Some Serious Reporting

This serious group of girls had a seriously great opportunity ... and even though it has taken me a while to get up a post about it, it's still one of my favorite moments. 

Tulsa Shock graciously worked with us on a BIG event where girls had the opportunity to experience different roles through the night.  I brought in a good friend of mine who is a real reporter and journalist to lead and inspire the girls.  Not only did he do that, but he was able to get them an interview with the coach after the game!

This is what makes my heart so soft ... people who volunteer simply by sharing their skills and abilities, making a new opportunity open up for girls.  I don't know if they realized how lucky they were, but they took full advantage of the moment!  I was so impressed.  They asked not only great questions, but GUTSY questions!  One, in fact, made the other reporters in the room gasp and scribble in their notebooks, too.  But even better than that, they made the coach's day and she encouraged them as well.

One young lady submitted her story to the Girl Scout Council, so we put it up online and you can read all about it (including her gutsy question) by clicking here.

My Daughter's Feet

I have to laugh sometimes ... my daughter has her own sense of style. Ballet and socks? Not to mention neon leopard purposely "matched" with a solid?

Her little anklet made me think of summer camp. Replace the pointe shoes with tennis shoes and she could be at camp. Then again, replace the pointe shoes with flats and she could be at school. Put them in boots and she's on horseback. The interests of girls can be wide and sweeping, but they are always bringing their personality into their world as it expands. And that makes the world beautiful and interesting.

Naturally, that's another part of Girl Scouting I love. It gives girls opportunities to experience and explore. And ultimately, by building courage, confidence and character, it brings out the unique leader in all ... even leaders in mis-matched leopard socks!

Growing Up A Girl (Scout)

Remembering moments with my daughter makes me think about how fast time is flying through our fingers. This photo seems like yesterday ... but it was taken over a year ago.

Today as I picked her up from the airport after her annual summer visitation in Ohio, she wasn't in cowboy boots. She was in Converse with black leggings and a tuft of a tulle skirt sporting a band tee and feathers in her hair (all the rage now).

It was likely her last trip as an unaccompanied minor. It means that she's be jet setting on her own now. It also means that I'm not ready to watch her grow up much more!

But it will happen. Ready or not, I'm a mother of a young girl growing into a young woman. Thankfully, I'll have a string of opportunities this year to be part of the adventure (some near, some from afar) as she takes those steps - not only as a girl, but as a Girl Scout.

In a world full of questions and environments that are so different than my own when I grew up, I am thankful for the steady path of Girl Scouting: courage, confidence, character, and making the world a better place. It's a legacy and a future wrapped into the adventures she and her Girl Scout friends are creating today - and she doesn't even realize it!

And, admittedly, I feel weak as I face the future. But the sense of community I'm growing in as a mother of a Girl Scout is something that strengthens me. We can grow together here. And that thought makes me smile.

Character Is A Choice

What I think is unique about character is that it doesn't have to be an inborn trait. It can be taught, learned, embraced and expanded. There is no underlying fundamental talent that is needed for character to take root in a person's life. You don't have to have a "green thumb" to make it bloom and grow. Ultimately, it is a choice.

(For anyone really interested in my long train of thought ... feel free to keep reading. These are just thoughts that have traveled through my mind. No professional or personal platforms are intended. I was simply energized by the thoughts a book had sparked and wanted to capture it while it was fresh.)

Late last night, I started reading Delivering Happiness by the CEO of Zappos, Tony Hsieh. I wasn't expecting to do anything more than just enjoy another perspective. But at page 159, I had to stop and capture a few thoughts as it relates to "corporate culture" of Girl Scouts.

The first solid thought came from a discussion of core values and if they are truly meaningful. Can people name them or the company mission? Can people live them? I truly believe the Girl Scout mission is a catalyst because it's what I envision for my daughter ...

"Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place."

How about in the workplace? I had always had a blind embrace of it as an employee with more of an arm's length view - it was what we were doing for the girls. But today I started thinking. How does our mission affect the professional work environment? While all three "C's" seem like prerequisites with a view to making the world (and our work environment) a better place, character seemed to be the number one element that I see affecting our own "corporate culture."

We may be actively making the world a better place ...
We may be courageous and confident in what we are doing ...
But are we embracing character? Are we transparent? Do we own our own mistakes? Do we talk behind the backs of others? Do we disagree and sabotage? Do we bottle up frustrations? Do we circumvent due process? Do we really respect one another? Better yet, do we truly respect authority? Or are we satisfied with tolerating and venting when we come to roadblocks? Do we collaborate to solve issues? Do we put ourselves aside for the progress of our collective abilities to serve girls and volunteers? Do we have an open forum both personally and professionally? And do we still honor others with what is said behind closed doors?

Then I read an excerpt on page 158:

"Integrity was a value that had been suggested by some employees, but I made a conscious choice to leave it out. I felt that integrity would come from us actually committing to and living up to our core values in everything we did, not just referring to them when it was convenient."

