Scoutmaster Podcast 316

I'm John Strohmeyer and I'm a Troop Order of the Arrow Representative Advisor with Troop 55 in Houston, Texas. This edition of the Scoutmaster podcast is sponsored by backers like me, And now it's the old Scoutmaster. ["Scoutmaster"] One of my favorite authors is. This quote is attributed to him, And I'm talking about Mark Twain. He probably didn't actually say it. If you're a Mark Twain fan, it really does sound like him.

But here is what he said, And I think this is a great thing for fathers everywhere to know. He said: when I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21,, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years. ["Scoutmaster"]. It's called the Twain effect.

So if you're the father, or the mother, indeed- of a 14-year-old- and yeah, they don't Just wait, Just wait, It'll happen- The Twain effect works.

Hey, this is podcast number 316.. Hey, ["Scoutmaster"]. Welcome back to the Scoutmaster podcast. This is Clarke Green. Let's see, looking in the mailbag.

Actually, this came from one of the chats that we have, And every Tuesday and Wednesday morning, just about every Tuesday and Wednesday morning, I'll be at scoutmastercgcom And we'll have a live chat And a lot of people show up and we discuss all kinds of things, sometimes really important things, And sometimes we just talk about the weather, where we went camping or something like that. So look at the Facebook feed and the Twitter feed And watch for an announcement that the live chat is happening on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. Come along and join us. But on the live chat this past week I heard from a parent and a committee member and a mom. She signed on and she said: our scoutmaster has heard that he can hold up rank advancement at a Scoutmaster conference for not showing scout spirit.

I understand the concept, I think, but I wonder how this should be done and communicated to a scout that's excited about moving up in rank and who has met all the requirements. And my reply was: you know, that's really not quite how it works. A scoutmaster conference is just that: a conference. A scout does not pass or fail a conference. They just sit down with the scoutmaster and they have a talk.

And as for the requirement to demonstrate scout spirit by living the scout oath and law, well, that's not really a pass or fail kind of a requirement, is it? I never considered it to be one, And it's not something that a scoutmaster evaluates using their own judgment.

Because what is the requirement? Demonstrate scout spirit by living the scout oath and law. And the scout in the earlier rank shares four points of the scout law. It gives examples how they have been living the ideals in those four points. Right, I don't see that as being a pass fail thing.

I think it's a wonderful conversation to have with a scout and maybe- yeah, maybe- you encourage them to do more or you congratulate them on doing just a marvelous job with it, But I can't see failing that requirement. I don't know how you would do that.

Then they replied: well, if a scoutmaster has a scout he thinks is moving too fast through the ranks or is having behavior issues or whom the scoutmaster considers to be immature, he should not be using the scout spirit excuse to slow them down. Then- And my reply was yes, that's absolutely the point.

So the resource that you wanna look at to explain this is the Guide to Advancement, where it talks about scoutmaster conferences, and I will have a link to that resource in the podcast notes for you. And I wanna challenge a couple of other things that you said here. It's impossible for a scout to move too fast through the requirements. There's no reference to age or maturity in any of the rank requirements. The only time we see age mentioned is when a boy joins a scout troop.

So that's already all been taken care of And I would probably suggest that you don't try to argue with the scoutmaster because they don't understand what they're doing. I would think about very seriously just finding another troop where the scoutmaster understands scouting, because the one that you're working with doesn't.

Now the conversation went on from there and there were other things that kind of pointed out that this particular scoutmaster really had very little idea of what their job was. The people in the position to make any kind of change within a scout troop, that's the committee chair and the charter organization representative.

If they're not going to tell the scoutmaster, who does not understand their work, what changes they need to make, then I think it's just time to find a new troop. It's not that big a deal. It seems like a very big deal until you're done and you found a new troop, because I hear from people who've done that and it works out. There's no reason to subject your children. I understand that something like that's gonna be a little upsetting.

It's gonna be a bit of a challenge, but I hear from people who go ahead and change troops and then they find out that that was a very good idea. I've had lots of scouts over the years who have come to our troop from a different troop because it just wasn't working for them, and I've had some of my scouts our troop doesn't quite work for them and they go to another troop. That's fine, I have no problem with that. That's just kind of an encapsulated version of a discussion that we had on the chat this past week. Come and join us on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings.

We have a great time. Lots of frequent flyers check in. The only person that was new who checked in this week was the person who asked me the question I've been talking about, and they didn't really share where they were from or anything like that. But come and check us out on the chat.

Now, before I move on to bigger and better things, I need to ask you a favor. If you're a regular reader and listener and the resources that I've created help you, you can return the favor.

