Leader Position Training Requirements (All Branches)

[swilliams]

My two cents as a recently-trained SM...

1. I can't speak well to what I thought of the online training because as soon as I decided to take on this role, I dove in: I have copies of Troop Leader Guidebook, volumes 1 & 2, Scoutmaster Handbook, SPL Handbook, PL Handbook, and while I haven't read every word, I've read a lot of it.  I've also tried to gather as much info from online materials (Troop Leader Resources, for example) and groups like this as possible.  So, long way of saying the online training felt redundant, but that's from a skewed perspective.

2.  IOLS was fun, and I did learn one or two new things, as well as getting refreshers on a couple things.  Can't speak to how it's run everywhere, but our Council did a great job.  It was awesome afterward, during a meeting where we were doing advancement, to have a brand-new ASM with almost no scouting experience be more familiar with knots than several of our oldest scouts.  They sure stepped up quick, lol.

3. Wilderness Survival and CPR.  I would take these in a heartbeat, but they are not being offered, as far as I can find, anywhere in the state for the next six months. Why such limited opportunity?

4. All this training doesn't make one a good leader.  I had an incident with about eight scouts going at each other in a group chat, had two scouts physically fighting on one trip, have made numerous mistakes, can't get ANYONE but our Committee Chair and one parent to read emails, and had a scout nearly drown me last Saturday.  Made it through all this, and still feel like I have no clue what I'm doing.

And no suggestions on how to make it better.  I'm no Duct Tape.

[Eagle94-A1]

49 minutes ago, DuctTape said:

We often lament the lack of District and/or Council personnel (including commissioners) involvement at the Unit level. 

Biggest problem in my neck of the woods is that no one wants to deal with council. Folks are burnt out or frustrated.

We had two bright-eyed new volunteers assume a district level position, and within 12 months resigned. They were overworked.

We have had pros overrule volunteers on events, i.e. multibooking a location, not ordering enough supplies, or  not even ordering supplies at all.

We have had volunteers try to do camp improvements for events, and told "NO." Then the site is not ready.

We had volunteers removed from their position when they question the pros, i.e  Why did council take $40K earmarked for the OA to do camp improvements for Conclave and put it in the general fund as a FOS donation.

And we had volunteers yelled and screamed at by pros.

And when folks do ask for help from council, they are told no.

[DuctTape]

3 hours ago, Eagle94-A1 said:

Biggest problem in my neck of the woods is that no one wants to deal with council. Folks are burnt out or frustrated.

We had two bright-eyed new volunteers assume a district level position, and within 12 months resigned. They were overworked.

We have had pros overrule volunteers on events, i.e. multibooking a location, not ordering enough supplies, or  not even ordering supplies at all.

We have had volunteers try to do camp improvements for events, and told "NO." Then the site is not ready.

We had volunteers removed from their position when they question the pros, i.e  Why did council take $40K earmarked for the OA to do camp improvements for Conclave and put it in the general fund as a FOS donation.

And we had volunteers yelled and screamed at by pros.

And when folks do ask for help from council, they are told no.

I hear you. My suggestion can be a step, just one perhaps, towards filling that divide. 

[Tron]

On 6/9/2025 at 4:52 PM, skeptic said:

The first time a coding change put me in that position I asked the registrar to help.  Ours was able to simply adjust to new coding and I am again shown as trained, or over trained I suppose.  Occasional review is likely good anyway, I suppose.  My first training was way back in the mid seventies and has seen Woodbadge and Woodbadge staffing; at least five course at PTC, and numerous online reviews and sit ins on some just for fun.  

This is the correct attitude right here. Especially the occasional review part; heck we all forget stuff.

[Tron]

Has anyone else had a chance to watch the NAM videos that dropped on Friday? There was a great comment about training in the change the way we work together video.  One of the dudes from national basically said that national wants to change training and that they want quality leaders, not just warm bodies in the volunteer roles.