I've had that thought in the Girl Scout world before when it comes to leadership and self-esteem (it comes organically through opportunities to exercise the mission) ... but I had not thought about it in terms of our mission specifically. My mind immediately went to the Girl Scout Promise and Law. Character is much like integrity ... it is a value that comes from us actually committing to and living up to the Promise and Law, our "core values" if you will.

The Girl Scout Promise

On my honor, I will try:

To serve God and my country,

To help people at all times,

And to live by the Girl Scout Law.

The Girl Scout Law

I will do my best to be

honest and fair,

friendly and helpful,

considerate and caring,

courageous and strong, and

responsible for what I say and do,

and to

respect myself and others,

respect authority,

use resources wisely,

make the world a better place, and

be a sister to every Girl Scout.

Let's be honest (and fair) ... we are certainly human. There are days where exhaustion can take over and it's hard to be friendly or helpful. Situations arise and depending on the reactions, one more negative outburst can drain the last reserves. Considerate and caring responses can become feigned, a burden, or simply non-existent.

So what do we do? How do we respect ourselves and our limits while respecting others and authority? Maybe it is summed up in our last three lines ...

1) Use resources wisely. Whether personal resources, company resources, material resources ... it all applies. Do I have enough internal bandwidth to address a challenging situation within the ideals of our Girl Scout Law? If not, maybe I need to evaluate my resources ... gain understanding, get a fresh perspective, identify solutions and what we have or need to address it, and when better prepared, have that open discussion to make something positive happen.

2) Make the world a better place. Am I contributing to my world? My world can be a variety of elements - work culture, family, community, etc. If I am about to tear something down, is it with the aim of making it a better? Identifying the purpose within each action is huge in my mind. And in this case it's the guideline to know if it's a candidate to be part of the mission or not.

3) Lastly ... be a sister to every Girl Scout. What does this really mean? I'm not sure that I'm the best one to even attempt a description. I never had a sister! But I always wished I had one and frequently imagined what life would be like with a sister. I wanted someone to share life with on a daily and continuing basis. So what do sisters do in my daydream? Work together, play together, help each other, be honest even when it hurts, apologize when relationships go awry, and ultimately know that we're in it for the long haul. A sister is forever.

Girl Scouts ... Not Just For Girls

I remember walking into a room of incarcerated women who were waiting to meet their daughters for a very non-traditional Girl Scout troop meeting. Hidden behind the crowd of children were two - a brother and sister - there for the first time. The room quickly filled with chatter and hugs as children were reconnecting with their mothers. But one moment stood out above the others. To hear a mother's emotion filled sobs echoed by her children as they embrace for the first time in years shook me to the core. A Girl Scout, a "tagalong" sibling, and an incarcerated mother ... all joined together and working toward hope. That's powerful.

Reaching out into a girl's life affects far more than just the young girl. I'm thinking about her connections in the world ... and they are significant. Imagine being able to inject courage, confidence and character into her relationships. How would that affect her mother? Her brother? Her schoolmates? Her teachers? Her mentors?

We often talk about the change Girl Scouting makes in the life of a girl, but we don't always talk about the change it can make in the lives of those connected to her. But the impact is exponential.

I remember interviewing a Girl Scout volunteer who is a school employee. As she told stories that went from troop to camp to schoolyard, we laughed and cried together ... and I was humbled by the amazing circle of impact I heard just through one voice.

I remember being introduced to a woman who talked about how Girl Scouting was as much for her as it was for her daughter. The same courage, confidence and character that was building in her troop was also building in her, and she was able to free herself from abuse and finally found she indeed did have a wonderful future and life ahead of her.

I remember hearing about an adventure involving a Girl Scout with disabilities and her troop learning to rappel ... again laughing and crying over the trials and triumphs. And I was so thankful for the man (one of our outdoor trainers) who so gently encouraged and empowered the young girl. Yet talk to him or his wife and their dedicated scouting family (even their daughters are leaders now of troops) and you'll find story after empowering story not just about the girls, but about their families and their futures.

I remember reading a thank you card from a volunteer who never realized she'd need to use her first aid training to save her own son. And to the schoolmates of two young girls I know who have literally saved lives? It's almost beyond words. The impact is immeasurable.
Even I, who am on the lowest scale when I observe these moments from the outside, feel that impact and it changes me. Imagine how making a difference can change the rest of the world!

A vision for girls ...

As I started re-reading "The Path" by Laurie Beth Jones this morning, I remembered I was going to redo a Wordle for our GSEOK Leadership Message. Sometimes the page of black and white words takes a little investment to get the inspiration behind the words. But that's where my visual side comes in (and my love for things like Wordle, which makes the visual easy). I put in our message and the most prominent references show up visually. Girls. It's all about the girls.

My personal favorite key words come from the mission: Courage. Confidence. Character. That's what I want for my daughter. That's my desire for all girls to experience in life. With those three elements, their path is already built on some pretty solid ground. What a gift to give a young life! And it's something our volunteers, staff, and supporters do every day.