Now I've gone and done it

[RMcCown 10]

First a little personal background. I was a scout when I was a kid, and loved it. I didn't advance far (there didnt seem to be this big "push" for advancement like there seems to be now), but I was in for a long time. My son is 13, and been in Scouting since Tiger. During Cubs, I was on the sideline mostly, though I did help out with the Pinewood Derby every year, and the occasional outing. About 2 years ago, the Scoutmaster for the Troop made an announcement that he'd like a couple of dedicated adults to take on the role of ASM under him. Myself and another dad stepped in, and we've been ASMs since, gone to training, and generally tried to turn our troop around from adult-lead to boy-lead. It's slow going, but this year we've made great strides toward that.

 

Now, the SM wants to step down, and my name has filtered to the top of the list as replacements. In a moment of weakness, I said yes. It'll be a transition period of a couple months, but by December, I'll be in the saddle. I'd welcome any advice from the masses.

[scoutldr 732]

Congratulations, R. Being asked to become SM is indeed an honor. The keys to success are to remember that you can't do it all. Assemble a good cadre of assistants and let the Troop Committee do their jobs. Your job is primarily to train the Youth leaders to deliver the program by conducting JLT and constant mentoring. But you know all this!

[Eamonn 61]

Hi

Congrats on making the grade. If of course you are sure this is what you want to do? You might also want to see how the rest of the family feels about this. Remember to include your son, while some Lads like the idea of Dad being the big cheese others are not taken with the idea.

Take the time to read both the Boy Scout and Scoutmaster Handbooks.

As you read them take the time to think about where your strong points are and where you are not so strong.

Don't beat yourself about because you are not strong or good at everything. Some things can be improved with practice. Some will always be out there and you may never master. -In my case it's Stars and the night sky. I've over the years tried but I'm now happy to admit that I need to find people who are good at this and let them do their thing.

Being a good Scoutmaster is not easy. I think it has more to do with relationships than being good with sharp tools, maps, compasses and maps.

If you are going to do a good job of leading you need to know where you are going and what you want to do. Having a clear idea of when you will get there and what you expect once you are there is important.

Break this down into bite sized items that you can really measure. Don't allow nice sounding Boy Scout lingo cloud things.

This "Boy Led" thing is a great idea, but it can take a lifetime and may never happen. If you break it down into, holding regular PLC meetings, training the youth leaders, patrol camping and cooking it starts to make a little more sense.

Over the past few weeks there has been several threads about wearing too many hats.

Being SM is a full time job, being a new SM is really hard work. Resist the temptation to take on other roles.

A big thing for me was finding another adult that I really like and enjoy being with to work with. Scouts are a lot of fun, but at times having an adult that you really know and like at hand can be a lifesaver.

One very important thing never to forget is that Fun is what makes this program work.

Eamonn.

[pargolf44067 57]

Congratulations on the new position. I was in your position about a year ago, and I was never in Scouting and wasn't a big camping person until my older son got into scouts about five years ago. Advice that was given already is good. Find people who complement your weaknesses and, above all, remember that it is for the boys, not for the adults who want to help. Turning around a troop to become boy-led is very challenging and I am still going through the process as we speak.

 

Utilize this forum as it is a good source of information.

 

Keep your spirits up and again, welcome aboard!

 

Bill

[EagleInKY 14]

Congrats. Over the next few years you'll experience joy and frustration, excitement and depression, optimism and second-guessing... The role of SM is lots of fun, but with any position worth holding, it has its challenges. Keep your spirits, stay true to the scouting program, live by the scout oath and law and HAVE FUN.

[CalicoPenn 729]

Congrats!

 

Moment of weakness?? Uh uh...It was a moment of strength. If you weren't ready and willing, you never would have said "Yes".

 

Everyone has given great advice (and I'm sure others will continue to do so) - in my opinion, EagleinKY gave the best advice you'll ever get, though - and it's just two words:

 

HAVE FUN

 

CalicoPenn

[SueM 10]

Congratulations and I applaud you for being willing to step up! I was in your position 2 years ago..no men were willing to step up so it was me or no one! Trying to turn a troop around can be challenging at best..very frustrating at worst..especially for me as a female SM! I have asked my self almost weekly for the past 2 year "Just WHY am I doing this again???" but I keep plugging away because the answer is always..."It's for the Boys!"

 

Be prepared for new roadblocks every step of the way in trying to turn the troop around. You'll most likely find that everytime they make one positive step, you'll come up against a new roadblock which you'll need to overcome. Look for that positive step at each meeting and try to build on it. Make sure your other adult leaders understand the program well enough to -help- you rather than cause problems. Good Luck..

