What can I say

It just came home, that feeling of commitment being out of step with others around me.

But when I write about it here, it seems deeper than just the prospect of earning money from an employer and keeping the mind focused on a daily schedule.

Whenever I do something, I do it full on, to excess sometimes, I was born in March so apparently my horoscope predicts I will be obsessive and totally diligent but I also have the ability to do it whether I am paid or unpaid. I don’t have to be an employee to work or indeed I don’t have to be a volunteer to give my heart and total commitment to something.

At this time, within our small group associated with Cfd, there are struggles going on that are reminiscent of large company employee debates and yet we are just a very small charity organisation trying to help dogs (and cats) the best we can.

Power play, motivation, authority, responsibility, accountability, reporting lines, budgets, mavericks and loose canons are all here and for me it is a little disappointing to be seeing it from within and so often. Before 3 weeks ago, I had no idea there was so little commitment by some and so much effect + / – by others.

There is no in house training or management of aspirations or guidance to follow. At times it feels like we are a train on a track, hurtling along and sat in one of the middle seats, or sat at the back or the front, let alone on top of it, the train is rolling along with possibly no one else inside at times and yet at other times overcrowded and in need of an extra carriage.

Will training (pun intended) help? It would certainly guide the eager to please folks and provide some direction.

Would reviews help? – 1:1 with individuals regarding their efforts and what they are already doing, what they would like to do and what they could do to help everything would go a long way towards motivating, maintaining and developing.

Some people are giving their time and effort to the shelter. They come & do what they think is needed and repeat that each day. When asked to do more, they take it on and grow. This in turn becomes adventurous for them and they increase their abilities and after mastering a new ‘duty’ , ‘thing’ they are then able to reflect on the overall operation with a more informed mind.

Do they feel better or worse for this. Did the extra duty push them too far. Have they now seen too much and become too involved and want to relax again or worse still, pull out altogether.

As for ‘the core team’ or even the named co-ordinators, they too will be feeling these issues and in need of either ratification, change or worse, out of it.

Above all a management structure, whether defined or not (as it is currently very much like a flag in the wind), needs fully understanding by within & without. What we have right now is in my opinion a hiatus. How long this has been going on I am not sure but it is hitting me square in the face that if we are to move forward we need organisation and management of what we do to enable us to sustain and not fall down the next hole, let alone allow the train to de-rail.

I guess this post is a rant, it’s an airing of feelings and hopefully a way of thinking the issues out loud.