dsteele

My turn to pull up a log, and hopefully provide some insight. The only thing that hasn't really been brought up in these leadership threads is that the style of leadership should also address the readiness of the person being led. In each of us, depending on the situation, we have different readiness levels. Relax -- examples will follow. The leadership/management model taught to professionals of my generation was called "Situational Leadership" and it pre-dates Blanchard's techniques. Ken Blanchard built on these techniques and refined them. The readiness (of those to be led) paraphrased to sound more politically correct are: 1) Never done this before 2) I think I know how to do this, but I'm not sure why I should 3)I want to do this, can I? 4)I know what I'm doing. Number 1 calls for the directing style of leadership -- examples would be a) a brand new DE first week, month, etc. on the job. b) anyone else in a new position whether volunteer, youth, adult, etc. That's why people want job descriptions, training, etc. when they're new at something. A Scoutmaster with 23 years experience may find himself for the first time running a popcorn sale for the troop as a committee member. He's looking for direction in that case. #2) calls for a more "selling" role on the part of the leader. Perhaps it's trying a differnt twist to tweak last year's results. The Coaching skill plays in nicely here. This style seems to be talked about quite frequently and it should be -- many of our Scouts end up here or spend siginificant time here. Perhaps they've been a Scout for a year, but never a patrol leader. Or they're a new SPL. Or new Assistant Scoutmaster or Unit Commissioner. #3) is also coaching, but falls more into the participant driven coaching. The coach may say, "how do you think we should set up camp?" and then listen for ideas. In #2, the coach may say, "We have tried 3 different ways of laying out the camp site and here are the advantages and disadvantages of each. What do you think we should do?" In the old lingo #3 was called the participating phase. #4 calls for delegating. Not abdicating. The role of the leader is to let the recipient know he supports him/her, but to let them do the job because their ready and able, and are still there to support the person. There are proper uses for the directing style of leadership in the BSA -- sometimes in emergencies, granted, but usually when somone is undertaking an action or position they've never encountered before. As a final example in this post -- when I asked my future Scout Executive how to get to the office during my interview -- I was looking for Directing, not coaching. If I were to ask him the same question tomorrow, he'd probably biff me upside the head. After a year, he really ought to be able to delegate my ability to get to the office to me DS

I agree that this is a parent issue. My wife is a special education teacher and has been for the past 10 years. Only once or twice has she come home complaining about the behavior of a kid. It's the parents I hear about. I think someone (it could be you, but don't do it alone) needs to have a frank discussion with Mom. Just like Barry is suggesting. I suggest the conversation start out with how well you think her son would do in the pack and how the experience would benefit him. Without a but, go on to explain how she needs to relax and trust the leadership of the pack as well as giving her a few ways she can help: i.e, explain the patterns in life that her son expects, the things that calm him when he's upset, etc. Beyond that, I also suggest you look into BSA resources on special needs youth. There may be some material that can help, although I know of nothing related solely to autism. I agree with Eamonn to an extent -- if there is a special needs pack nearby it should be extended as an option. However, Mrs. Steele has been on the inclusion bandwagon for most of her career. I think an autistic young man can learn from other students and the other students can learn from him. There are benefits both ways. DS

I like the Eureka tents. They're light, set up easily, etc. Now I'll enter the minority and perhaps show my age -- To me, if you're going to be doing car, truck and trailer camping, I think the best tent is the standard canvas Voyager tent. Pitched properly (and therein lies the trick) I've been dryer, warmer and more able to get dressed because I can stand up in a Voyager. Three Scouts can easily fit in one and they take a lot of abuse very well. And, as FOG pointed out, they're guaranteed for life. I also have to admit that I like the old ones with no floor in them. Again, if pitched correctly, they'll take anything you throw at them. Except a match or a lit flare, but then again, neither will any of the nylon jobs. When I was a Scoutmaster, I convinced a couple of Scouts to sleep in an old Voyager. They did because I did. It rained very hard that night and only the three of us stayed dry. The other tents, while very good, had water under them that seeped through the floor and condensation on the sides. The floorless Voyagers had some water run through them, but all you needed to do to stay dry was to shift stuff out of the torrent. DS

