Tag: Adult involvement

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Knowing when to leave

redkite_250Go while the going is good / Knowing when to leave may be the smartest thing that anyone can learn

-“Knowing When To Leave“ by Burt Bacharach & Hal David

We all remember when we first took the plunge into Scout leadership. Usually it’s in Cub Scouts, and when our sons wanted to join and the Cubmaster or committee chair told us that the den needed a den leader, we were the ones who stood in place when everyone else took a step backward. As our sons grow, so does our involvement in our units. It changes substantially but we end up settling into our role in our troop and getting comfortable doing it. Continue reading “Knowing when to leave”

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We have to get it right!

RuleBook_200What if the coach of a basketball team let eight or nine players play at a time? Or let them shoot into both baskets? Have you ever seen a baseball game where the batter could swing at as many pitches as he wanted to until he got a hit, or keep running the bases after she was tagged out? Would a band director let the trombones play the flutes’ score if they liked that music better?

These are all absurd situations. The rules of various sports are clearly defined, and the game has to be played by those rules. A band or orchestra has to play the score pretty much as it was written, or cacophony would result.

So why do some Scouters fail to understand how a troop works, or disobey the rules because they think they know better? Continue reading “We have to get it right!”

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Are you trying to do everything?

manyhats_200Many of us got into Scouting leadership because we wanted to share in the fun and adventure with our sons and wanted to help our pack or troop provide a great program for the boys. “An hour a week,” we were told, and soon found that it’s not always an accurate estimate, “but who’s counting?” we reason, because it’s for our sons and those of our friends and neighbors.

As we climb higher up the tree of adult leadership, though, we may find ourselves taking on more and more responsibilities. “Sure, I’ll do that,” we say, when someone asks us to handle a fundraiser, plan an outing, or serve on a district committee. It will be fun, and we’ll learn new things and meet new people, and we’ll be helping others.

As the chairperson of our unit committee, for instance, we realize that there are almost always more things to do than there are people to do them. Continue reading “Are you trying to do everything?”

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Why do volunteers falter?

discouraged_200Scouting is a volunteer organization. We knew that already. Except for a relatively few paid staff members at the national and local council levels, almost all of the work of Scouting is done by volunteer adults, giving of their own time and resources to make Scouting happen for the youth.

Because of this volunteer nature, the people who actually keep the wheels turning are in a different position and place than in a typical large organization such as a corporate or governmental entity. Much of this involves generous people stepping forward to take on sometimes challenging roles; other times we invite selected individuals to join our movement and carry its aims forward. Continue reading “Why do volunteers falter?”

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Your “open door” policy

weareopen_200Committee chairs have a lot of people who either report to them or who they serve in one way or another. The Scoutmaster or Cubmaster, the various coordinators on the committee, the chartered organization representative and the unit commissioner all require open channels of communication with the committee chair in order for everything to work smoothly. This includes parents of Scouts as well.

You should therefore strive to be accessible and available to listen to, learn from, and offer assistance to pretty much everyone who has anything to do with your troop or pack.

But how can you do this? Continue reading “Your “open door” policy”