Navigation

Scoutmastercg.com

Inspiration, Information and Ideas for Scout Leaders

Navigation

You are here: Home / Scout Leader Skills / Earning Your Scout’s Respect
INDEX

Earning Your Scout’s Respect

By

Email, RSS Follow
Pin It

There’s no way to compel Scouts to  respect you (or anything else for that matter). We can make them act respectful towards us or the things we say but acting respectful towards someone or something and having respect for someone or something are two very different things.

You’ll earn respect from your Scouts by being who you are, not some idealized concept of what you think you should be.

Scouts can spot a hypocrite at a hundred yards. They will work with  you in spite of your imperfections but will not give the time of day to someone who pretends to be something they are not.

Perhaps the finest example they can have in life is someone who struggles successfully against the same imperfections and disappointments they encounter in themselves.

 

Email, RSS Follow
Pin It
Tags:

Comments

  1. You said they can spot a hypocrite at hundred yards. Well, they can also spot a jerk at a hundred yards also. They know real quick who is in it for them and the program, and who are there for their own sons, or their own gain, or to inflate their own ego.

    Years ago when I was involved with a troop a father came in with his sons and immediately had an issue with me; Perhaps he thought I had too much influence and too much to say, I really don’t know, but he was strictly there for his sons and himself. We never got along and the acrimony just increased as time went on. He would yell and scream at the Scouts in the troop and boss them around, and kept pushing his sons for advancement and positions of responsibility. We came to the conclusion that he really did not understand the program, nor wanted to; he wanted to do everything his way, and he always had a better way. The Scouts in the troop couldn’t stand him, or his sons.

    This all came to a crescendo at summer camp; not to go into details but it became ugly, to the point where I thought it best for the troop if I moved on. I mentioned this in passing to one of the older Scouts and he became extremely upset and said quite forcefully, “No Mr. Carlson, we don’t want you to leave, we want him to leave and take his two sons with him.”

    I stayed and the Scoutmaster brought the other individual under control, or at least to the point where we could get along. He later formed his own troop but that’s another story. That older Scout mentioned above is now an Assistant Cubmaster and I see him at the monthly Roundtables.