I think that to an Eagle Scout, the honor of your presence should be enough. I thought it was cool that my folks gave me a nice Eagle plaque (not lost somewhere in the Steele archives) and my grandparents did something for me (also lost in the archives.) I did keep the cool paperweight the council gave me at it's Eagle recognition event, but that's probably because I didn't lose it somewhere more than because of any sentiment. I, like Paul, remember pinning the Eagle Mother's pin on Mom and the tie tack on Dad. That meant more to me than anything and it touches me even now -- 24 years later. The tie tack and mother's pin, btw are still available and come in the standard Eagle Kit. You can probably order them separately if you can't find your father's, Paul. DS

Many units stock up on badges -- mostly to have "insurance" in case a boy's award is forgotten, under-reported, etc. While that is a noble goal, the practice is bad and is against BSA policies for several reasons. One reason is that the advancement forms turned in when the badges are picked up become part of the pack/troop/crew's records on file in the council office. The unit should have it's own file, but advancement chairman can misplace records, misrecord records, die, move away, etc. etc. Not that bad things can't happen to council records, but if the council isn't given good records, research can not be done in later years. Another reason (although more unlikely, but a real example non-the-less.) We had a First Class Scout at one of the camps I worked as Assistant Camp Director. He was very small for his age, but very endearing and did handstands at flag ceremonies, (on request of the staff) etc. I served an inner-city district at the time. When I went to do a boy talk a local elementary school, the principal gave me 10 minutes with each grade. When I got to the third graders, I asked, "Are any of you already in Cub Scouts?" A little kid raised his hand and smiled. Something rang a bell, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I said, "Do you know the Cub Scout Promise?" He said, "Yes." I asked him to come up and lead it and he did. He said, "On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country . . . " It was the same "First Class Scout" from summer camp. What happened was that we had started a new pack at an innner city church that had an established Boy Scout troop. When the pack folded a short time later, the Scoutmaster just fudged the birthdates, registered the 3 active Cub Scouts as Boy Scouts and life went on. For advancement, he simply awarded stock-piled badges. If that enterprising young man had gone for Eagle Scout at the age of 10 . . . I find it difficult to blame the Scoutmaster -- his idea was that it was better to provide some Scouting, even if ahead of the age requirements -- than to provide none at all. However, there are risks he was taking unknowingly that should not have been taken. Sorry. I didn't mean this to sound like a rant. It isn't. But there are reasons for policies and if you have questions about those reasons, please feel free to ask and keep asking until the answers make sense. DS

We'll keep checking it. Tuesday is the most popular night. Many of us pop in and out often, but I don't think any of us has schedules that will allow every night participation. I'll probably drop in late this evening. But not if Mrs. Steele gets home earlier than predicted. She likes to see me once in a while DS

I was elected into Nacha Mawat Lodge #373 and stayed very active with the Lodge until I went off to college. I took my Vigil in 1980 and had the pleasure of being my father's Vigil Guide in 1983. I served as Staff Advisor to the Mischogonong Lodge from 1990 -1992. Now I'm a member of Mascoutens Lodge. DS

Lots of good ideas and suggestions above. I have only one thing to add to the advice received by these struggling crews. Send some adult to the nearest and fastest-coming Powderhorn course. The resources they will learn and the skills they can bring back to make sure the Venture unit is successful is mind-boggling. I was the stand-in staff advisor for a Powderhorn course (run by the Region for Venturing Advisors and is an awesome course) and stopped asking questions like why I was signing a purchase order for live quail -- for the tracking portion, I found out. I audited the course and found it to be terrific. To find out more about Powderhorn, do a search on the internet. There are several good sites with lots of information. DS

Oh, sure, blame me Johnsned I mean it. Scouting is bigger than any one of us. That's part of what makes it great. Family first, Scouting second. It's hard to go seriously wrong that way. Learning to say no can be a good thing. I'll take a no up front than a yes turned into inaction any day of the week. I was sick Wednesday and asked my DE/camp director if he planned to be at the camping committee meeting that I'm the advisor for. If he had said yes, I would have asked him to cover the meeting and gone to bed. He said, "Actually, Dave, I was hoping not to be there, but I'll cover it if you need me to." I said, "No problem. Go on with your evening." No questions asked and no problem with his answer. I was delighted -- I mean thrilled -- when he said, "I got engaged last night and want to spend some time with my Fiancee." I hope to get invited to the wedding and hope for a good seat. It isn't easy for a DE to meet someone, fall in love, and manage to make it to the nuptials. Isn't it great when something good happens in the life of someone close to us? DS

