Scoutmaster Conflict

[Katydid]

Last Month my sons troop whcih I am the Committee Chairperson for selected a new Scout Master. Since his selection he has become a thorn in my side. Last week he told me that I had no right to question his decisions made about the troop. And furthermore he would tell me what he needed from me and the committee until then we could just basically twittle our thumbs.

 

After several conversations with him I was close to quitting but the boys in the Troop said that I am the only one who seems to be fighting for them. So here I still am. But I am quickly losing my scouting spirit.

 

I am slightly confused. Does our Troop committee have the right to question the Scoutmaster on issues of Fairness, Safety, the way he speaks to his senior patrol leader and other issues? Is it not our right to make sure the boys in the troop are happy?

Don't we also have the right to fire the Scoutmaster and interview the next one better.

[rpushies]

Katydid,

 

Don't give up! Get your Chartered Organization Representative (COR) and your Unit Commissioner (UC) involved in this one right away. If you don't know who your UC is contact your district commissioner. Your council office should be able to help in making contact.

 

You questioned, "Don't we also have the right to fire the Scoutmaster and interview the next one better." The committee chairperson and the chartered organization must both approve unit leaders. A common rule of thumb in many organizations is that if you have the authority to give someone a job, you also have the authority to remove them. But, the real power in the unit is with your chartered organization. As legal owners of your unit they are very important in your ability to work through any issues with the new Scoutmaster. You don't want this to become a contest of wills between yourself and him. Join forces with the chartered organization, they will be your most powerful ally.

 

Your wrote, "Is it not our right to make sure the boys in the troop are happy?" Happy is nice, safe is a must! If there is a safety issue that is an immediate committee concern. Keep a written record of all the events and facts that you have concerns about. Documentation by you and others is a prudent thing to do. A written record also helps people to focus on the facts and reduces the reliance on emotion.

 

What is the status of training for the Scoutmaster, yourself and your committee? If training has not been attended, make it happen as soon as possible.

 

Yours Truly in Scouting,

Rick Pushies

 

[NeilLup]

Hello Katydid,

 

I am sorry for the challenges you are going through.

 

A couple of thoughts.

 

1) Where is your Sponsoring Institution in this? Are they active at all and do they care? You asked the question "Doesn't the Committee have the right to 'fire' the Scoutmaster?" Well, that's an interesting question. The sponsor unquestionably has the right to fire the Scoutmaster (or the Committee Chairman too for that matter.) If the Committee plus the Chartered Organization Representative or the Institution Head of the sponsor believe a change should be made, then it is a done deal. If the Committee says "make a change" and the sponsor says "we like the current guy" then things get a bit tricky.

 

2) Do you have a Unit Commissioner who works with your unit. A good Commissioner is trained to address situations like this. Very sadly, as a Unit Commissioner, I once had to be the person who, at the request of a Troop Committee and sponsor, actually delivered the bad news to a Scoutmaster. If you don't have a Commissioner, please make sure that your District Commissioner and/or District Executive know about the situation.

 

3) Does the Committee have the right to get involved in matters like Fairness, Safety, etc.? Absolutely. Has your Committee had training? (Have you? Has the Scoutmaster?) The training for a Troop Committee is an excellent exercise called the "Troop Committee Challenge." This can be put on in one evening for the entire Committee and it helps them learn what their jobs and responsibilities are. Again, your Commissioner can do this, or you can ask a representative of the Training Committee to come and do it.

 

4) The only way I have ever seen a unit be very strong is either to have a solid partnership between the SM and the Committee, or else for the Scoutmaster to be a one man band and do everything himself and have the Troop be an extremely large part of his or her life. The latter approach can work for awhile but eventually, the SM burns out. The partnership approach is solid, stable and permanent.

 

5) Is it possible to make a mistake in selecting a Scoutmaster? Absolutely. Should you correct it if possible? Absolutely. The BSA has an excellent brochure on the best procedure for selecting a Scoutmaster. If you didn't use it, I might suggest that you get a copy next time.

