Thanks to Frank Maynard for joining us to discuss the troop committee this month! Here are some links to material he referenced in the webcast – “So, what is it that you do?” that Clarke quoted in a recent article on his blog At a recent troop meeting we were welcoming a parent of a boy […]
Scout Leader Skills
23 Leadership Questions
These leadership questions were part of our annual leadership challenge event this past weekend. Scouts were asked to evaluate their leadership skills at the beginning and the end of the weekend by rating themselves on how well the understood and applied these concepts. These evaluations were done for the Scouts themselves, we did not collect them or read them; they did […]
March ScoutCircle -The Troop Committee
Here’s the latest ScoutCircle presentation on the troop committee. Every month the virtual round table at ScoutCircle.org features a presentation and question and answer period. This month our guest was Frank Maynard , committee chairman who maintains a blog at Bobwhite Blather. Frank touches on many important troop committee issues in this presentation including setting up the committee, finances, working with micro-managers, resolving disputes and much […]
ScoutCircle – The Troop Committee
Our guest is Frank Maynard, a long-serving Committee Chair for a troop of 65+ boys in Michigan who also serves committees at the Cub Scout and District levels. Here are some links to material he referenced in the webcast – “So, what is it that you do?” that Clarke quoted in a recent article on his blog […]
Boy Scouts of America Review Announced
Yesterday a Boy Scouts of America review of ‘Values and Membership Polices’ was announced on the Scouting Magazine Blog where a link to this B.S.A. website with comprehensive information about the review is available. I’d suggest reading the information available there for a pretty thorough understanding of how the membership policy of excluding people based on sexual orientation is being […]
4 Mistakes Scout Leaders Make and How to Correct Them
Sometimes it seems we are doing all the right things but the results we are hoping for never materialize. When Scout leaders grow frustrated with their work it’s usually because they are making one or more of the following mistakes: 1. Scout Leaders Become Over Involved You’ve heard the term ‘helicopter’ applied to parents, teachers and Scout leaders […]
Story of a Gay Scout
I asked Jay to write about his experiences in Scouting because I think it’s important to get to know and understand each other, that young men like Jay, a gay Scout, are not new to Scouting, they have always been there – Clarke To all my fellow Scouters – We are all engaged in a conversation about whether […]
Helicopter Scouters at Bobwhite Blather
Frank Maynard has written brilliantly about the idea of ‘helicoptering’ Scouters: Are you a helicopter Scouter? Do you think it’s so important to have a well-run productive troop that you’ll get in the middle of the boys’ business to do it? Do you think you have to “keep the boys on task” in order to […]
Leadership talk by Drew Dudley
We’ve made leadership about changing the world, but there is no ‘world’ there’s six billion people’s understanding of it. If you change one person’s understanding of it, their understanding of what they are capable of, of how much people care about them of how powerful an agent for change they can be you have changed the world. It’s a simple […]
Believing in Heroes
It is natural to want to be like the people we look up to. We want to recreate the success they have enjoyed in our own lives. So we try to imitate them. It seems like the shortest distance between two points. Of course, we are trying to copy a result. What we often fail […]
Patrol Method in Practice – Making It Happen
This is post number four in this four part series on the patrol method 1. The Character School, 2. The Adult Role, 3. Objections, The first post in this series about the patrol method paints a picture of the patrol as the central unit of Scouting, next we discussed the adult role followed by discussing the usual objections that arise […]
Patrol Method in Practice – Objections
This is post number three in this four part series on the patrol method 1. The Character School, 2. The Adult Role, 4. Making it happen Our first post in this series establishes the patrol method as the character school of Scouting, that real self-government makes the Scout Oath and law more relevant than a bunch of concepts preached by adults. That Scouts find meaning […]
Patrol Method in Practice – The Adult Role
This is post number two in this four part series on the patrol method 1. The Character School, 3. Objections, 4. Making it happen Imagine a bus tour of some important city where, seated in the air-conditioned comfort of a motor coach, we listen to the guide explain each landmark in detail so we won’t miss anything. The guide […]
Patrol Method in Practice – The Character School
This is post number one in this four part series on the patrol method 2. The Adult Role, 3. Objections, 4. Making it happen The patrol system is not one method in which Scouting for boys can be carried on. It is the only method. It is not the slightest use to preach the Scout Law or to give it out as orders to […]
The Heart Grows Smarter
From an article by columnist David Brooks , read the full article at The Heart Grows Smarter In 1938, a group of researchers began an intensive study of 268 students at Harvard University. The plan was to track them through their entire lives, measuring, testing and interviewing them every few years to see how lives develop. … as […]
Authoritative Leadership in Scouting
Authoritative leadership should not be confused with authoritarian leadership; in this context they are polar opposites. Authoritative leaders have high expectations, respond actively, listen more than they talk, and readily reason with those they lead. In Scouting our expectations are clear and well-defined but it’s a mistake to apply that clarity and definition in an authoritarian or obedience-oriented manner. While we encourage obedience we […]
The Joy Of It All!
I was never a Scout as a boy but I had a copy of the patrol Leaders handbook illustrated with line drawings of perfect campsites and campfires, of Scouts in perfectly neat uniforms lining up eagerly to listen to their patrol leader, cheering heartily, rallying around the patrol flag waving their hats. I was quickly […]
Scouting With Your Son
Scouting with your son, being the parent of a Scout and a Scouter at the same time, can be one of the most enriching and memorable times you’ll spend together. Naturally there will be some difficult times but we can avoid letting them derail the experiences for ourselves and our sons if we prepare for them. […]
Volunteer Boundaries
Have you ever been described as “generous to a fault’? Volunteering is a wonderful, generous way to spend our time but we all have a breaking point. If we don’t have volunteer boundaries there’s a pretty good chance we are headed for a crisis. Call it burn-out fatigue, or what-have-you – it’s the point where it […]
Train Yourself
No volunteer is expected to be an expert with an encyclopedic knowledge of Scouting. All we really need to is the will to learn and the good sense to accept and apply what we learn: We ought to take advantage of as many training opportunities as possible. Familiarize ourselves with informational resources. Have the humility to correct […]
Fifteen Thoughts for Scout Leaders
Here’s fifteen thoughts for Scout leaders that I hope you find helpful. 1. Trust the Program. 100 years of proven results – Follow it! Seek to understand and embrace changes. 2. Conduct Activities that are Age Appropriate. Respond to the specific needs of each developmental stage: don’t push Scouts into activities for older, or hold them back in activities for younger Scouts […]
Why Do We Volunteer?
Why do we volunteer? How many volunteers are involved in Scouting and what do we do? A 2011 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report notes that 64.3 million people volunteered last year 29.9% of women and 25% of men in the U.S. volunteered. 35 – to 54-year-olds were the most likely to volunteer. Persons in their […]
Scout Leader Business Card
Here’s an easy way to introduce visiting parents or new adult volunteers to the concept of youth leadership – a Scout leader business card that explains things simply, politely yet directly. THANK YOU FOR LENDING A HAND Our Scouts are on the field playing a game. Head Coach = Scoutmaster Team Captains = Youth Leadership Team Members = […]
Three Keys to Scoutmaster Survival
Scoutmaster survival can hinge on these three P’s – proportion, perspective and preparation, every Scoutmaster should know: Proportion You can only do so much, you have limitations and you have a breaking point. Having a sober estimate of these things about ourselves is important. Your Scouts can only do so much, they have limitations and they have a […]