 

Sue M.

[gwd-scouter 11]

Congratulations on your new position as SM! To echo SueM a bit, I began my Scoutmastership a little less than 2 years ago (I think she's about 6 months ahead of me). And, yes, I am also a female.

 

Agreeing with everything everyone has posted so far, let me please add one more thing - get to know your Scouts, their personalities, strengths and weaknesses. Remember, one style of leadership and mentoring from you may work for one boy, but not have the same effect with another.

 

Also, be ready to let them fail. One of the hardest things I've had to learn was to sit back and watch while pancakes were burnt, tents fell down from a strong wind, boys begging to borrow a flashlight because none of them brought one, etc. Then, of course, there's my personal favorite - the young scout that started chugging the six pack of Pepsi's he brought because after a couple of miles on the trail, his backpack started to get heavy!

 

Good luck to you RM - have a great time with your Troop.

 

 

[Chippewa29 13]

Congrats on becoming captain of your own ship. My first suggestion to you is to develop a plan with the Scouts and other adults about where you want to troop to go in the next few years. My second suggestion is to read the book "The 17 Irrefuteable Laws of Leadership" by John Maxwell. I've read 60-70 leadership books over the years, and I feel that if you are going to read just one, this is it. It will give you some incredible lessons on things to do and not to do as a leader.

[Eagledad 2778]

Wow, there is so much that can be said about Scout Mastering. But humble because it is truly a learning experience and if you are to be really good at the job, you must learn from each experience. No matter what, be consistent. If the scout cant trust how you will react when they struggle and fail, they won't seek your wisdom. They won't try to risk failure.

 

For the Scoutmaster, failure is good. Failure is opportunity. We talk so much about letting scouts fail, yet so many adults seem to get angry when they see it. It is easy to lead a troop of perfect leaders, but that isnt scouting. When a boy gets angry, when a boy yells, when a boy gets physical, or when he gets rebellious, that for you is an opportunity. For you see behavior is our job.

 

Remember it is next to impossible to change character. For character to really change; it has to be done from within. But we do have a lot of power to influence conduct. And to learn a thing, we must practice a thing. Give your scouts the opportunities to practice conduct guided by the Scout Law and Oath hoping that they practice it enough to develop habits. From those habits, they have the ability to influence their character.

 

It is hard to express the power you hold because looking at it from your side now, you only have apprehension and vision. You have to rely on passion to feed your one hour a week. But looking at it from my side, I have experience and memories to feed my obsession of scouting. I can say with all my heart that it all really works because I have been there.

 

Trust in the program and trust in yourself because there will be nights you wont be able to sleep from the frustration. You will be rewarded however. They will come when you least expect them and from those you could never imagine. It will be those times that you wont be able to sleep because the grin on your face and from the continuous prayers of thanks.

 

You are now the leader of troop philosophy. What you say goes. For whatever reason, most folks will not question your wisdom, even when it is really just a theory that has not yet been hardened from the fire of experience. You are the magnet where everyone wants to stand. They could ask anyone answers to their questions, but they will go to the Scoutmaster. Why, because until you loose their trust, you are ten feet tall and you know it all. What you say goes and what goes is the Scoutmasters will. In reality you dont deserve it because such power should be earned. But it yours, so be gentle, be humble, be compassionate, be honest, and be brave.

 

A boy is no less and no more than a small chick in your hands. Too much pressure will kill him his will, too little will allow him to fly off to something more appealing. Always let the Scout Law be your guide. Not in words, but in all your actions. Boys dont listen, they only watch. And they watch all the time.

 

You will learn that you are the scoutmaster of families, not boys. The hired you to help in their quest of making thier son into a man. But when you guide the boy, the family will watch, follow and thirst for more. You will find yourself Scoutmastering adults and pull from it. Boys want adventure, adults want everything else. Mothers are the hardest because their nature is to protect their young. Part of that protection is making a trail for their son. YOur job is difficult because a troop is where the boy makes his own trail. Choose your words carefully and mom will let her son take the lead. But challenge her job of protecting her son, you will meet the impassible force. You work for the family, stand your ground and protect your philosphy, but never assume yourself more important than your are. You are the Scoutmaster, but you are only the scoutmaster.

 

There are only few places left where a boy can truly feel good about himself because adults have so much to say about every action a boy makes today. But there is still the troop. A troop needs to be a place of refuge, a place of opportunity and a place where dreams can come true. A troop has to be a place mystery and a place where a boy has the confidence to venture in the dark and safe enough to keep trying.

