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Flexibility/Adaptability- from Scouting I’ve learned to be flexible. Schedules and weather don’t always go as planned, and sometimes you just need to change on the fly. From Relay For Life (American Cancer Association) events, projectors can break down, one of the luminaria candles can catch its paper bag on fire…you adapt, play a game, quench the fire, and move on!
Working with Everyone – in my job, I work with everyone from the Assemblers in my Factory, to the Receivers/Shippers in my Distribution Center, to my Sales folks, to Finance…I don’t get stuck on “just doing my job”, I keep in mind the Customer at the end of the line who is waiting for the product and do what it takes to get it to them.
Creativity – similar to flexing/adapting, being able to be creative really helps whether setting up events when it is windy, figuring out how to help hide a variety of caches, or any other time that everything doesn’t conform exactly to how the plan was in your head. I like doing puzzles, and taking a situation and making the best of it is just another type of puzzle.
Experience/Knowledge from last 2 years – I really think that the last 2 years on the Board have really helped me learn for the position. I wish I’d volunteered more beforehand, so that I would have had a better idea of the processes.
Planning – I am a Planner/Scheduler for my work. I take the Customer Sales Orders and convert them into work orders for the Factory. As part of this, I am always thinking in the short term, to make sure that there are parts available, people scheduled, and shipping lined up. But I also need to focus on the longer term, to set up the logistics of parts/people/shipping as a constant but flexing flow. It doesn’t do us any good to have 2 of the 3 available, anything we are missing breaks the chain. The same thing goes for the BOD. We focus on the next upcoming event but have to start thinking about the event 6 months from now to reserve the Park shelters.
jodibee
Views expressed here are my own and do not necessarily represent that of the WGA Board of Directors.
My first reaction was Stubbornness and Stubbornness!
My strength is the Stubbornness of Perseverance/Adaptability. I keep going, no matter the struggles. As a descendent of a long line of farmers, I think it’s in my genetics! I just see challenges to work around or over. I like to finish once I begin something. When I travel, I like to learn some of the language of the country I visit. I listen to CDs or online, and at least learn numbers and common words like train, train station, room, etc. When I get to the new country, I often panic at hearing the rapid speaking of the natives, but once I calm down, my stubbornness kicks in and I can generally get to the hotel and find our room.
My weakness of Stubbornness is more Obstinance. I can dig in and get stuck. But, since I tend to listen to others’ points of view, I can generally get out of the rut when someone presents a good argument or point of view. An example of this is from work. I realized that we were being charged for the raw material and the finishing process by a vendor instead of just the finishing process. I brought this up for nearly a year before telling my boss that that was enough time beating my head up against a wall, and I let it go. When the new year started, one of the legal team working on the new pricing contract remembered my argument and put in pricing for just the finish process. I was pretty excited to have been proven correct, but even happier that I let it go for my own mental health!
jodibee
Views expressed here are my own and do not necessarily represent that of the WGA Board of Directors.
I’ve always found it to be most successful to invite people personally. Often, if you put out a blast or post on social media, you will get a few people. But people really like to be asked directly, too. Don’t get me wrong, group posts will often get interest from someone you don’t know or didn’t realize had an interest…but if they are thinking about it, and someone asks directly, it may just be the nudge for which they were waiting.
jodibee
Views expressed here are my own and do not necessarily represent that of the WGA Board of Directors.
At work and on committees that I’ve been a part of, I’ve found that if I listen to the people who seem the most contradictory to me, we often are working for the same goals and just need to find a common ground. Sometimes it is as simple as a misunderstanding that can be cleared up by listening and then stating that perhaps I was unclear, and re-phrasing my ideas. Other times, their ideas are an approach that I hadn’t considered.
Several years ago, I was on my local Relay For Life committee (American Cancer Society fundraiser). The theme we were considering was birthday related, and I thought that it was kind of silly and hard to decorate around. But, once we started working on it, things just fell into place…a bakery offered to supply a cake, the high school pep band played “Happy Birthday” and balloons everywhere were highly appropriate! Despite my initial concerns, it worked out beautifully. Going along with the group consensus ended up being a great experience and a wonderful event.
jodibee
Views expressed here are my own and do not necessarily represent that of the WGA Board of Directors.
I have always felt that the 1st 6 months of any job/volunteer opportunity, you are busy trying to figure things out, find out from whom to ask questions, and learn the details. In the second 6 months, you know who to ask, a lot of the background, and you are starting to make some moves that matter. Then, you spend the 2nd year making it your own. I feel like I’ve gotten a good forward motion going and would like to carry on.
jodibee
Views expressed here are my own and do not necessarily represent that of the WGA Board of Directors.
