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Here’s an email that I get fairly regularly asking me to help resolve Scouting trouble:
“My son’s (Pack, Troop, Crew) is having real difficulties with our (Scoutmaster, Cubmaster, Advisor, Committee Chair) and our program is (poor, indifferent, terrible). I’m only a (Den Leader, Assistant Scoutmaster, Committee Member, parent) but I want to try and fix this situation to benefit the (Cubs, Scouts, Venturers). What’s your advice?”
I reply:
Find another (Pack, Troop, Crew) that better matches the way you think Scouting ought to be as soon as possible. Don’t send out any nasty emails, don’t throw any snide comments over your shoulder as you leave, just move on; make a break, draw a line.
Few people want to hear this advice. They want me to map out how they can bravely forge ahead and convince the Scout leaders who have been doing things one way to do them the other way. I won’t tell them that because it simply never works, so I get this answer:
“I would never abandon the boys in this (Pack, Troop, Crew), I don’t want to teach my son that quitting is an option when you come across difficulties, I know I can make them change their ways.”
I respond:
“You will only frustrate everyone involved, including yourself, there’s really nothing you can do; trust me. To preserve the experience for your son find people who do things the way you want to see them done.”
Four out of five tines I don’t hear back after that email.
There are three possible outcomes to the situation:
- The leader is replaced
- The folks who don’t like the way things are going find another unit.
- Nothing really changes
Here’s a logic tree that describes how to arrive at one of three possible outcomes in this type of situation.
I know that our better natures would rather that everyone was able to sit down and figure things out amicably but if experience is any indication that’s a pretty rare situation.
It takes some brass and ego to step into the role of Cubmaster or Scoutmaster or Crew Advisor. The characteristics that make people effective in that role also often make it hard for them to change or to see things differently.
Changing units to find one that more closely meets you expectations does not have to be dramatic or traumatic, and neither does replacing a unit leader if your are in the right position to do so.
I started a new unit in 1991. The Chartered Organization just wasn’t supporting us. We would show up and find out that our meeting room had been moved or was unavailable. The COR wasn’t supporting us so 12 of us moved on and a new, successful troop was created. Your district will always support the creation of a new unit.
Terrific flowchart! It underscores the importance of the Committee Chair and his/her role in unit operations. I’ve seen too many units that just fill in a name for the CC so the position is filled, and while sometimes it works, most of the time it’s a formula for disaster.
I agree that the Committee Chair is the one who guides the ship, with the support and direction of the Chartered Organization. And using another cruise ship analogy, the Committee Chair is the captain, while the Scoutmaster/Cubmaster is the Cruise Director. The rank and file rarely see or deal with the captain, but the Cruise Director is out there in front every day.
My advice to someone who has thrown their hands up and has decided to find another unit to join: Look for one whose membership has grown steadily, and not declined significantly, over the last few years. This usually indicates that positive things are happening, that boys are engaged and active, and that the parents are happy with the program. You can then ask the registered adults and other parents how the program is implemented (including, in a troop, whether the patrol method is being used as it should). The absolute size of the unit is not as important as the other factors. While some like that “small troop feel,” the same thing can be accomplished quite easily as long as the patrol method has been implemented (or if dens are a reasonable size).
While a declining unit may be a challenge for a dedicated Scouter to sweep in and fix, it’s a bit much for a new member to try to turn the ship around by himself. And none of us wants to waste our child’s few years in the troop or pack while these corrections are being made.
Perhaps, there is one other section to the flowchart. Scoutmaster leaves, forms another troop, some scouts leave for the new troop.
Thank you, someone finally has charted a course.