use for them. A lot of the times posts are made and after a couple of statements on the topic, it takes a terrible turn and the questions of the original OP are lost. This thread is a great idea because it gives people the opportunity to deviate from a topic and no one says much about it. Random chatter that everyone seems to enjoy. I personally would rather have face to face engagement with people. Not that I hate technology, but I like people…at least I do until they give me a reason not to.
That being said, I’ve felt a little disappointed recently. As much as I’ve been trying to get along with everyone and make decisions in the best way I can, I can’t help but feel criticised by some discussions I’ve seen on the forums of this page. In a single year, I have found that the opinions towards the board of directors varies greatly. I’ve been indirectly called a glorified event planner. I’ve heard that we don’t do enough to support the needs of members that want more events. I’ve also heard that we are too involved in events and the membership needs to be more involved. I take it personally when someone tells me that I’m not doing my job right when there isn’t a defined direction to the job. Our organization has a mission to promote geocaching and the preservation of our wonderful playground known as the State of Wisconsin. That mission is realized through events that bring together like minded people. Our organization isn’t the events, it’s the people at those events. If keyboard commandos want to criticise how I’m doing my job, they are more than welcome to help me. There isn’t much of a surprise to how and when events are held, volunteers are welcome at each and every one. You may be told that there isn’t anything that needs done and you should enjoy the event, or someone may ask you to watch the grill so someone can take a short break. It’s not about what you do to help the organization, it’s that you want to that makes a difference.
I was told in my first hour of work today that I was very approachable, and it was a welcome change to some other people in my department…funny, not many people in this organization have approached me. I’m willing to listen to ideas and work with people bringing those ideas, but to be criticised from afar is not going to make me value those opinions.
It’s election time, and if the current board isn’t taking the WGA in the direction you want to see it go, here’s your opportunity to change that. I understand that when I’m up for reelection I don’t get voted back onto the board, another person is more qualified than I am to help lead our organization, but it won’t be because I didn’t try my hardest to make Wisconsin a great place to play. I just hope that the opinions of a few don’t discourage others from trying to make our organization the best it can be.
My posts should in no way be considered as the views or opinions of the WGA or its Board of Directors. All posts made under my name are my personal opinions only.
01/26/2018 at 8:44 am #2057619Thanks Zeeman clan for your statement. As far as people approaching you, the difference might be that your coworkers deal with you face to face where we don’t.
The buck stops here. . .and gets entered into Where's George.
Where's George? Stimulating the economy one EMS'ed dollar at a time.
01/26/2018 at 9:46 am #2057620Feels like I haven’t posted on here in forever. Haven’t found a cache since 1/1 either.
The best sig is no sig.
01/26/2018 at 10:01 am #2057621As far as people approaching you, the difference might be that your coworkers deal with you face to face where we don’t.
Very valid point. Since being elected, I’ve made it a point to engage with others in the organization whom I wouldn’t normally approach. It was a little out of my comfort zone at first, but I had to realize we are just geocachers out having a good time. I would feel flattered if someone were to come up to me at an event and tell me they were enjoying it, or even to tell me that it was the worst event that they had been to. It’s feedback to help me do my job better. If someone didn’t feel comfortable in a face to face, I wouldn’t mind an email, they’re available on the website, and I would be able to make it a point to talk to that person face to face about their thoughts and concerns the next time I see them. The bottom line is that I want to feel that the members are engaged in what we are doing, not complaining that we are falling short of their expectations. I know it may be a long process, but I would like to find ways that allow everyone to participate in the WGA in the capacity that they feel comfortable. Ideas like this are constantly being discussed, but there are times when you have to make mistakes in order to find the right idea. I know members have good ideas, I want to hear them.
My posts should in no way be considered as the views or opinions of the WGA or its Board of Directors. All posts made under my name are my personal opinions only.
01/26/2018 at 4:55 pm #2057624I hear you, zeeman clan. Keep in kind that you may see co-workers 4 or 5 times a week (200 days a year) going by your given name. After a few encounters, they “know you” by who you are.
Compare that to seeing members 2 or 4 times a year(at events) who don’t know that your on the BOD or if you are a volunteer helping out. It takes effort for the members to ‘click’ the BOD link, then figure out from a picture which Director looks the “friendliest”, then wait for a WGA Event to voice their concerns.
I felt the same way when I served on the BODs, but I also took it upon myself to be proactive in asking as many members as possible (face to face, at events) if they had any concerns. I also pm’d members around the state that couldn’t make it to events about any ways we could help out in their geographic area. We also reached out to the geocachers of Minnesota to include them in our campout at Interstate SP. The most important aspect of being on the BODs is listening to the members. Perhaps, one day, the members will be able to post poll and survey questions on the website, so the BODs can accurately gauge the will of the membership instead of hoping for the best, based on the opinions and actions of 9 people.
(I suppose I could have talked to you about this at the next WGA Event, but, since it is fresh in my head right now, and I’m not sure what curves life will throw at me in the coming weeks, I appreciate having the WGA website to communicate my cares and concerns.)
01/26/2018 at 5:12 pm #2057625And before BigJim notices…
Yeah, that “work” thing got in the way of my useless driveling. Headed to Lake Geneva this weekend for a Space Science workshop for teachers at Yerkes Observatory. Hope to grab a few caches while I’m there, too. Oh, and all the snow and ice melted off the panels on the garage, and most of it off the panels on the house. Now we just need some sunshine so that we can generate some watts.
All opinions, comments, and useless drivel I post are mine alone and do not reflect the opinions of the WGA BOD.
01/26/2018 at 9:19 pm #2057626I’ll be going to Winterfest on Broadway tomorrow afternoon, along with the GC event I’m hosting. I hope to have a good turnout for the event.
The buck stops here. . .and gets entered into Where's George.
Where's George? Stimulating the economy one EMS'ed dollar at a time.
01/27/2018 at 7:24 am #2057627FTP for Saturday the 27th.
Happy birthday to my sister that doesn’t geocache OR visit this website.
(That should be enough for her…)
01/27/2018 at 7:26 pm #2057628Second to post for today. It’s already almost half past 7 in the evening, where is everybody?
The buck stops here. . .and gets entered into Where's George.
Where's George? Stimulating the economy one EMS'ed dollar at a time.
01/28/2018 at 8:08 am #2057633FTP for Sunday, the first day of WGA voting for BODs!
01/28/2018 at 9:03 am #2057634Has everyone attended an event this weekend yet? I know there are a couple today, and I hosted one yesterday.
The buck stops here. . .and gets entered into Where's George.
Where's George? Stimulating the economy one EMS'ed dollar at a time.
01/28/2018 at 10:06 pm #2057635Yep, got my souvenir.
All opinions, comments, and useless drivel I post are mine alone and do not reflect the opinions of the WGA BOD.
01/28/2018 at 10:58 pm #2057636I’m wondering if this will be the last to post for today. It’s okay if it’s not, because we all got our souvenirs for the weekend. Now we can all plan out next events and possible cache finds for when all the craphas melts.
The buck stops here. . .and gets entered into Where's George.
Where's George? Stimulating the economy one EMS'ed dollar at a time.
01/29/2018 at 3:41 am #2057637No souvenir for me, but I will combine this page’s LTP and today’s FTP.
01/29/2018 at 3:44 am #2057638And I’ll take the palindromic :ftp: as well, since I haven’t FTP’d in a while.
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