You can support scoutmastercgcom by making a one-time payment and become a scoutmastercgcom backer, And that's a very simple thing to do, or you can make a ongoing subscription payment of $5 or more a month through something called Patreon, P-A-T-R-E-O-N, And there are special premiums for people who become patrons and backers. You can learn more about those by going to scoutmastercgcom. Right there at the top of the page over on the right, There's a link that says support and that'll tell you about being a backer. There's a link that says Patreon That'll take you to my Patreon page and explain all of that. That's what I need you to do for me this week. Just check the two of those out, see which one works for you.

And I want to take a moment to personally thank Dan and Rose Gardner-Bowler- And Dan and Rose, I had your first names last week, but I found your last names this week- And also Dan Stroh, who became backers since last week's podcast. Thanks very much, folks. Become a patron or a backer this week. I'll make sure to thank you personally in next week's podcast. And one other thing I wanted to tell you: later on this week I'll be recording an interview with the author of the new troop leader guide, both volume one and volume two. Volume two is due to be out this coming month And I'm gonna be recording an interview with the author, Mark Ray.

Later on this week my pal Walter Underwood's gonna join me. I have an advanced copy of volume two and I've looked at it and you're gonna like it. It's gonna be a key resource for scouts. I'm looking forward to sharing that interview with you. Hopefully it'll be out next week's podcast, But on this week's podcast we're gonna dust off a recurring feature

Called Scoutmastership in Seven Minutes or Less And, as is usual, we're probably gonna go a little more than seven minutes. And my theme for this installment of Scoutmastership in Seven Minutes or Less- scouting is something for scouts to discover.

So that's gonna take up the remainder of the podcast. So let's get started, shall we? Scouts Mastership in Seven Minutes or Less.

So the big idea here is that scouting is something for scouts to discover. One of the perennial things that we discuss is leadership. Leadership is one of those magic scouting words we think we understand, but few of us really appreciate the length and breadth of just what that magic word implies when we start applying it to scouting.

So today I wanna talk about leadership as something that scouts get to discover for themselves. I wanna see if I can get you to come along and really think about this, really examine this idea.

Now, one of the things I frequently hear from scouters is that our youth leaders just don't do what they're supposed to do. They don't seem to have any initiative, And what I hear when somebody says that, what they're telling me is that their scouts don't seem to care about the expectations that adults have set for them.

So what these scouters have usually done is they have set themselves up as the leader, as the ones who approve or disapprove of what scouts do. In other words, they have reserved all of the actual authority and power to themselves. They're waiting for the scouts in some way to prove themselves And after one or two tries and the scouts don't respond as the adults want them to, they usually don't try it again. They oh no, we tried that a couple of times and it really didn't work.

They don't like the way the scouts responded, So they stop trying that and they end up just taking over and doing everything for the scouts. I mean, a lot of us have the idea that adults in scouting hold all the cards and deal them out to the scouts as they see fit. But that's really not scouting at all And you aren't getting the whole idea of leadership if you see yourself that way, And where this gets complicated is: yes, you are the adult in the equation and you do have all the authority, because you're there to referee and make sure the things don't go wrong, And naturally, we wouldn't just sit back and watch young people do untoward or dangerous things- They are, after all, in our care- But, in another sense, you are not the authority. You are not the person who must be placated or pleased or served by what your scouts do. That's not the kind of leadership your scouts want or need. You aren't the personification of excellence and the keeper of standards.

All of that work has already been done for you. It was all established, written down and described for many years, before you even showed up. What I need you to do, as the adult in the equation, is to consider yourself serving the things that were here before you got on the scene. You don't personify those things. You're serving those things. You're serving the program.

So what is this other entity? What is this program?

Well, it's scouting itself, A process, a field of play. You didn't invent it, You didn't create it. Hopefully, though, what you're doing is striving to understand it.

So I'm going to offer this analogy And before we go down the analogy trail, which is an analogy itself, I need to point out three things. Okay, This is a really complicated analogy.

That's the first thing, And you may have to go back and listen again. Hopefully I'll get it in one try for you, okay.

The second thing I need to tell you is you will discover in listening to this, that I am actually doing the antithesis of the point of the analogy and explaining it the way that I am. And third, and probably most importantly, this is an analogy which is hopefully a useful tool to simplify the explanation of complex concepts. And because it is an analogy, it, like all analogies, breaks down at some point.

So don't go crazy with it, okay, Don't try and read more into it. It's just an analogy, It's just an idea to help explain a complex concept, All right.

So here it is, right Now. Imagine you go off on a hike and you discover an ancient pre-Columbian Mesoamerican steppe pyramid in the forest.