Hi BeccaDay,
Sure! You can most certainly do a Geocaching 101 class at the library. Do you have enough materials or do you want to borrow one of the WGA Geo 101 boards? If you want to borrow one, we’ll have to figure out when you need it, which one is closest to you, etc.
Please let us know!
Jodi
jodibee
Views expressed here are my own and do not necessarily represent that of the WGA Board of Directors.
When I first started geocaching, I was up a bit North in Minnesota with my family for a Christmas week. I went out caching one day, and met 2 guys hiking along a snowmobile trail, one with a shovel and one with a broom. I said, “you’re either geocachers, or have a body to bury”. They laughed and asked if I’d found the one at the nearby Welcome sign. I hadn’t (no broom, no shovel), so we worked together to find it. As we chatted, they told me that they were working on getting the one guy to 1000 finds. I said that I only had 12 finds so far, and they pointed out to me that everyone starts out with their first find! Then they showed me a Chirp, gave me my first trackable, and explained what to do with it. So, I’ve always tried to be mindful of everyone’s unique journey. I have friends who started caching before me and have fewer finds. Others who have been caching far fewer years, but circumstances have allowed them to find thousands more. It’s different for everyone.
The best/most fun option I’ve found is having Geocaching 101 events. It’s great to be able to explain the basics to people, families and kids! I would love to be able to sponsor or somehow support more events in Wisconsin that give newbie cachers, or even veterans, more skills and ideas. I live near the WI/MN border, so I attend some MN events. A while back, someone hosted an event that covered some of the technical topics, like using GSAK (yeah, I had no idea what that was at the time!), geocachingtoolbox.com, and some of the other websites out there. It’s always amazing to me when I’m chatting to someone, and I find out new ways to explore geocaching. That’s what I want to continue promoting.
jodibee
Views expressed here are my own and do not necessarily represent that of the WGA Board of Directors.
Oops! Checking to see if I’d answered all the questions, and I noticed that I missed this one!
When working with Scouts with Special Needs, I learned patience and listening skills – not everyone (myself included) is always quick and articulate to answer or make decisions. I’ve learned to make sure that the quieter people are given a chance to speak. When working at a camp, I put out a few temporary caches and walked around with the Scouts to find them. One of the participants was walking near me, so I asked what they thought about geocaching. He quietly said “this would be really fun at night” …so the next year, I put out Night Caches! Okay, we might have nearly lost a few campers in the swamp when they turned right instead of left…but it made for some great stories!
Being on the Leadership Team for Relay For Life has taught me a great deal about working as a team and getting others to help you. Rarely do we have times where a decision goes in a way that I don’t like, but one year the theme we voted in was “celebrating more birthdays”. Honestly, I thought it was a bit lame, and wasn’t sure how we were going to tie it in to décor and games. But we started off with a giant birthday cake and party hats, and the whole thing came together beautifully. In the end, I was glad that I hadn’t been negative about it, and gladly pitched in to help build the excitement.
I also volunteer with a group that helps with Golf Tournament fundraising. From that, I’ve learned to roll with the punches. If it’s rainy, make sure there are umbrellas. If the programs are wrong, help put stickers on them with corrected data. If a celebrity gets sent to the wrong hole, use humor to get everyone involved in moving them over to the right spot. If there’s beer at the end of the event, volunteer to take it home in your cooler (this really works)!!! Rarely is there an event with no surprises, but by keeping a sense of humor and a willingness to flex, almost everything can be fixed.
jodibee
Views expressed here are my own and do not necessarily represent that of the WGA Board of Directors.
Now that’s just a cruel question…like asking someone which is their favorite child/grandchild/niece or nephew! I will admit that periodically I have had to wait to award a favorite point to a great cache, because I am out of accumulated points. If I enjoy a cache due to location, experience or creativity, I like to give a fave point.
I love cemetery caches, so I will give a nod to WSQ: Old Stockholm Cemetery GC1PFEP (archived) which had some very unique features including a metal gate with pineapple finials (“welcome” in a cemetery???), a metal obelisk headstone, and a memorial rock that the grandchildren dedicated to their grandpa where he “sat…and read stories to his children in the early 1900’s”. Plus, it was an adventure trek with my mom, muddajay!
