Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon Stratis
The difficult part of getting new key volunteers isn't getting them to read the rules. Speaking for inspections, it's very, very easy for someone to be a good inspector without being a good pick for LRI. I've seen it happen before. It goes well beyond technical and rules knowledge - my basic assumption is that any returning inspector has plenty of that. It's a question of how they work with teams, how they handle adverse situations, how they interface with their inspectors and other key volunteers at the event. I have experienced inspectors at my events that I love working with, but that I know wouldn't be a good fit for LRI. And that's fine. I also have experienced inspectors that have turned down the opportunity to become an LRI. It took me 4 years of effort to identify and train enough LRI's to make MN self sufficient.
You have to remember that a bad interaction with a key volunteer can ruin an entire event for an individual or team.
If you think just one more year is enough time to fix all the key volunteer needs for a transition like that, then I have to ask... How many key volunteers have you identified, asked to step up, and trained?
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Jon,
I agree with everything you have said here. Key volunteers can affect the team's opinion of the event and they need to be chosen carefully.
Some of the things you list are not only beneficial traits of key volunteers, but volunteers in general. I want inspectors to be able to make a good call without pulling the LRI over and I want them to be able to do it in a way that makes the team feel good, I know that won't happen 100%. Have you talked to the people that you feel would not make a good LRI about why you feel that way? Have you asked if they want to become an LRI?
I have rarely received feedback from volunteers about how I could improve in my key volunteer roles and I would hate to find out that they thought some of my actions weren't up to snuff and they didn't talk to me about it, even more if it prevented me from taking on a higher profile position. The most feedback I get is being placed in the position again at another event, which makes me believe I am doing well.
While this post is directed at Jon in a thread about districts in Minnesota, I encourage any key volunteers (or VCs) to provide feedback about how someone can improve their performance.