Flexibility Ingenuity Resourcefulness Resilience

Flexibility is a necessity. Being able to alter prearranged logistics is vital when all that matters is success in the goal. Being able to have team members that can go with the flow is more then crucial. For the most part the teams that are currently down with me from Dartmouth are doing an exceptional job in this department. Ever since our original housing plans fell through they were able to roll with the transition into their current housing accommodations.

Ingenuity in collaborative efforts is inspiring, motivating and arguable best of all productive. You are as strong as your weakest link until ingenuity suffices for that weak link.

Of course having team leaders and team members who are resourceful allows you to exercise your energy in other areas. What is beautiful is that this also promotes the reduction of stress incurred from micro management issues. This in turn allows you to perform longer, strong and with more tact.

Resilience is the mental, emotional and physical pain tolerance needed to survive generally but specifically if you come to volunteer in the dirty south. Gulf Coast territories in neglected hoods and ghettos possess pain, rage, suffering depression and more. I personally place traumatic events at the back of the brain to keep going so that I don’t find myself bogged down in disillusionment. A couple of days ago when I took two of the teams to the largest FEMA Trailer sites called the Renaissance Village my teams had to witness a bloody fight amidst armed guards. A few days later after a hard days work one of the teams sleeping in a newly renovated apartment that hasn’t been used since Katrina had to deal with serious plumbing issues. Plumbing issues so bad that they had to flee the flow of septic water which soiled their sleeping quarters and sleeping bags at 2:00 in the mourning. To be able to go back to work the next mourning and gut houses with any kind of work ethic is the essence of resilience.