Leaderboard

I have been sitting back for the past week or so reading everyone's comments and trying to assess my own feelings. I was appalled when I read attacks against the TCC members who I have felt have given their all to what has been going on. I have thought about the first Town Hall where they all said that this was a steep learning curve for themselves and I have wondered how they feel at this point. My conclusion is they must feel a lot like most of the rest of us.....hurt, confused, and wondering what will happen next. I also recalled the night before the last Town Hall when the word was tha

I don't agree at all. Fist year scout dropout rate is the highest of all ages, but not from leadership, it's from the sudden cultural change of following adult guidance to self responsibility. I certainly don't agree that the organizations disjunctions are from boy led scouting. I'm not even sure what that means. Leadership development is not about developing great leaders, but developing leaders to use the values of the Oath and Law in the decision making process. Basically a servant style leadership. Barry

Or, is it like saying, “We’ll provide chocolate wafers, and and the scouts, the filling!” We all know that we’re not taking leadership out. We’re just removing it as a method … possibly replacing it and personal growth with “service” and “responsibility.” I saw yet another post on the scouting forums from a leader who was bothered about an SPL and PL who already earned Eagle wanting to hold their positions while he/she wanted to let younger scouts to have a crack at those while Star or Life scouts. Our adults aren’t getting the message. Not all of them. Maybe not even most of them

I think both you and @yknot are on to something Leadership does indeed play a role, but it is the CUB SCOUT, or more specifically WEBELOS LEVEL (emphasis) adult leadership, and not the Scouts BSA level. If things are happening elsewhere as I have seen them happening locally, and from some of the pushback I get for my advice on other forums I believe it is a national problem, Webelos leaders are not making the transition from Cub Scouts to Scouts BSA. Webelos leaders are NOT helping to transition from adult lead to self responsibility like the Webelos Program was intended. Thus when the ne

C’mon now guys. Don’t make fun of me. Mama needs a new pair of shoes (and a yacht and an island and a fleet of cars, servants, penthouses in all cosmopolitan centers and…a new printer and technology consultant for her hubby).

One thing we have to keep in mind is that scouting teaches one kind of leadership model: top down. The rank advancement system is built around that. In most cases, it tends to recognize and reward confidence and self advocacy and not necessarily competency and good outcomes. Scouting loses a lot of kids during the transition from AOL to first year or two of troop, and I think leadership plays a role. I have seen a lot of good kids leave in that time frame because they need confidence building in order to learn more about leadership and scouts is often not a good place for certain kinds of kids

The technique of learning leadership, whether naturally or actively doesn't matter if the mentors, coaches and role models are bad leaders. Watch the youth leaders of any troop at your next summer and notice how much they mimic the adults. Actual leadership experience only improves leadership skills when the leader has to change a habit as the result of a bad decision. I found that leadership skills learned by passively observing other leaders pushes program maturity because new scouts observe the good habits learned by previous leaders who change their habits made by bad decisions

Latest filing from claimant asks he be named as "Financial Master" for BSA case, including being named "CEO, COO, and CFO and Chairman of the BSA". His plan to rescue BSA is to get a $100 billion (with a B, billion) PPP loan repayable over the next 50 years. All scouts will be assessed $1200 in fees per year (he thinks current fees are $600 per year) which the scouts will have to pay off via selling...something. Oh, and scouting will overnight go back to 2 million scouts. And for his services as "Financial Master" "CEO, COO, and CFO and Chairman of the BSA" claimant wants $8.4 billio

Absolutely true. SM should be doing lots of friendly coaching to help scouts develop and foster the right environment ... if the SM even knows to do that. Reflection and mentorship should always be part of the program. Heck, it's the reason we have the SM moment.

A nuanced comment on your assessment on teaching leadership, based on my experience (MBA and senior military leader) - leadership is learned by doing (being in a position of leadership) and having a mentor or guide to help develop the individuals leadership skills. My concern and experience with naturally learning is that poor leadership skills that create results can be the the wrong lessons learned. What I mean by this are use of yelling, fear, intimidation, threats, etc. and learning that those type of toxic leadership methods can be successful to get objectives met.

The design is scouts working with scouts in the outdoors doing things. By doing that, leadership is fostered. SM can do minor reflects and suggestions as part of helping the troop function and scouts grow. But, there is no need for a constant focus on "leadership development". Sure, do an annual leadership course in the troop. Let ASPLs build experience to become the next SPL. Share roles and jobs. ... BUT, explicit focus on leadership is often more destructive than helpful.

Leadership through outdoor adventures!!

How many new adults come in with the instincts of "train them, trust them, and let them go." The whole reason for this discussion is adult instinctively take over. So, I feel the idealism being presented here is missing the point. Adults have to have a goal and a plan just to keep the program out of the gutters. My point is if you take leadership out of the plan, the adults will take leadership out of scouting. Leadership has always been part of scouting. IF you want to keep leadership in scouting, even if leadership is a by-product of just participating in patrol activities, leadership

As I mentioned previously the Scout Slogan, "Do a Good Turn Daily" needs to be re-emphasized. It is the embodiment of the Motto, the Oath and Law. If I could define one thing which defines Scouting as unique to any other team, club, or organization with similar aims, methods, and principles it is this... Do a Good Turn Daily.

