Follow
The senior patrol leader is in charge of troop meetings from beginning to end. He chairs meetings of the patrol leaders’ council as they plan troop activities and programs… To help the senior patrol leader achieve that leadership goal, you as Scoutmaster should work with him before and after troop meetings to mentor him, encourage him, and provide him with the tools to succeed.
The relationship between a senior patrol leader and his Scoutmaster is often one of friendship and mutual admiration. A great reward for a Scoutmaster is in helping a young man who has accepted a position of responsibility develop into a leader capable of fulfilling the high expectations placed upon him. – The Scoutmaster’s Handbook 2010 Printing
1. Let him own the program.
SPLs are actually responsible for the Troop program, meetings, outings, the whole megillah. If he is receiving a written plan from you he is not actually responsible for the program, he is responsible for running your idea of what the program should be.
Let him and the patrol leader’s council develop their own ideas that they plan and present on their own. Step back and observe their work rather than being directly involved in everything.
2. Praise publicly, criticize privately
Never ever criticize your SPL in front of other Scouts. No other action will undercut his authority more completely than this.
3. Give him some direction and boundaries.
Always keep him focused on what Scouting promises Scouts. Show him where the boundaries are and point out the vast possibilities that exist within those boundaries
4. Be polite, ask permission.
Can I take a moment to say something? Do you need any adult support for that? What can I do to help you with this? When he says; “No thanks, I’ve got it.” back off.
5. Encourage him
There will always be problems – challenge is good. He is responsible to lead the Troop through them. Find a reason to compliment him, point out the positive things he is doing, commiserate with him when he’s having a difficult time.
6. Set the proper tone for leadership.
Scouts are not soldiers, you are not the captain, the senior patrol leader is not your drill sergeant. You are the coach, your senior patrol leader is the team captain, the Scouts are the players. Stay on the sidelines and let the senior patrol leader run the game.
7. Use your authority sparingly.
When circumstances demand step in quietly (with permission) and ask questions that will lead to a course correction. Don’t grab the wheel out of his hands , don’t hit the brakes, ask some questions.
8. Keep your distance.
Let the Scouts live their own lives, go fold a tent, conduct a Scoutmaster’s conference, have a cup of coffee or watch quietly.
9. Guard the playing field.
When other adults interfere quietly redirect their attention to something else. One direct, clear statement about the role of adults is usually all that is needed.
10. Give him plenty of feedback.
Plenty is two minutes a meeting. Don’t wear him out, don’t talk so much he can’t process what you are saying.
Over the many years I have been a Scoutmaster, many people will ask me how long I been a Scoutmaster when inquiring about my scouting experience (I am a “Boy Scout” Adult trainer in our district staff). This article got me to thinking. A Scoutmaster’s measure of experience is not in number of years or number of Eagle Applications that I may have signed, but the number of Senior Patrol Leaders I have had the opportunity to worked with. So the next time I am asked that question, my answer is “Oh, for just over 20 Senior Patrol Leaders.” So Clarke, how many SPL’s are “under your belt”? 😉 Can you name then all? I can for all but one and that one is bugging me. It’ll come back. . . .
Interesting thought! Kind of like the measure of the emergence of the seventeen year cicadas used by some Native Americans as their age ( I have seen three emergences so far).
As for senior patrol leaders it must be around 25-28 since I became a Scoutmaster in 1984. Can I name them all? I suppose most of them. I had one who was reelected to a second term, and one who served less than a full year so it confuses things a bit. What I can say is that they all follow almost identical developmental milestones; so much so that it is almost uncanny. There are also about four general types –
Fearless Leaders – a more or less rare breed who are generally capable, full of initiative and drive.
Reluctant Leaders – They do what they can but would really rather not. Heave a big sigh of relief when they are done.
Popular Leaders – Universally well-liked and respected; hero to their fellow Scouts.
Natural Leaders – Need little direction or training, seem to ‘get it’ from the start.
All of them are an amalgam of these types in one measure or another. Thinking back I don’t remember any single one who was incapable of the task or who did not grow from undertaking it.
James
Some folks can’t do it, even after seeing it working. They just cannot let go.
Some folks cannot be a Scoutmaster. It’s just not possible. They may have the patch on their sleeve but they will never really be a SM. There is certainly a continuum and some are better than others, but there are some who will never get it. I am really bad a figuring out why people do things and I’m not real good at motivating folks, but I know goodness when I see it.
I’m sorry that your son had to move Troops to continue with what he loves, but this new opportunity will be very good for him. A trial and frustrating sometimes, but good. Keep reminding him that he is part of something new. A 100 years from now Scouts may still be joining this new Troop that your son is helping put together. It’s not everyday that you get to be in on something new that may continue for a century!
This past weekend my kindergarten granddaughter had her first soccer game. There are no goalies and it appears that there are fewer players on the field than a standard soccer team. Both coaches are on the field and serve are coaches and referees. It was wonderful watching these two coaches guide these very young children through their first game. Everyone on the field and off the field enjoyed it. There were smiles all around. These are people who “get it”. Life, competition, standings, leagues and heartbreak will come soon enough. Those young people were given an appropriate start into this new world of growing up.
Your son is now helping provide the same kind of experience for those 15 eleven year olds. He “gets it” and it apppears that his new SM does to. Those new Scouts will experience Scouting in a good way right from the beginning. He might want to listen to Enoch on the previous podcast and look up Enoch’s website. You can tell him I said congratulations!