Another option would be many of the caches I’ve found while traveling outside of the US. As one friend pointed out, you can pretty much plan a trip to a country by aiming for oldest and top favorite point caches…those generally cover everything you ought to see. I’ve visited Mayan ruins, Viennese subterranean restrooms, castles, Galapagos islands…everything unique, everything interesting, and it always amuses me when they are hidden basically in plain sight!
But, if I had to pick just one top favorite point, I have to admit that when anyone from my area who is new to caching asks me for a recommendation, I tell them to go for The Sword In The Stone GC27N0W. It is simple in execution, but brilliant in concept. While doing it, muddajay asked “are you closing your eyes?”. Yes, I was. I was “becoming one with the sword”! Again, half the fun of the adventure was sharing it with Mom.
Thanks for the question, and the stroll down memory lane!
jodibee
Views expressed here are my own and do not necessarily represent that of the WGA Board of Directors.
My initial reaction to this is my perseverance. When I am trying to achieve a goal/finish a task, I absolutely stick to the task. At one point in my job, I took on a position temporarily, because it had to be done and no one else would do it. Every time I met my boss in the hallway, I asked if he had hired my replacement yet. He told me I was like a chihuahua…latching on until I got the answer I wanted! In the end, they brought someone to the position who had skills that complimented mine, and she and I worked together to transition the team over from me to her, and were highly successful. She and I are friends today, based on the teamwork and trust we built. In my current job, I still am the one that people come to when they need an advocate to help them resolve a problem.
Another skill that I really enjoy using is education. I love having Geocaching 101 events, encouraging others to learn about geocaching, putting out puzzle caches that teach cachers how to solve puzzles (and hopefully, get them to not ignore puzzles on the map!), and always answering questions from cachers about how to solve any puzzles. I get questions periodically from cachers outside of the area that see that I’ve solved nearby caches (including ones in MN), requesting a hint…I love giving them a hint or 2 to nudge them along the way…and waiting for them to have the AHA! moment…that is the best!
jodibee
Views expressed here are my own and do not necessarily represent that of the WGA Board of Directors.
I started geocaching when I was working with Scouts with Special Needs (I was helping a nephew with SN, who has since gotten his Eagle!). I was supposed to take a class pertinent to my position as an ADC (Assistant District Commissioner). But the class was full, so I looked to see what other classes were available…Orienteering? Interesting. Geocaching? Okay.
I loved the classes! Turned out to be a perfect mix of characteristics that I have: willingness to adventure, enjoyment of nature, puzzle solving, persistence, etc. That’s what I love most about Caching. It isn’t one dimensional. You can work physically, mentally and emotionally…that mix of “I got this!” and “I can’t believe it took so long.” Always challenging and entertaining. I think that this blend of interests will help me to be a good board member.
jodibee
Views expressed here are my own and do not necessarily represent that of the WGA Board of Directors.
My first reaction to the subject was “Cool! Where are we going?!?” 😊
I hate driving, so I will only take the wheel if I must. I love navigating and maps (might be why I was drawn to geocaching?), so I will always volunteer to ride shotgun. I take that spot seriously, and consider it an obligation to keep the driver awake, entertained and heading the right way. Should I mention that my motto when travelling is “we’re not lost, we’re adventuring!?!”
jodibee
Views expressed here are my own and do not necessarily represent that of the WGA Board of Directors.
Hi silyngufy,
I personally like committees. I think it is a great way to take a concept, get people with a “horse in the race” to discuss options, and come back to the BOD with suggestions and recommendations. Many of the groups I volunteer with would get bogged down in the discussions if we didn’t split off a committee to explore the topic. And I think that if the BOD sanctions a committee to give recommendations, it would be foolish not listen to their advice!
jodibee
Views expressed here are my own and do not necessarily represent that of the WGA Board of Directors.
Hi amita17,
Haha…should I admit here that I don’t balance my checkbook, so anything financial would not be in my wheelhouse? But then, that is why my husband does the bills and I do computer stuff. We each have different skills and put them to use to provide the best outcome for the team. I think that is the same for the BOD. Everyone comes in with different skills and specialties, and that is what makes the team function well.
jodibee
Views expressed here are my own and do not necessarily represent that of the WGA Board of Directors.
LOL, just saw that the title of this section was “Failure”! I guess I don’t always think of not being on the upside of a vote as a “failure”. Sometimes it’s just a challenge to your perceptions, and an opportunity to grow and expand your understanding!
jodibee
Views expressed here are my own and do not necessarily represent that of the WGA Board of Directors.
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