Giving Thanks & Graceful Giving

November brings with it one of my favorite holidays: Thanksgiving. It’s more than just delicious food and time to spend with people you care about (both very important!). It’s also a time to show gratitude. It feels especially important now to take time to recognize all the good in our lives. And I’d suggest that we not just stop at gratitude but propel that sense of goodwill and caring into action. We need it now more than ever.

2020 has brought with it many challenges. A global pandemic that spiraled fast, creating chaos and loss. And a presidential election that highlighted the deep divide of our nation. The enormity of these two major events can be paralyzing. Solutions can seem daunting, if not insurmountable. Add that to the normal stresses we have in our lives, such as family demands, health, finances, personal growth. Any and all of these can dictate our state of mind and well-being moment to moment.

How does one move forward?

One step at a time. One day at a time. One interaction at a time. One project at a time.

You don’t have to be alone to take these tiny steps, either. Together, we rise higher.

That’s exactly what PeopleSense will be doing with Daniel Webster Council, Boy Scouts of America starting next week! Their non-profit was chosen to receive this year’s Graceful Giving workshop, a series of six sessions devoted to developing a high performing team, especially in a new virtual environment. We couldn’t be more excited to work with this talented team in this critical moment.

Why this non-profit?

The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical choices in their lifetimes by instilling them the values found in the scout oath and law. In our preliminary conversations with the organization’s leadership, we could see this in action.

Jay Garee, CEO, and Deric Wertz, COO, expressed a high level of enthusiasm and commitment to continuous development of everyone, including themselves. “The BSA is at a pivotal time in its history. Confronted with challenging circumstances centered around membership recruitment campaigns amidst Covid-19 in addition to a declining youth market share in NH, our team needs to find new and innovative ways to reach families. This program seems like a fantastic time to center our approach and align ourselves to creative strategies to achieve success,” Jay described.

He continued, “In the last year the organization has faced significant adversity as a result of Covid-19.  Summer camps were closed and had a major impact on retention. With many schools closing their doors to outside groups the process to recruit new youth is greatly impacted and could have a long-term effect on the organization as well. Now is a great time to emerge from this crisis and build strength in the face of adversity.”

Creating change together

We admire the courage of this leadership team to take action, despite the very real challenges they face. They reached out to find new resources and grow and develop. Realizing that they don’t have to move through this path alone, they can find strength, learn new skills, and be inspired by partnering with others.

In what ways can you take a small but meaningful step toward your own development and that of your team and organization? There are many things we can’t control in this world, but the essential thing to remember is that we don’t have to create change alone.  

This Thanksgiving, let’s all give thanks for what we do have, even in the midst of challenges that may seem overwhelming. Then take action. Even a small thing, done with someone else, can fill us with new energy and even lead to a significant outcome.

If you too are looking toward the new year with a vision of supporting and strengthening your team, learn more about how we can help here.