Everybody's probably seen a picture of exactly what I'm talking about, And down in Central and South America there are these incredible Mesoamerican steppe pyramids, And so picture that in your mind. You just break into a clearing and there it is.

Wouldn't that be something? You're out hiking and you stumble on this terrific structure that nobody knows about, And as you approach it, you see all kinds of symbols have been carved into the stones.

So you do what anybody would do, right? You climb all over the pyramid. You look at the symbols, you get to the top- Wow, you can see a long way from the top.

And then you devote yourself to studying this discovery and learn to understand the symbols. And there's a great message in those symbols that just changes your entire life.

That's exciting, isn't it? Wow? But for the sake of this analogy, that's what's happened to you. You've stumbled on this great discovery.

Now you definitely want to share this with other people. So at some point you get a bunch of young people together and you take them down the trail, and when they first see the pyramid, they're just stunned And they immediately do what any young person would do: They run towards it. What fun, they're gonna climb it. They want to play on it. It's just something they've never seen before in their lives. But you say: stop, stop, wait.

I want to explain what this whole thing means. I want to explain all the symbols.

So over the next few hours. You walk them around your discovery and explain the symbols to them.

Now, at first they listen, But, you know, within a few minutes the youngest one raises their hand at one point and asks how long this is gonna take. And even the most interested young people are starting to get a little antsy.

Now you've been in a situation like that, right, And how do you react? Well, I don't know about you, but it would make me a little upset, Don't they understand how important it is to know what the symbols mean? I mean, after all, it changed my life And I'm.

You know you guys just need to stand here and listen Because I'm telling you really important stuff. So you have a little edge of resentment, right, And after a while you're spending as much time keeping everyone in order as you are explaining, And you may even have to raise your voice a couple of times.

Once you've done that- because the young people that you're with have been trained to listen to adults- they finally just say, okay, well, this isn't gonna be any fun, but I'll give it and listen. We'll just wait this adult out because they've got to run out of steam sometime.

So you remember being a kid and thinking that you know, oh, school can't last forever. It has to be over at 345.. This old man has to stop talking sometime.

I'll wait him out and then we'll do fun stuff. So anyway, it starts to get dark. You've got to head back and you're only halfway through your talk And dang it.

You think if these kids would just listen- you know, if they would just do what I say and listen- we'd be much farther along and they would understand this wonderful discovery a lot better. So you go back and you say, okay, meet me here tomorrow morning and we'll go out and I'll finish my talk. And next morning about half as many young people show up. And geez, you think I guess the other ones just don't understand how important this is. I have this incredible gift to share with them.

So you know it's their loss. I'll take the ones that showed up.

Okay, fine. And the second day ends up going a lot like the first. As you march them around, describing all the symbols in detail.

You finish with the symbols at the base of the pyramid and now you're climbing up to the first step. But oh, it gets dark again. It's time to go home.

And the third morning you go back and there's only one or two young people who show up, and it's really disheartening. So what happens next?

Well, maybe you go to the parents of all the young people and you tell them how important this is. They should make their children do this because they need to learn what you have to offer them, because the secrets you've learned from the pyramid are really important to their children's success later in life. And you'd probably end up with bigger crowds that way.

But it would be different, because you know, my parents made me come here and do this and get to the point so that it can be over as soon as possible. The symbols: Yeah, yeah, yeah, important, right, Yeah, it would be a totally different thing, wouldn't it?

Now, maybe, instead of that, you get resentful and you say: you know, these dang kids just can't appreciate what I'm trying to do for them. They're noisy, undisciplined rascals and I'm gonna create rules and regulations that they have to abide by before they can go with me again. That's how I became the person that I am, because adults did that to me.

So that's what I'm gonna do to them. We're gonna have a little toughness here, We're gonna give them some backbone and maybe, instead of those first two options, you take a third option and you sit down and you get kind of real with yourself and you say: maybe it's not the young people who are the problem here, Maybe that's how I'm going about this.

So you start thinking. So you start thinking: what was so motivating and exciting about my discovery, right?

Well, the first time you stepped into the clearing and you saw the pyramid- wow, That was a moment that you'll never forget. And the first time you got to the top of the pyramid and looked around over the tops of the trees, that was really something. Then, when you studied and understood the symbols on the pyramid, that was a lot of work and you nearly gave up a couple of times, but you're glad you kept at it, because the message was just an absolute life changer.

So as you're thinking about this, a light comes on. Now you know what you need to do. Next morning.

You get a big group of young people together and you hike out to the pyramid And, of course, along the way, they're saying: are we there yet? Where are we going?

