Most times, the health of a club can be determined by the condition of its club leadership. If the club leadership is fresh and enthusiastic, the club will tend to thrive. However, if the leadership is tired and burned-out, then the club will suffer. Does your club have a fun but robust run for leadership positions or do incumbents run unopposed? Do people eagerly volunteer or do they have to be emotionally bribed into taking a leadership role?
Negativity and apathy are poisons when trying to build a healthy club. To build a healthy club, you must have happy and enthusiastic leadership. And in order to have happy leadership, you must have appreciation.
True appreciation of people in the spotlight is a rare commodity these days. Instead, people seem to delight in their downfall. Evidence of this is everywhere as our media spreads the word of the latest demise- from Fergie & Tiger to Barrack Obama. Why does society get so much pleasure from seeing others fail?
Some people, though, are born leaders and they simply love to be in charge. They don't need a lot of persuading to assume a leadership role. But not even your die-hard Type A personalities want to be at the helm if they know that they are not going to be appreciated. And their willingness (or unwillingness!) to assume leadership roles in your clubs will be based in large part on their observations of what has happened with the current or previous administrations.
Do your club officers and leaders feel appreciated? Use the following checklist as a starting point to see if your leaders are being appreciated or taken for granted.
1. Do club officers serve because they want to or because they have to (since no one else will step up)?
2. Is there a consistent slate of people anxious to run for offices every year?
3. When their term is up, are the officers anxious and eager to serve again?
4. Are dance fees and club dues waived for at least the most active/prominent officers (i.e. President, Treasurer, Banner Chair) while they are in office ?
5. Are dangles that designate their position provided to the officers by the club (and do they get to keep them)?
6. Does your club issue a press release to local newsletters and community papers to announce and introduce newly elected officers?
7. Do members eagerly and consistently volunteer to help the officers with the everyday club operations (or are leaders left to shoulder responsibilities alone since it is seen as "their job")?
8. Do club members regularly encourage and compliment the leaders on the job they are doing (or do members "corner" the officers at every chance to complain or perhaps ignore them until the members "need" something)?
9. Does the club have an annual event to honor the officers (i.e. an appreciation dinner, award presentation, etc.)?
10. Perhaps the most telling sign is... do your club officers continue to dance regularly at your club once their term is over?
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Monday, August 9, 2010
It Makes Me Proud...
Every day, it seems like life goes by a little faster. And as life zooms by, it seems to get harder and harder to develop and maintain true friendships. You know, the "through thick and thin" type of friendships like Lucy and Ethel, the main characters of Friends, and more currently, the Big Bang Theory? No matter what time of day, there is always someone on the other side of the door to lend an ear when one of the characters experience some sort of personal angst. Wow, it is simply amazing how that works out on TV. lol
Unfortunately, that is not exactly how things always work out. The saying that "it's hard to hit a moving target" seems to sum up the social situations of many I know. Work here, call here, take the kids here, watch the grand kids there... I am lucky if the open time in my schedule lines up with the open time in my friends' lives once a month (with advanced notice!) let alone spontaneously unannounced several times a day. With balancing such hectic lifestyles, it is easy to feel isolated and unconnected.
A couple weeks ago, a good friend of mine passed away. He had been a friend of mine for 20 years and had encouraged me from the very beginning of my calling "career". He was a wonderful guy - warm-hearted and generous - and although I never saw him outside of the square dance hall, I considered him one of my dearest friends.
If you are not a square dancer, you might find that surprising. But that is one of the most wonderful things about square dancing- the lifelong friendships that you develop along the way. On the day of the funeral, as I walked up to the church, I saw several square dancers standing outside. Inside, there were even more. I was overwhelmed that so many people from our square dance activity dropped everything in the middle of a weekday to attend the funeral of a fallen dancer. I remembered when my grandmother passed. I had only been in the activity a short time, and yet, many dancers came to support me (even though none of them had ever met my grandmother...). And even though I never asked them to come, they came to support and encourage me during that dark time in my life. I will be eternally grateful for that demonstration of care and genuine concern. Square dancers are an amazing group of people.
Square dancers love to have a good time but they rally around when the chips are down. It makes me proud to be part of a group that truly demonstrates the "through thick and thin" kind of friendship. How truly blessed I am.
Unfortunately, that is not exactly how things always work out. The saying that "it's hard to hit a moving target" seems to sum up the social situations of many I know. Work here, call here, take the kids here, watch the grand kids there... I am lucky if the open time in my schedule lines up with the open time in my friends' lives once a month (with advanced notice!) let alone spontaneously unannounced several times a day. With balancing such hectic lifestyles, it is easy to feel isolated and unconnected.
