Author: Frank

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The captain of the ship

Making my way through fellow Scouters’ blogs, I’ve recently come across some interesting observations about Committee Chairs and their role in a unit.

In some units (Troops and Packs), the Committee Chair is a figurehead position — a name filled in on the roster so that the charter will go through. Leader meetings are conducted by the Scoutmaster or Cubmaster. In other units, the Committee Chair exists only to call the monthly committee meetings and not much else.

But in reality, the Committee Chair’s job is, in many ways, the most important one in a unit. Continue reading “The captain of the ship”

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The antidote for self-centrism

Last week, New York Times columnist David Brooks wrote an op-ed piece titled It’s Not About You as a rebuttal to the countless college commencement addresses that implore our newly-minted Bachelors of Whatever to go and blaze a trail in the world, motivated by their own inner dreams and passions. Go ahead and read the column now, if you wish, and then come back here (the link will open in a new window or tab). As you read, think about your role in Scouting and how what we do could apply. Continue reading “The antidote for self-centrism”

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Leader: a title or an attitude?

I frequently sit on rank advancement boards of review in our troop. Because it’s so important to me, I usually ask the scouts we interview about leadership in one aspect or another. I ask whether the scout holds a position of responsibility in the troop, how he’s handling it and if he’s  had any problems. I also ask him what he thinks “being a leader” means. While occasionally we’ll hear an answer that really impresses me – the “right” answer: a leader serves others – usually what we hear is “a leader gets to boss people around” or something similar. I’ll also ask if he views himself differently since he’s held a position, and in what way. Continue reading “Leader: a title or an attitude?”

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Helpful and friendly

Recently our troop took part in a joint landscaping project with the other troop in town. Most of us adults are acquainted with at least one or two families in the other troop because of our Cub Scout connections, but many of the boys either don’t know each other or know one or two through other connections such as school or church. Though we participate with them in service projects once a year or so, we don’t do joint events like campouts or high adventure, so they aren’t familiar in the context of Scouting. A few of our boys even look at the other troop as the “enemy,” as they have seen their friends from Cub Scouts join their troop instead of ours, and continue to attract boys that they feel should be joining us instead. Continue reading “Helpful and friendly”