Seeing The Big Picture And Making The Change

As a Scoutmaster, I cherish moments when I can sit back and observe at my own pace the progress
scouts are making.  These moments are powerful and etched into memory as those “ah-ha” moments of pride when things are going the right way.  Baden-Powell always emphasized the power of learning by doing.  Daniel Carter Beard, one of the Founding Fathers of the American Boy Scout movement said, “There is but one way to learn to do a thing and that is to do it.”  Scouts need to experience things to learn things.

We are now four months into a new patrol make up that resulted in mixing all ages to give the same average in all patrols.  There was much trepidation towards this major change that resulted separating scouts who were together since they were cub scouts.  Still in the forming stage, I had the opportunity to observe something that is a goal of the change up.  Scouts working together!  (What a concept).

The Patrol Leader Council (PLC) decided the focus for the last few meetings was going to be lashing because several scouts asked about building things on our next camping trip.  Separated into their new patrols, our Instructors and Guide, along with the Assistant Senior Patrol Leader showed each group how to do the lashing emphasizing their usefulness.  Their leadership and instruction was superb, everyone fully engaged in what they were doing.  If our previous patrol structure attempted this, the scene would look like this:  

Pull the curtain back to see four patrols set by age as they crossed over into the troop, lightly participating in the lashing activity.  The oldest patrol is seen seriously working to get the task done, then seen sitting around waiting for instruction on what to do next.  The youngest patrol comprised of scouts with less than a year of Boy Scout experience, is struggling with the task because none of them know enough to be able to lead the others in completing the task; they begin to lose focus, never completing the goal and never really learning how to do the lashing.  The other patrols in the middle want to participate, but instead they are talking about their play on a video game or whether or not Rey is Luke Skywalker’s daughter.  Activity over, task accomplished, move on to the next thing.

Instead, I witnessed three focused patrols sprawled out on the floor watching and learning from their instructors, helping each other learn and all completing the task put before them.  They were so engrossed with what they were doing, there was little side conversation, in fact eerily quiet because of their focus and work.

   

With leadership there is always a big picture to be seen.  It’s easy to get caught up in the small things that can distract from the real goal that is desired.  It is lonely at the top for leaders who have a vision and make steps to make it happen knowing there will be pushback, and some who are not happy with those steps.  With that, it is easy to concede to those distractors, to avoid the conflict they may cause, just to keep balance and the status quo.  Why were patrols set the way they were?  Because it has always been that way.  Sometimes this is good, but I believe good leaders are willing to look at how things are done and at least ask the question, “Can we do it better?”  The answer to that question may not be the initiation of a change, but the question should be asked nonetheless.

So, amidst this small but yet landmark observation, I also continue to learn.  Baden Powell shared, “Look wide, beyond your immediate surroundings and limits, and you see things in their right proportion.  Look above the level of things around you and see a higher aim and possibility to your work.”  A plan with a focus is powerful tool. Mixing things up so that older experience can help and teach those with less experience, and despite what distractors say, stay the course.  For a better experience to use to teach those with less, we must look around and see the higher aim.  Those older scouts in the “senior” patrol with the experience were not using their talents and knowledge to make the others better.  The skills and knowledge scouts learn is not just for Tuesday nights.  They are things these boys will take with them beyond one night a week.  That is the level I see.  That is how I will leave things better than I found them, and that is an experience I can share with others.

Self-Reliance

During our recent backpacking trip, gathered around the campfire, I asked the scouts to

share one of their favorite things that have happened to them since they were a scout.  Many there have been in since a cub scout, but some of the boys are new, so I knew the answers would vary.  As they shared, the conversation evolved into what scouting has done for each of them.  One shared, scouting has helped him become more self-reliant, and strengthened his confidence.  A sentiment others echoed.  As I listened and shared with them, I still struggled to wrap my brain around what was happening.  In the middle of nowhere, in the woods, was a group of scouts, sitting around a roaring fire with no worry, sharing what the program has done for them.  Honestly as I looked at the other adult leaders who were there, a since of pride came over me, not that it was my doing that led them to share the things they did, but their willingness and comfort to share.  I just facilitated.

The scouting program, when applied correctly can have an impact on skills used later in life.  I still reminisce about my experience and understand how much I gained from what I learned.  Skills such as leadership, group dynamics, problem-solving, and self-reliance just to name a few.

The idea that youth must learn self-reliance, that they at some point must depend on themselves for their success, and that the world does not revolve around them are revelations many grownups never seem to grasp well into adulthood.  What I saw that night around the campfire was the realization that they might be a part of something bigger…  The world doesn’t owe them.

I remember when things clicked for me as a teenager, using skills I learned outside of scouts.  I started cooking for myself; much to my mother’s chagrin, because of course, the kitchen was her absolute territory.  But in time I proved myself and the barrier came down and I was allowed to do more as time went on.

Last week, Mike Brown and I were teaching some first aid to a few scouts and trying to convey how important these skills are, that it may be a scout, one of the leaders, or most likely someone in their family who may need the help some day.  In trying to convey the seriousness of the situation we were simulating, Mike was very animated trying to simulate the seriousness of the situation, and one of the scouts became emotional.  Our intent was not to scare, but to make clear, yes scouting is fun, but there is also seriousness to the things we teach we hope they can apply.

Lord Baden Powell shares a Canadian quote in his book, Rovering To Success.  The saying is, “Hump your pack!” meaning carry your load yourself.  A few pages later he encourages scouts to, “go forward with confidence – don’t be content merely to defend yourself and to ward off the worst of what you may be facing, but go at it with determination to defeat it and to get an advantage out of it somehow.”  To me Baden Powell is saying to scouts:

• Take what you are learning seriously. 

• Carry your own weight.

• Believe in yourself.

• Life is not easy, but with the right skills and attitude you can make it.

So to parents know that your scouts have the knowledge they need to be successful.  I challenge all of us as parents to hone those skills enabling each scout to be the success we know they can be.