 

I felt best as a scoutmaster when I knew the boys went home saying I like myself when Im with the Troop.

 

And truly, I love this scouting stuff.

 

Barry

 

[CA_Scouter 11]

Congrats RM. The fact that your name bubbled up to the top of the list reflects the scouts and parents belief that you are the right man for the job!

 

Some random thoughts...

 

Be a strong Scoutmaster. Make sure everyone know where you stand on important issues. Some of my 'key' issues are safety, character, safety, Leave No Trace principles, preparedness and safety. IN that order. :-)

 

Surround yourself with several ASM's. I have a troop of 21 Scouts, and I have 4 ASM's. I also have 2-3 other parents who attend meetings and campouts and help out.

 

Don't be afraid to ask for assistance. I recently asked for other adults to handle our community service stuff, because we as SM/ASM's already volunteer a lot of time to the cause. Ask other adults to step up!

 

You will always have at least one problem scout, and one or two problem parents. Its part of the job. Emphasize character and safety and they can't argue with you on that!

 

Being SM is as fun as you want it to be. Keep it light, keep up the energy, don't get bogged down in details or minutae.

 

HAVE FUN!

 

 

[RMcCown 10]

Thanks for the congratulations, and the advice. I know this is something I *really* want to do. When I first became ASM, and went to Leader Specific training, I was asked "Why are you here?". I said I wanted to learn how to be an effective Scout leader. "But why? Why do you care about 40 boys that you barely know?". After some back and forth, it came down to, for me, that these boys have shown interest in something I liked when I was a kid, and I feel its my duty, as their leader, to be able to give to them the same quality of Scouting experience I had 30 years ago. I've never before had the feeling of "This is something I need to do".

 

Teaching a 12 year old how to tie a bowline on a bight, or some other knot, seeing the puzzlement and frustration on his face as he practices it again and again, and, then, finally, seeing him use it on a campout for something. THATS one of the greatest feelings of accomplishment Ive ever felt, for something so simple I can do it in the dark.

 

Our Troop has thrashed back and forth the past year. We were headed to become an Eagle-for-resumes Troop, then we had half our Troop Committee resign for various reasons this past spring. The boys wern't getting the leadership training or direction they needed. Late spring/early summer direction changes, and an incredible-for-me experience at summer camp, plus a great Venture trip to Catalina Island in August, has given the boys, and the adults, renewed direction and energy.

 

The current SM, and us two ASMs have taken another step back, away from being so involved in 'driving' the Troop, and the new SPL and ASPLs are doing 95% of the troop meeting planning and execution. We have better deadlines for campouts than "the tuesday before the campout, who is going, and what food?" we had before. We've balanced the patrols out nicely, and our attendence is up and steady. In the words of my son, after this past Tuesday's meeting: "We're a lot better than last year, but I think we could be a lot better still". I think that sums it up nicely.

[red feather 10]

Would like to add my congratulations to all the others. Like you, I 'forgot to duck' a little over a year ago and am also a Scoutmaster. ASM 13 yrs and both my boys Eagle and moved on.

 

Soome things that I have learned (I hope):

 

Patience, Patience, Patience and then take a big breath. Things only look like they are as bad as they look. Scouts have a tremendous ability to test limits. Let them test the limits and let them learn from what happens when the limits are crossed. They will learn eventually that planning does not happen by itself and that what looks good on paper has flaws when it meets nature. Just Be Prepared.

 

Enthusiasm on your part will carry over to the scouts, they will feed on it and take it and make it their own.

 

Note cards to keep track of what you want to get done on an overnight or a troop meeting. Without them I forget so much and have to ask the SPL to help cover my ooops. It is ok to forget, makes ya humble and causes the SPL to help me remember. (3x5 cards are great)

 

Let your support adults (ASMs and the Committee) know that you will NOT do everything and that they will need to step up and help make the troop that they all serve be the best you can make them.

 

Scoutmaster minutes. It has been a surprise how the scouts have taken to them and expect some tidbit of wisdom (?)to some spouting out. Their favorite so far is ... Never play leap frog with unicorns. Go figure.

 

Try to make the scouts understand that the troop belongs to them, I and our ASMs have finally gotten through to them that our job is to make sure that they do not burn the church down, return the same number of scouts after the overnight in about the same condition they left in and try to ensure that they have the support they need to get done what they are trying to do. The troop is theirs and their leader is the SPL not the SM.

 

If you haven't yet, take Wood Badge, it will definitly help.

 

Other than that....have fun and look to this campfire for support and suggestions.

 

yis