Earning Your Scout's Respect

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 respect 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.