I've pulled their legs probably more times than is fair, but my favorite one was with two first year Webelos. I was the DE at the time and they were complaining at having to wait in the cold Michigan weather for the school bus. I played up on the old "walked five miles to school bit" and told them that my school district was so poor, they couldn't afford an engine for the bus. We had to take turns PUSHING the bus to school. We had a good laugh at that. DS

I thought my Scoutnet logon was as good as any. Sorry there's no mystery. Dave Steele is dsteele. My Benecala handle, used occasionally, but never here, is more obscure. DS

The BSA requires one Chartered Organization Representative for each chartered organization. It is possible, as someone has pointed out, that different committees in the same church can be chartered organizations, but that's unusual. The insitutional head of the church is probably the pastor, but could also be the head of whatever lay body "runs" the church. There is a new (released in the last month or two) 10 minute Chartered Organization Representative Fast Start video that is outstanding. It is head and shoulders over the old chartered organization fast start that I used to threaten pastors with in the '80's. I'd say, so would you like to go over the agenda or are you going to make me put in the tape? I think it would be proper for the DE in this case to show the video to the pastor and expaliain to her/him the need for filling the position. If the DE isn't available, try the Unit Commissioner. If the unit commissioner isn't available, then someone from the unit should borrow the tape and arrange a 30 minute meeting. I'm sure that once someeone explains to the pastor that they can recruit someone for the job or do it themselves, there will be someone recruited swiftly. DS

You may save yourself a great deal of consternation over headgear by calling the Scoutmaster and/or Staff Advisor and ask "Are they going to give me a hat when I show up to Wood Badge?" They usually do. It's on the list of things to bring, and often it's just one more thing the staff hands you when you check in, so they forget to mention that they're going to provide the appropriate headgear to you. Has anyone here ever staffed or attended a course that didn't give participants hats? I'm just curious. DS

I am a Vigil, Tamegonit, and it's a testimony to the fever I had last night that I didn't remember my indian name correctly. It's actually Glakelendam. Gistechwelome was a wizard in the 1970's fantasy trilogy "The Riddlemaster of Hed." And there's no such thing as a lowly ordeal member -- just go for the Brotherhood and seal your membership. Welcome to the campfire. DS

As long as you are registered with the BSA, you can participate fully in the Scouting program. Having said that, a lot of mailings that you get or don't get are determined by the position of your primary (paid) registration. In large part because councils and national got tired of people complaining when they received as many copies of the council newsletter as they have registrations, the system now only prints mailing labels for multiple (unpaid) registrations when it is told to do so. For example, if I tell the office staff to send out a letter to all the commissioners in the council, the only ones who actually get the mailing are those who's primary registration is Unit Commissioner. It also makes a difference at the unit level. A person registered as a Den Leader gets Program Helps in their Scouting magazine, as does the Cubmaster and his Assistants. Committee members do not receive the Program Helps because they're not running the program. I would suggest you have your primary registration in the position you spend the most time in and be a multiple registrant in the others. DS

Greetings and welcome, Tamegonit. My Indian name is Getweschwelome (I think I just mis-spelled it.) Scouts are more than welcome here and serve as a reminder to adults to mind their manners. Please post as you see fit and read that which interests you. Don't let disagreement among Scouters bother you and feel free to send private messages if you don't feel like posting your questions. I do think you should keep some internet safety in mind -- don't give our your full name and don't publicly post your email address. Not everyone on these boards is a Scouter. While I believe that trust is a big part of trustworthy, I also believe in caution. Having said that, welcome to the campfire. DS

MaineScouter -- Good luck to you and your son, especially your son. It sounds like the boys will be voting with their feet as is their right. I also hope for the best for the old troop, for the sake of the boys. Perhaps the adults will learn a lesson. I also hope that all the boys will stay in Scouting. DS

Actually, there is a BSA published document called something like "Glossary of Scouting Terms" that explains the proper capitalization and usage of many popular Scouting Terms. It is intended mainly as a guide to the media rather than to the parents, but it is available through your Scout Shop. It doesn't contain anacronyms like G2SS (which I had to puzzle over) and others of it's ilk, but a copy of it may assist you, Twocubdad. I hope this helps. DS