Clark,
Thanks for putting together such a great piece that outlines the role of the Scoutmaster with his SPL so well. This past summer we had a bad experience with our “new” scoutmaster. I had step down as Scoutmaster after over six years (half without a son in the troop) as my son moved into the role of SPL. It was thought to be the perfect transition as the new scoutmaster had completed all the training, had been an ASM for some time and was keenly interested in his new role and having a boy run troop.
My son’s term as SPL ended yesterday with the schedule election of a new SPL (my son did not want to run for a second term). Unfortunately his relationship with his Scoutmaster was very poor. There were several points you made in this article that were not followed by the new scoutmaster. My suggestions and advise became less welcomed as we moved through the months. As a respected past leader in the troop, I did forward a link to your article to this new scoutmaster with the hope that the past experience is the greatest teacher as this takes on a new SPL this Fall.
We are changing troops and my son took an interest in a new troop that just formed out of two Webelo dens this past spring. At the first troop meeting we visited, it was fun to see my fifteen year old so intimidated by 15 eleven years old. 🙂 But his experience as an SPL of a large troop kicked in and soon he had all of their attention as he gave them suggestions on how to run their new troop. It is amazing to watch these eleven year old scouts work together with their eleven year old SPL and two Patrol Leaders. My son’s position coming to this troop is not to be their SPL, but as he explained to me, “I just want to make sure that this troop will be boy run troop”, referring back to his bad experience at his previous troop. The best news, the Scoutmaster of this new troop smiled as he heard this and moved back out of the way with excitement of his latest newly recruited (15 year old) scout.
Clarke,
First let me say I love your Site! So much so that I have added a slide to my Scoutmaster Specific Training with the your web address.
Over the last several years I have trained over 200 adults that the boys run the troop, not the adults. The looks of horror from some of the participants is priceless…
I echo Larry’s comments, just do it. If we wait for the perfect time to let the boys lead, they never will.
I feel my main job is to give the boys a safe place and environment to MAKE mistakes. If they never make mistakes, they will never really learn anything.
YIS,
Gary Dowrey
Scoutmaster
Troop 1, Blackstone, Ma.
Hello Gary – Thanks for the kind words!
I know what you mean – the looks of horror and disappointment when folks first find out they aren’t going to lead much of anything!
If they buy into the process they soon learn that it’s so much better to just follow Scouting than reinvent it.
Allan
Don’t wait, go. Have the SPL talk to the guys and set a time. If you can’t be there, delegate. It’s imperative that they get together and begin as soon as possible. Otherwise, they are being set up to fail meeting after meeting. They can have a PLC at the SPL’s house without any regular Scout leaders there at all. Give the SPL an assignment (have a PLC meeting and try and get these 3 things done) and then just let them at it as best they can. Merit Badge counselors assign homework all the time. You can too! You’re not in charge, the SPL is.
It’s cool to have a regular PLC meeting time and place, but it’s not necessary. The key leaders just need to get together. If they all go to the same school, they can do it at lunch at school. They can have a breakfast meeting. Encourage them to get this done very soon!
Try not to over think or over plan this stuff. It’s a bunch of 12 to 14 year old boys getting to together to talk about what to do at a couple of meetings and some stuff for a campout. It’s simple. It’s not a council board meeting. It should happen soon and then happen regularly, at their convenience.
There is nothing wrong with walking them through stuff the first time, if it’s possible. In this case, however, quantity is more important than quality. They’ve got six months (if that’s your election cycle) to figure this out. The more they meet and the sooner they meet, the further along they will get during that six months.
Do you have some older Scouts? Some instructors? Have one or two of them meet with the PLC. Don’t make this revolve around you.
Think about this statement. You (and others reading this) won’t like it but:
It’s better if they come to you later, after they’ve created a mess, than to try and get everything right up front. You don’t think this is true, but it is.
Have fun.
This is why Larry is so valuable around here – he writes things like this:
“It’s better if they come to you later, after they’ve created a mess, than to try and get everything right up front.”
That one simple sentence describes youth leader training in a nutshell.
Green Bar Bill said ‘Train them, trust them and let them lead.’ most of the time we have trained them, trained them some more, talked them to death, and not let them do much – why? We don’t trust them but more importantly we don’t trust the journey of development and discovery boys undertake when the learn to lead.
Throw them the ball, don’t talk about how to catch it, just throw it at them. They’ll learn to catch it after awhile and pretty soon they’ll learn how to throw it back.
Our troop elected two new patrol leaders and a senior patrol leader this week. Now my big job is to make them realize that responsible for the troop program, the camp outs, the meetings, the “whole megillah”. We are taking it slow. I will sit along side the SPL at the first PLC meeting, show the three leaders how to run the meeting, how to vote on decisions that need to be made, how to implement the decisions and delegate the work. Then I must sit aside, just listen, maybe do one of Clark’s “socratic” questions, and let them do it.
Surprisingly, so far the hardest thing is finding the time and place to get the four of us in a room together for an hour. The different schedules of just four people are keeping us from meeting at any other time but the troop meetings and camp outs. Stuff like this always seems to throw a monkey wrench into the works.
Instead of showing them just let them do it. Let them try things out be available to answer questions but at enough of a distance to make it difficult for you to offer advice. When they are done take five minutes to ask them how it went.
Don’t take it slow, let them at it.
Clark,
Thanks for posting this. I’m a new Scoutmaster of Troop 244 in Warner Robins, GA and have a new SPL. I’ll put these to good use. Also enjoy your weekly podcasts. I have gleaned valuable info from them as well. Keep up the good work.
YIS,
Victor N. Rigole SM
Troop 244
Thanks for the kind words Victor, and thanks for being in touch! Congratulations on being a new Scoutmaster – it’s a great thing to do.