A couple weeks ago, a good friend of mine passed away. He had been a friend of mine for 20 years and had encouraged me from the very beginning of my calling "career". He was a wonderful guy - warm-hearted and generous - and although I never saw him outside of the square dance hall, I considered him one of my dearest friends.
If you are not a square dancer, you might find that surprising. But that is one of the most wonderful things about square dancing- the lifelong friendships that you develop along the way. On the day of the funeral, as I walked up to the church, I saw several square dancers standing outside. Inside, there were even more. I was overwhelmed that so many people from our square dance activity dropped everything in the middle of a weekday to attend the funeral of a fallen dancer. I remembered when my grandmother passed. I had only been in the activity a short time, and yet, many dancers came to support me (even though none of them had ever met my grandmother...). And even though I never asked them to come, they came to support and encourage me during that dark time in my life. I will be eternally grateful for that demonstration of care and genuine concern. Square dancers are an amazing group of people.
Square dancers love to have a good time but they rally around when the chips are down. It makes me proud to be part of a group that truly demonstrates the "through thick and thin" kind of friendship. How truly blessed I am.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Sometimes We Forget To Look
The other night, I was privileged to call a dance at one of the local square dancing landmarks. It is a historic building owned by square dancers in the heart of northern Kentucky. Once a crown jewel of the area, it is now showing the telltale signs of aging (as we all are!! lol). Recent efforts to maintain and upgrade the venue have been somewhat hampered by events beyond their control, the most recent being a major ceiling leak caused by a runaway loaf of bread (unbelievable, I know, but sadly true...) But, despite setbacks, the inside has been brightened by a new coat of paint and, of course, the monthly themed decorations hung by dedicated elves who strive to keep everything fresh and new. The inside is looking great. But that is not what the locals see most of the time.
In the front entrance way from the sidewalk are two enormous storefront windows. Approximately 8 ft wide x 10 ft high x 4 ft deep, it is an absolutely perfect place to showcase square dancing and show all the fun and philanthropic activities that we are involved in. It is an ideal location to build a display to show off and draw people into all the types of dancing that are offered there- lines, rounds, squares, hex squares, even jazzercise. It is an amazing opportunity to reach out and show the public how much we have progressed and modernized our activity and to show how many people are involved and how many clubs actually meet in the Greater Cincinnati area. It is a great place to highlight the youth square dance club that meets there, that was not only started by kids but which is also run and called by kids. It is a great alcove for placing flyers and business cards with information for anyone who wants to learn more. Those windows are a goldmine of potential - a source that can be used 24/7 to effortlessly promote and draw people to our activity. For FREE.
I have walked passed those windows many times over the years and honestly, I have never stopped to really look at them. But,several weeks ago, I conducted a seminar on revamping our efforts to promote so, this time, I decided to stop and look at them as if I was a newcomer, a casual passerby who knew nothing about the activity.
So.....
What I saw were a few tired, old black and white text posters, one which had been “patched” with a recycled flyer and masking tape. Parts of them were actually yellowed with age. There were no colorful decorations to catch the eye, no mention of the youth group, no promotions for ANY of the many causes the square dancers promote. There were 3 identical posters with square dancers drawn on them which were obviously from the 50’s. (Do we realize that was over 50 years ago?!?!) There was a square dance couple dressed in the ugly red and gray outfits from when Cincinnati had hosted the National Square Dance Convention in ’92. (I know that because my friend, who no longer dancers, and I actually MADE those… lol,) Of course, there were no descriptions or pictures commemorating that. In fact, there were no descriptions of any kind and the only pictures were a couple small 8x10s of posed square dancers. Meaningful for square dancers maybe but for a newcomer, boring.
Bottom line, there is nothing there that would compel me as a new person to want to join. In fact, the display would have made me believe that the building had been abandoned since the 50’s.
And we wonder why no one is joining our activity. I know that no one wants to present that image. They just are like me and forget to really look at what image we are projecting. We have so much to offer. I would love to see those windows updated and realize their potential in showing people what our activity is REALLY all about. Anyone care to help?
