May 28, 2019
Tally Ho
I was watching Star Trek on Saturday, and the foxhunting phrase “Tally Ho” was used. It triggered an idea. An idea that will be fun, motivational, and meaningful.
How many people do we help in a month? We often get so caught up in trying to help people; we end up losing track of actually helping people. When we step onto that busyness treadmill and the angst and pressure that accompanies it, we often forget the why of Extension – helping people through the power of education. If this happens, we may start questioning whether it all is worth it.
Starting June 1, I am going to SUGGEST a fun little activity for our specialists, agents, administrators, office professionals and even volunteers. First, get a pad of little sticky notes or a tablet you can dedicate to this game. Every time you help somebody (a learner, client, volunteer, and/or fellow co-worker) put a tally mark on that piece of paper. Keep doing that all the way through June. At the end of the month, email that number to ghadley@ksu.edu. That’s all there is to it.
This is not the same as your direct educational contacts you input for the Quarterly Efforts Reports (thanks, again, for renewing your effort in that area of responsibility). Direct educational contacts align with the people you have tried to help through education. Some you did. Others you did not. What we are looking for here is whenever we make that special Extension connection where we know we have helped someone (a learner, client, volunteer, a fellow co-worker).
Don’t overthink this. Don’t worry about and make official inquiries about whether this counts or that counts. This is for fun and motivation. If you think you made that special Extension connection and helped someone, mark it down. A person comes in to the office looking for a resource to address an issue, and you find just the right one for them. Mark it down. A volunteer comes in to ask a question about a “what if” in their project area, and you help them to determine what to do in that “what if” scenario. Mark it down. A co-worker asks you for assistance at putting on a workshop, and you deliver. Mark it down. A person comes up to you at a workshop, and sincerely proclaims that it was helpful. Mark it down. During a one-on-one consultation, you enable a client to make a good decision. Mark it down.
My hypothesis is we will be amazed at the number of people we truly help in a month. Making those types of Extension connections is the Extension way. Looking at that number will help us to realize how important our Extension mission is and how well we accomplish that mission.
At the end of the month, I bet we will all be very proud and able to say “Wow, I (we) did great!”