Cultivating Scouting

There is too much “management science” in Scouting. We should stop trying to manage programs, Scouts, patrols, and troops.

Scoutmastership is much more akin to gardening than management. If we spend our time cultivating Scouting rather than managing it we’ll get better results.

Gardeners prepare the ground, plant the seed and the plants do the rest. Keep the weeds away, make sure there is plenty of water and sunshine and you can’t fail. If I don’t stake my tomato plants they fall over and sprawl around on the ground. If I trim and tend them they grow into productive plants.

I cannot make them grow, I don’t need to, they do that by themselves. Both Gardeners and Scouters collaborate with the the natural processes of growth.