Are Clubs Completely Irrelevant?
What do service clubs, civic clubs, and dog clubs have in common? Two major things, it turns out.
Are you in a club, or maybe more than one? It could be Rotary, Toastmaster, PTA, or your local kennel club – do you belong? If so, maybe you’ve noticed a couple of things – the club is smaller than it was a few years ago, and most of the people who do most of the work are in the sixth, seventh, or even eighth decade of life.
First things first – about the dwindling membership. Times do change, and lifestyles do, too. People in the developmental part of their adulthood – those in their twenties, thirties, and forties – are building careers and focusing on their families. While they may be interested in what clubs have to offer, they may not have the time or desire to commit to being part of a club. There’s good news here – more on that later.
Some people might look at most clubs, see the same people in leadership positions for years on end, and see a clique bound and determined to mainta...
Harnessing Your Inner Animal Control Officer to Lead Your Team
Dogs are an important part of my life. Yours too? Growing up, my family always had a small dog and she (it was always a “she”) was a member of our family. The first was Bobbie, the one who sadly taught us the importance of not allowing puppies to dash out the door unrestrained. Next was Pixie, from an “oops” litter one of Dad’s co-workers had. Then came Buffy, the Pomeranian Mom always wanted, who joined the family after I moved out to chase my dreams. Who were the pets you grew up with, and are your memories as fond and bitter-sweet as mine?
Animals in general and dogs in specific are the launching pad for today’s newsletter. This week holds the dual, related designations of Dog Bite Prevention Week and Animal Control Officer Appreciation Week. Both are celebrated annually during the second full week of April, and both aim to educate, one about the responsibilities that come with dog ownership and one about the important role animal control officers play as first responders in animal...
Training Dogs and People
Even if you don’t have a dog, you just might learn something about leadership, your own self-development, and training humans from this newsletter, so please humor me on this one.
As a life-long dog person and someone who’s been deeply involved in dog sports all my adult life, you might guess that dog training is something I’ve done a lot of, and you’d be right. I’ve trained my own dogs, as well as worked with people to train their dogs to show in conformation competition, which is what you see when you watch the Westminster Kennel Club, the National Dog Show and the AKC National Championship dog shows on TV.
I’ve also worked with people and teams, coaching and consulting, teaching mental wellbeing, team dynamics, leadership, and communication skills. What I’ve discovered is that when training people and when training dogs, many of the same skills are needed.
Many people add a furry family member during the winter holidays, live with the puppy through January and might be at their w...
