Imagine what we can achieve if we don't care who gets the credit

"Imagine what we can achieve if we don't care who gets the credit" 

It's really hard to do something well, good, nice, 'at all' and not say "I did that" or "that was mine."

Really hard.

It happened to me a while back and I received the most enormous payback and I recently watched someone else keep quiet.

Whilst at the local primary school one day, I spoke to the headmaster about the children being able to wear uniform on the last day of term as an 'in memory' day for our recently departed Rainbow Leader.  I told our Brownie Leaders and they ran with it letting all the parents know at short notice.  Someone said to one of the Brownie Leaders "did you know the children wore uniform?" "Oh yes, that's nice" was her reply.

It's a small inconsequential thing, but it is the epitome of  not caring who gets the credit.  If that had happened at my work there would have been a jostling for position, a claim and counter claim in an alpha-IT person way about who had instigated the successful result.  Generally this does not happen in the world of Guiding.  "Imagine what we can achieve if we don't care who gets the credit" sits deep in the world of Guiding, not said out loud but there is no fight for supremacy, just a genuine desire to be our best and help others to do the same.

Early last year I nominated our now recently departed Rainbow Leader for an award.  It's a recognition of services to Guiding.  It's for the people that do the hardest work, the ones turning up week after week to run meetings come rain or shine, car or no car, cold or flu, happy days, sad days, every time, over and over, year in year out, quietly, humbly.  Just doing it.

I got a message from her  "Hi KV, I got a letter today telling me that I'd been nominated to receive the Midland Region Chief Commissioner award. I feel so honoured and chuffed that someone thought of me.  I feel so happy right now. I feel really appreciated. I'm keeping it quiet but I just wanted to let U know as you've been there to support me in Guiding along the way. Love Bunny xxx"

She didn't know I'd nominated her, and never did.  But her message to me made it completely unnecessarily for any credit.  

After her death, her husband asked if I had any words to add to the eulogy and I told him I'd got the nomination I'd sent in, which from a Guiding perspective said everything about how we felt.  Part of it was read out in the eulogy.  I found that slightly awkward, sat amongst many Guiders who would all have said the same thing.  It was how we felt collectively.

Collectively.

It's how an organisation of over 550,000 members can run a weekly program lead by 100,000 volunteers that is:

"Giving girls and young women a space where they can be themselves, have fun, build brilliant friendships, gain valuable life skills and make a positive difference to their lives and their communities. We build girls’ confidence and raise their aspirations. We give them the chance to discover their full potential and encourage them to be a powerful force for good."

We don't mind who takes the credit.  Although, give us a badge for doing a good job and we're made up!

A thank you goes a long, long way in keeping people motivated and a culture of giving thanks naturally and regularly creates an environment where you want to keep trying, keep doing, giving a little bit more.

Wouldn't it be great to live in a world where "good job", "nice one" and "well done" tripped off the tongue of us all a lot more often and if we could all do great things without caring who got the credit.

Those two things are complete opposites aren't they?! I've just written the biggest contradiction. And I guess that will always be part of my problem.  I don't have enough humility to not completely care about getting some credit.  

"Lacks humility, please try harder" may be written on my gravestone

Just the same as "Constantly cheerful and even tempered" is never going to be!!

Must try harder to think a little more like BP and a lots less KV!