There is not a person on staff who does not care for and believe in the mission of Girl Scouts. There is not a person on staff who does not care about their performance in their position at Girl Scouts and how it impacts the organization as whole. However, despite the care that we as a staff have toward Girl Scouts, there are many staff members who are frustrated by the current state of the Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee. We acknowledge that Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee as a whole is in distress. The decline has provided what some have termed a “perfect storm”. It has provided us with an opportunity to truly look at the structure of the organization and how we can develop into a pro-active organization.

We believe that many of our workplace conflicts are not attributable to an inability by staff members to be respectful of one another, but rather by a lack of structure, communication, and understanding of each team’s role as it relates to the whole. Change is necessary. Change is progress. We propose that during the months of June and July, we work Monday through Thursday for a total of 35 hours. Each week during the summer months will have a topic assigned to it that is critical to the Plan of Action, and most importantly, critical to the sustainability of the organization. During the lunch hour, every staff member who does not have a more pressing obligation will be invited to participate in the conversation about moving us forward. Proposed topics include: structural changes on how departments interact with one another, program development, community outreach, membership growth, financial stability, etc.

To answer your concerns, the council will still receive 35 hours of work from each employee, and we will have a constructive way to discuss the Plan of Work and how we can improve as a council. Through this proposed plan all parties will be satisfied.

Girl Scouts is built on the abiding belief that a girl who possesses courage, confidence, and character can change her community and the world The This staff has a wealth of institutional knowledge and thoughtful ideas on how we can move forward. We care about the mission and want to see that it is fulfilled to its highest potential. Please join us in taking advantage of this time to develop true, sustainable changes in the organization that will foster an environment that is internally stable and thus, able to provide an excellent service to our girls, our volunteers, and our community.

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