The best advice when it comes to Boy Scout advancement that I can think of to offer to parents is . . . Let the Scout be a Scout. His desire to learn and to advance needs to be his and his alone. I think a good parent in this role will read the boy's handbook and be prepared to offer assistance when requested, but the young man's drive is paramount. With advancement or without, what we're trying to teach and hope that the boy learns are the values found in the Scout Oath and Law. DS

I'm not qualified to declare the moral high ground, but I know when I'm tired of personal attacks regardless of their origin. This thread began with a question about an important religious denomination in the United States and the World. Does anyone have any further information regarding the possible schism in the Episcopal/Anglican Church? DS

Sometimes the most positiver re-enforcement is exemplified by leaving. I mean physically leaving, but it has to be set up in advance. Two examples: I was recently at a Junior Leader Training conference. I had limited time, but unlimited trust in the youth staff (I was there as the Assistant Scout Executive, not staff advisor.) The youth staff was just about to put on a session where they answered any scouting question posed during the week by the participants. The SPL asked me to stick around in case they got into trouble or "water too deep." I made a deal with the SPL -- I'll stick around for the first half hour and if you're in any trouble, or I have any doubt that you can answer anything asked of you, I'll stick around. I won't answer unless you ask me to. If you see me leave, that means I have every bit of faith that you can answer anything they throw at you. At minute 32, I waived to the SPL, got in my car and left. He smiled and waived back. In the other example, I dealt with an adult volunteer. I was the advisor to the council's Webelos Resident Camp and the volunteer was the director. In previous years, the Scout Executive demanded that the staff advisor remain on the property full time. We just got a new Scout Executive and he didn't see it that way. He told me I should remain for the comfort of the volunteer director. If the volunteer wanted me there, I was to remain. I was, of course, available 24 hours a day by phone and cell phone. I told the director that I trusted him completely with the program and that if he needed me or wanted me he should call, but that if he didn't feel he needed me on site, I would be just as happy to be home. He thanked me and said, "I'll see you Thursday when you pick up the cash." We were both happy. The next year, my boss eneded up being the staff advisor and stayed on site the entire week. He never got over the "old school" way of thinking. By Wednesday, the director looked at him and said, "Don't you trust me? Get out of my camp!" I'm sure there was more to that relationship than my absence, but the point is I'm agreeing with Bob White . . . train them and trust them. Be available to help, but don't be the first recourse for assistance. DS

MaineScouter -- I hope you didn't think I took offense at being called Dan, although in re-reading my post I can see why you might have thought I took offense. I took none. If I were truly worried about what I was called, I'd do something else for a living and would never have posted a thread about my brain disorder. It's my own fault for signing a majority of my posts DS, but it's easy to type and I really don't mind what I'm called. I was brought up to believe that correcting someone's minor mistake politely and respectfully is a good thing. On a side note, I'm often called "Steve" which people get when they blend Dave and Steele together somehow. This is also more of an amusing irritation than a problem. In the grand scheme of things, a Scout receiving a just and fair board of review is far, far more important than getting my name -- or anyone else's right. D(ave) S

FScouter -- Thank you for the correction. The pin on medals are less expensive than the around-the-neck medals. Both (I believe) can be ordered through your local council Scout Shop or Trading Post. I applaud the efforts to get folks to earn and wear them. The boys end up benefitting and it's a nice way to recognize adult effort. DS

Kasane is correct. Craneeace -- I received your private message and will answer in the same way tomorrow. I came home sick today, or I would have answered it this morning. I have many of the same questions Kasane has -- was the boy removed from membership in the BSA or simply dropped from the troop? I can also tell you that when allegations are made in the BSA, there is no investigation -- especially by the Scoutmaster. That is not the unit leader's job. The BSA firmly believes that if it is to make an error, it will make the error on the side of the victim. The worst it can do is pull membership in the BSA (definately not a life-threatening deed) and it leaves investigation up to law enforcement authorities and child welfare social workers. The accused may appeal and the process is outlined in the letter received from the Scout Executive. It's harsh, I know, but defense of children is a priority. DS

Eamonn: I know you and I appreciate you. I hope your staff takes your suggestion and puts a few bucks into a campership in your name. If your Wood Badge Coordinator passes the word along, I would guess that they will. If not, accept the bauble with the honor in which it is intended and move on. And sleep well knowing that your influence as a Scouter has multiplied far more than you will ever know. Your Friend, Dave DS