Yikes... Nothing wrong with have more than one Quartermaster, Scribe, Outdoor Ethics Guide, etc... Heck, we have an Eagle Board of Review tonight for a Scout who has only held a Den Chief position for his entire time. At one time, he actually thought he was required to hold some other positions. When we told him he could do what he loved and still develop as a leader, he was very stoked. We told him his ultimate aim was to instill in all of his Cubs/Webelos a desire to continue on to Scouts, whether they joined our Troop or not. Then we helped him set SMART goals every six

Taking Leadership Development out of Scouting would be like taking the creamy white filling out of the Oreo cookie. Barry

So, time to think out of the box … Will we increase membership by removing Leadership Development from the methods of scouting? Why would that make any sense at all? I can think of two reasons. LD not distinctive. Sports claims to be leadership development. Academics claims to be leadership development. Music/band claims to be leadership development. Same for lots of other organizations and many religions. Kids hear it, and it is just another phrase of doublespeak to them. Not everyone is looking for it. I’ve only met a handful of youth who were all about LD, and they wer

Yep, @yknot, this is pretty routine. A scout is trustworthy. A person who betrays trusts is not a scout. Usually this is a troop committee decision, but when the matter is of public trust the dismissal can just as easily come from Council or National. It is not a fun day when an exec calls you about a member in your unit.

I believe the argument has been in the past that there's no provision to remove an award that was already given to someone, regardless of what they have done. And I know for a fact this is not the first time BSA has removed a scout for something. I can think of at least two scouts in my district removed after drug arrests. The point is that parents and BSA don't advertise and send out press releases "John Smith has been removed from scouting for his drug arrest."

This is what I have been feeling for the last several weeks. I think we were used by almost everyone. Looks like it has turned into a finger pointing exercise and every man for himself situation. Especially because I wasn’t told about the SOL when I signed up.... .01% is not worth it, neither is $3500. I get the feeling BSA wishes it had never gone this route, not that it had much choice but I don’t think they ever dreamed there were 84,000 cases out there.

There are way, way too many missing pieces of this story to be able to figure this out. Without more details, any answer would be 90% speculation (at best).

The only options going forward are for Troops to charter with the council and get the facility use agreement, or the CO's need to bring the unit completely under CO control and oversight. That would likely entail closing membership of the unit to only individuals who are members of the CO. That would kill most troops in my local area, since even the Catholic ones take on non church members as Troop members. CO's would be foolish to continue chartering Troops and simply rubberstamping the paperwork as they have done previously.

This reminds me of a campout the PLC planned where the patrols would went on a course with a 3 mile hike, 5 mile bike ride and canoeing navigation course. The patrols had 15 stops where the had to do a skills competition. Very complexe and we thought it would take the whole Saturday. All the patrols carried lunch with them, but in the end, all 6 patrols completed the course by noon and eat lunch in the camp site. But, the story in the story is I got a call from a pack leader a week before asking if their 3 dens of 23 Webelos could camp with us to check out the troop. I wasn’t sure how we

Our troop goes and does stuff. That is the goal. On many occasions we get a parent (or leader) that feels we should have "advancement outings", work on this or that specifically. The SM and key leaders always push back on that and continue to just push going and doing stuff. Go have fun. Now just because we do not have specific advancement thrusts on outings, does not mean that advancement does not (or cannot) happen on an outing. I always like working with Scouts on Camping merit badge, first we camp (not including summer camps) over 20 nights a year so most Scouts get that pa

I believe the pros at National did loose focus on the boys and the ideals of developing character. They lost the concept of scouting and it’s values, so they justified their existence with Greed for money and members and change the program in two areas that hit the program hard. First, they went after first graders to increase cub recruitment. That blunder brought in boys with a toddler maturity, which didn’t mix well with the advanced maturity of the rest of the age groups. The increased overhead pack management burned out the adults and they left. Second, National brought in femal

I appreciate Trail life's aim and mission, but one of the main reasons BSA lost so much membership is because the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is no longer a charter organisation, not only because of a loss of moral values. I currently like BSA's program, but if there were any TLUSA troops near me I'd probably switch my boys over considering the direction BSA is taking with its woke, political knee-jerk reaction to BLM.

Huh ... Go figure. I always thought it was because so many outside organizations keep taking pot shots at BSA to promote their own agenda. And this article is in a Christian magazine?

This one of those post that makes me shake my head in bewilderment. 1. How does it equate to endorsement because National took a photo of youth wearing neckerchiefs using friendship knots? 2. I’ve know Crews that used them well before world Jambo, as was suggested (I think with tongue firmly in cheek). In fact, I my NSJ necker is laid together with world contingent necker and tied in friendship knot (it also has a unique slide in one side that was gifted to me). 3. Some youth prefer knots, some prefer slides, let them choose. (Although I can see a unit asking them to choose one or t