Busy doing nothing.

[Stosh]

Except for Eagle there's a trump card the SM can play.

 

"While a First Class Scout, serve actively for four months in one or more of the following positions of responsibility (or carry out a Scoutmaster-assigned leadership project to help the troop):

Boy Scout troop. Patrol leader, assistant senior patrol leader, senior patrol leader, troop guide, Order of the Arrow troop representative, den chief, scribe, librarian, historian, quartermaster, bugler, junior assistant Scoutmaster, chaplain aide, or instructor."

 

Who says that this requirement can't be fulfilled after he has FUNCTIONED in the position whether he was assigned or not, or whether he has a patch on his shirt or not????

 

What is being identified is a major problem in a lot of troops. A boy is elected by his peers for a set term to be in a certain position. Unfortunately there is nothing in the process that makes allowance for any FUNCTIONALITY. If the boy does not function in a position of responsibility, he has demonstrated irresponsibility.

 

I assign PL's or they "assign" themselves if they request an opportunity to serve. If he doesn't do his job he doesn't get credit and IF SOMEONE ELSE does his job for him, that other person gets the credit.

 

If an older boy volunteers to help out the NSP get organized and up and running, after 6 months of work he gets credit for TG POR whether he wore the patch or not or even if he wasn't assigned to be the TG. He did the work, he gets the credit.

 

If a boy wants a job, gets the patch and then sits on his hands, he doesn't get credit for it and is reminded of this during his "tenure" in office. No work, no credit.

 

The POR is a Position of "Response - ability". It requires the boy to get off his butt and respond. If he is not "able" to do that, then he hasn't gained credit for anything. If someone else is "able to respond" in his place, of course the credit goes to him. The quicker one figures out this simple definition, the quicker they begin to actually DO something.

 

There have been a couple of occasions where I have said to a boy, I noticed that you have been doing the TG or Scribe or QM duties pretty regularly for the past 6 months. Have your PL sign you off on POR. If he has any questions, have him come talk to me. This is not a retroactive process, the boy has been function in a POR so he should get credit for it. Period.

 

Stosh

 

[BrentAllen]

The more I read and think about this subject, I'm inclined to introduce the idea of the WB ticket to the boys, and see what they think of it. Maybe suggest at least 3 goals, 5 if they can. This would let them define the position a little more from their own perspective, rather than just what might be written in a standard job description.

[Eamonn]

Back when I was serving as a District Chairman, I had a very hard time dealing with our then SE. (Someone said that if you can't say something nice? The best thing to do is say nothing.So I'll say nothing!)

We (The SE and myself.) couldn't see eye to eye on what the District Financial goals should be.

He came up with numbers that were just silly!

Being as the Chairman before me resigned because of a disagreement about these goals, which ended with the then Chair resorting to using words that might be found in an Anglo-Saxon dictionary. I made up my mind that I wasn't going to fight with him. Even though I knew that what he expected was totally unrealistic.

A few years went by and when this fellow attended Wood Badge. I thought the best person to be his Ticket Counselor was me!!

While of course the TG on the course had approved his Ticket. (Which was nothing to write home about!). I have to admit to enjoying telling him that I expected more from him. (Most of what he was going to do had to do with the National Good Turn for America. He really wasn't working the Ticket.) We went out for lunch and I asked him about the financial goals that he'd set for "My" District! He said that the goals he'd set were "Stretch Goals".

I said it was a shame he hadn't used a few of these "Stretch Goals" when he was writing his ticket.

When it comes to Scouts and POR's?

Are we happy to set stretch goals?

Or does one size fit all?

Ea