In the front entrance way from the sidewalk are two enormous storefront windows. Approximately 8 ft wide x 10 ft high x 4 ft deep, it is an absolutely perfect place to showcase square dancing and show all the fun and philanthropic activities that we are involved in. It is an ideal location to build a display to show off and draw people into all the types of dancing that are offered there- lines, rounds, squares, hex squares, even jazzercise. It is an amazing opportunity to reach out and show the public how much we have progressed and modernized our activity and to show how many people are involved and how many clubs actually meet in the Greater Cincinnati area. It is a great place to highlight the youth square dance club that meets there, that was not only started by kids but which is also run and called by kids. It is a great alcove for placing flyers and business cards with information for anyone who wants to learn more. Those windows are a goldmine of potential - a source that can be used 24/7 to effortlessly promote and draw people to our activity. For FREE.
I have walked passed those windows many times over the years and honestly, I have never stopped to really look at them. But,several weeks ago, I conducted a seminar on revamping our efforts to promote so, this time, I decided to stop and look at them as if I was a newcomer, a casual passerby who knew nothing about the activity.
So.....
What I saw were a few tired, old black and white text posters, one which had been “patched” with a recycled flyer and masking tape. Parts of them were actually yellowed with age. There were no colorful decorations to catch the eye, no mention of the youth group, no promotions for ANY of the many causes the square dancers promote. There were 3 identical posters with square dancers drawn on them which were obviously from the 50’s. (Do we realize that was over 50 years ago?!?!) There was a square dance couple dressed in the ugly red and gray outfits from when Cincinnati had hosted the National Square Dance Convention in ’92. (I know that because my friend, who no longer dancers, and I actually MADE those… lol,) Of course, there were no descriptions or pictures commemorating that. In fact, there were no descriptions of any kind and the only pictures were a couple small 8x10s of posed square dancers. Meaningful for square dancers maybe but for a newcomer, boring.
Bottom line, there is nothing there that would compel me as a new person to want to join. In fact, the display would have made me believe that the building had been abandoned since the 50’s.
And we wonder why no one is joining our activity. I know that no one wants to present that image. They just are like me and forget to really look at what image we are projecting. We have so much to offer. I would love to see those windows updated and realize their potential in showing people what our activity is REALLY all about. Anyone care to help?
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Introducing My New Square Dance Blog
For many years, I have been wanting to put together a square dance callers blog. Why it took so long, well, I can only guess. Finding the time. Not knowing where to start. Or maybe, to be honest, procrastination. (Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow?!?! Lol) Maybe I just wanted to wait until I reached a major landmark.
I have been blessed to be a part of this activity for nearly 22 years; I became involved in calling while I was still in beginner class. This year marks my 20th anniversary as a caller. It has been an amazing journey, although of course, there were a few potholes. I am sad to say that some of the callers and dancers who helped me in the beginning are now gone but the activity regenerates and continues with new enthusiasts every year. Happily, square dancing is thriving and calling continues to evolve and become more refined (although maybe a bit more complicated).
As with every activity, there is a natural ebb and tide for callers and all the related equipment and resources. Many ideas are embraced with enthusiasm for awhile and then discarded as the novelty fades. Over time, those discarded items are simply forgotten. One of my mentors told me years ago that he thought that he had forgotten way more choreography than he remembered. I have come to understand that sentiment all too well. I have now reached the age and stage in my calling where I can appreciate the “remember when?” game. More times than I want to admit, I have found myself reminiscing about the gimmicks and music that we used years ago.
I would love to have this blog as a forum to share all those wonderful experiences and resources (as well as current ones) that have made our activity great. Please feel free to comment as well as share your ideas, thoughts, resources, choreography, links, etc. I would like this venue to be a haven for many voices.
I have been blessed to be a part of this activity for nearly 22 years; I became involved in calling while I was still in beginner class. This year marks my 20th anniversary as a caller. It has been an amazing journey, although of course, there were a few potholes. I am sad to say that some of the callers and dancers who helped me in the beginning are now gone but the activity regenerates and continues with new enthusiasts every year. Happily, square dancing is thriving and calling continues to evolve and become more refined (although maybe a bit more complicated).
As with every activity, there is a natural ebb and tide for callers and all the related equipment and resources. Many ideas are embraced with enthusiasm for awhile and then discarded as the novelty fades. Over time, those discarded items are simply forgotten. One of my mentors told me years ago that he thought that he had forgotten way more choreography than he remembered. I have come to understand that sentiment all too well. I have now reached the age and stage in my calling where I can appreciate the “remember when?” game. More times than I want to admit, I have found myself reminiscing about the gimmicks and music that we used years ago. I would love to have this blog as a forum to share all those wonderful experiences and resources (as well as current ones) that have made our activity great. Please feel free to comment as well as share your ideas, thoughts, resources, choreography, links, etc. I would like this venue to be a haven for many voices.
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