What are you doing? And you just say: well, follow along a little further. We're almost there. And just before you break through the forest into the clearing.

You stop and you say, okay, it's just a little ways. Now you go ahead And the young people pass you by and you hear them as they step out of the forest into the clearing.

Wow, will you look at that? Then they shout and they're happy and you hear the sound of running feet. And when you get into the clearing, the young people are climbing all over the pyramid. They're shouting and playing And of course, somebody is the first one to get to the top and all the others have to get to the top and look around. They're just as excited as you were the day you discovered it.

So you set up the chair that you brought along and you sit down and you watch them. And you see them going over on that right-hand side, where it's a real long drop, and you say, hey, watch out there. And they step back from the edge and you just keep a watchful eye on them to make sure they don't injure themselves or mess up the pyramid in some way or something. And after they've played and climbed around on it a couple of hours, a few young people come over to where you're sitting and they say, hey, what does that panther on the pyramid mean.

What is that? And you look at them and you say, well, what do you think it means?

Did you see any other symbols on the pyramid? And you have a little discussion about what they think it means. And they're getting close. They almost understand that particular symbol and in the way it works with all the other ones. But you're not gonna tell them right away. You want them to have the joy of figuring it out for themselves.

So day after day you bring this group of young people to this wonderful pyramid that you found. The younger ones are happy to climb around and play.

Some of the older ones have started to interpret the basic symbols and you can tell it won't be long before they understand and they know what you know, And indeed before too long. The young people really don't need you around much anymore.

They understand where the dangerous spots are and everything, and they understand what the symbols mean and how it all works and they know their way around the pyramid and then delight in helping others discover it. So every morning the crowd's getting a little bigger because they're telling their friends about it.

So I'm gonna stop before the analogy begins to break down. But did you get it?

Does the analogy work for you? Of course the pyramid is scouting: A discovery that you share with young people, not by explaining it to them, but through their own sense of inquisitiveness and discovery.

Now let's loop back to where we began. We began with the idea of leadership. Scouting belongs to scouts who lead themselves through the scouting experience right. It does not belong to adults. Scouters are not the chief executive officers. They are mentors and enablers.

Scouting is not a useful set of skills we need to teach or object lessons we have to explain. It is a unique path of discovery with opportunities to learn those skills and those object lessons and experience growth. Scouting is not a program we prepare and present to scouts.

It is a program based on the magic of discovery and things that they learn for themselves and then they're able to turn around and share with others. So for our scouts- and I'm speaking of our scouts of every age, from joeys and beavers to cubs, and ventures and rovers- it's about discovering scouting for yourself, under your own steam, under your own leadership, exercised in correspondence with your age and your abilities. And rather than explaining exactly how that works across all ages and abilities, let me refer you to a post I wrote earlier this year called Every Scout is a Leader, And I'll have a link to that post in the podcast notes. In that post I lay out four types of leadership Basically. First, you lead yourself. Second, you follow cooperatively.

Third, you help your fellow scouts. And fourth, you shape the directions and plans of your patrol and troop.

Now you really can't skip any of those steps, so you have to start where your scouts are. And I'm not going to say that adults aren't leaders in scouting, because we definitely are.

It's just the kind of leaders that we need to be. We need to be responsive leaders. Our response and our level of involvement in what is happening needs to correspond with the growing abilities of our scouts. You can't just decide.

If you're in a scout troop, for example, you can't just decide, okay, we're going to be youth led now, and throw a switch and walk away. It's not instantaneous. Youth leadership is not throwing a switch. It's more like planting a seed.

Okay, And I know more analogies, right, Okay, just bear with me. If we throw a light switch and the light doesn't come on right away, we get impatient.

But if we plant a seed and it doesn't sprout in 10 seconds, well, we aren't surprised. We know that this sort of thing takes time. You can't plant a seed and go boop and the next minute have an oak tree right. It takes some time.

So what's in that seed that causes it to grow? There's tremendous potential in there, but it has to have the right environment And the right environment. In scouting, the mysterious process at the heart of it all is discovery.

So back to the big analogy. It's back to the pyramid. You're leading because you're getting them there right. You're getting them to the opportunities.

You don't really create the opportunities quite so much as scouting itself creates the opportunities. And you're keeping an eye on things because, yes, the scouts are in our care, So we have to have that authority to keep an eye on things, make sure they're not doing untoward or dangerous things, but we bring them to this place of opportunity and discovery, And that's what scouting really is. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

I want you to get in touch with me this week. It's real easy And I'm gonna tell you how to do it in just a moment.