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?”
Don’t sabotage the boys, or yourself
A recent article by reinvention guru Jim Mathis got me to thinking about how often we sabotage ourselves and those we lead by a tendency to be a control freak.
When they won’t follow
Many regular readers of Scouting Magazine enjoy the feature What Would You Do? in which readers are asked to comment on a problem a Scouter is having in his or her unit. The March-April issue poses the question of how the seven older scouts in a troop should command respect when the 15-20 younger ones won’t follow them. Continue reading “When they won’t follow”
Troop meeting goals and objectives
In a recent discussion with our troop Scoutmasters, I found myself using the term “goals and objectives”. Instantly I was reminded of those management concepts that were to revolutionize the corporate world. Continue reading “Troop meeting goals and objectives”
The true measure of a leader
A recent column by John Hagel and John Seely Brown in Forbes magazine reveals the startling news to corporate leaders: Â In the past, a leader was measured by how many followers he had, but in the future, a leader must produce more leaders to be considered successful. Continue reading “The true measure of a leader”