[scoutldr]

Has everyone had training? Ask your District Training team for the Troop Committee Challenge training...ASAP. Also, the SM needs to get his, too (training, that is). The Troop Committee is charged with operating the business end of the Troop (they are the "Board of Directors"), and also to approve the troop program submitted my the Patrol Leaders Council (who is guided by the SM). The SM's primary job is to train and advise the youth leadership in carrying out the program approved by the committee.

 

(Sorry for the echo, Neil. I didn't thoroughly read your post, which was right on.)(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

[Katydid]

Thank You guys,

 

I thought I heard all of this correctly at training, I also read the training manual.

 

The scoutmaster in question feels that everything the troop did up to his taking "command" was wrong. He is new to our Troop. Son not very active. He has declared that our boy led troop is not working. He went so far as to tell the senior patrol leader that he no longer needed to make a plan for the meetings that he would do it. Next meeting the Scoutmaster is ill. Luckily the SPL has a plan prepared. Of course the next week the Scoutmaster had a complaint with this. The boys should have called him when he did not show up. So me and another committee member talked to him and explained to him that change should come gradually or the boys would hate him. He said he is there to be their leader not their buddy so they did not have to like him.

 

We will once again encourage him to be trained.

[scoutldr]

If the SPL and PLC are not effective in leading the Troop, then the SM has not done his job. His job is NOT to do it for them. They have to be allowed to plan and execute, and to enjoy their successes and learn from their failures. If he feels that he needs to "take command", he just doesn't get it.

 

Good luck, Katy. Sometimes if you send a jerk to training, all you get is a jerk with a "TRAINED" strip who still needs to be replaced. Training will not change personality traits.

[jr56]

Too bad, sounds like this guy has an attitude which is going to make it difficult, if not impossible to succeed as a Scoutmaster.

If he doesn't improve with training, get the COR to help in removing him.

[OldGreyEagle]

Just a gnawing question Katydid, you say he just became scoutmaster last month, how did he act in the selection process? what was the selection process? Was there any inkling he would turn to be a pill in such a short time?

[nldscout]

I would echo OGE's comments. Why did the committee choose him? Did he suddenly go on a power tip overnight?

[Novice_Cubmaster]

Katydid,

 

If you have a good Charter Org that's committed to supporting the unit - absolutely bring them in.

 

If you have the kind of C.O. that's happy to sponsor a unit as long as it's not causing them any headaches, you may want to see if the Unit Commissioner can help you resolve the problem first.

 

 

NC

[Katydid]

OGE and Nldscout.

 

When the committee began the selection proces we asked the NSM to come meet with the boys and take part in some activities with them. So for 2 months he did this. He seemed like a good guy, still does. He was very complimentary to the way the troop was run, said he thought the SPL was doing a great job. But kind of whiplash like we hired him and immediately at the committee meeting he started talking about the changes that needed to be made.

 

So I guess ya never know the "stranger" until they want you to know them. But we shall plod along. Parents started to complain about him so maybe it won't be too long until we start the process of rehiring.

[Eagle447]

It appears to me that a "Vote of no Confidence" should be taken and have this SM removed... The parents are upset....... soon it will be "NO Fun" for the scouts......The committee with the help of the district should act at once...... This SM is not leading by example........The boys need to do everything and learn by their mistakes.........overt criticism is counter productive

[Kahuna]

Katydid: sounds like you've gotten some good advice. My own advice would be, as usual, to keep the district and council out of it unless it turns into a real knock-down, drag-out, bare knuckle squabble. Sounds like everybody concerned with the troop is on the same page. Your committee with the consent and, hopefully, involvement of the COR, can simply call in the SM, thank him for his service, announce that an interim SM has been appointed (that could be anybody on the committee or leader staff) and then start looking for a new SM.

 

Good luck! I've been thru a few of those myself and it's never easy, but sounds like it's necessary here.

[Cubmaster Mike]

Wow, what a problem! How does the rest of the committee feel? If they share your opinion that there is a problem here, then I would suggest that the SM be called in front of the entire committee and a "no confidence" vote be held. If they vote to keep him, work together to resolve the differences. If they vote NC, then offer the SM a chance to resign prior to taking steps to him removed at the COR level.

 

CMM