Leaders, Help/Pointers

[SctDad]

Lets post here pointers and hints that can help other leaders. What have you found that works. What doesn't.

[Gunny2862]

The topic is simply to broad.

 

The way I see it we do this(hopefully) in each of the other threads posted in the forum.

Sometimes the help is simply a (hopefully) sympathetic ear (eye?) from someone else with the same frustrations.

Sometimes its being pointed to a written BSA resource.

Sometimes it's a "This isn't what BSA has written but it's what works for us answer."

Occasionally but (hopefully) only when truly necessary, it's also a kick in the posterior from our peers.

[asm 411]

Know, Be, Do.

 

Take the troop leader training we deliver the boys to heart and you will go far.

[SctDad]

I tried to spin this off of another thread, but it did not work.

 

What I am looking for is what tips can we provide to other leaders as a general survival tip. Ones that help to prevent burnout.

[Stosh]

Adults "can't do it all" - boy-led allows the leadership to be spread out over the whole troop and will keep the adults from burning out. Adults that burn out are simply not teaching the boys to lead. I've been working with youth groups for 40 years and have never burned out, simply because when they lead themselves there's no excuse for being over-burdened.

 

Stosh

[Gunny2862]

Now that we can work with!

 

Begin by ensuring that you have a vision, a plan to build a Team that will work to build Scouting into the Boys and how that team will do that.

 

Then that you and your CC are in synch. That he/she knows what support you need, that the CC is staffing the Committee and the CC is supervising to see that each part of the Committee is doing it's job and aware of the vision. Ensure with the CC's help that your Adult Direct Contact staff are fully staffed, Trained, or Training and have bought into the vision.

 

Get the Boys to buy in, many times that can have them teaching their parents the "why"s of what you are doing. And why timelines and deadlines are important.

 

These things alone can help many of the items on Kudu's referenced 86 reasons from the burnout thread.

 

It's been a large part of my process for the last 18 months - I just hope I can last long enough to see it end the "Scoutmaster One Man Show" the Troop ran almost from it's inception. It worked, for them, but you had to have an incredibly strong willed and highly resourced person to do it all themselves. And very few lasted more than 2-4 years.

[AnniePoo]

(1) Be realistic about your goals in scouting, both long-term and short-term

(2) Ask for help

(3) Don't expect to be perfect

(4) Don't worry about making a fool of yourself in front of the kids.

(5) Laugh!

(6) Praise in public, criticize in private

(7) If you are angry/annoyed about something a parent or other leader has done or said, don't respond until the next day when you've cooled off a bit.

(8) Be professional in your communications with parents and Scouters.

(9) Learn lots of good songs & jokes about boogers & farts

(10) When explaining something to kids, parents, or leaders, don't assume that they know the basics. For instance, when you mention Blue & Gold, be sure to tell people what B & G is. Often 95% may already know, but 5% don't.

(11) Den leaders - at every den meeting, make sure you say at least one positive thing to every scout.

(12) When a parent complains about something - your standard response should be "We're always looking for feedback at our committee meetings, so please come to our next one on XXXX at XXXX."

(13) When a kids says "I've already done that at school", say "Well lucky you--you get to do it again!!"

(14) If you're not exhausted at the end of a den meeting or pack meeting, then you haven't been enthusiastic enough.

(15) If at a campout, a kid complains about dirt, particulate matter, ashes, or burned stuff in his food, tell him "I won't charge you extra for that - this time", or tell him him that those are "flavor crystals".

 

[highcountry]

Adults "can't do it all" - boy-led allows the leadership to be spread out over the whole troop and will keep the adults from burning out. Adults that burn out are simply not teaching the boys to lead. I've been working with youth groups for 40 years and have never burned out, simply because when they lead themselves there's no excuse for being over-burdened.

 

Stosh

 

Stosh, that's a nice thought but I'd wager at least 75% of the problems I have had, and those I witnessed before I took over as SM and those I have seen in the feeder the packs....and those I have heard about at other troops in the area are adult caused. Boy led troop is going to do little to nothing to mitigate problem adults. I think most of the 86 reasons related to adult created problems, I already shared the list with my adult volunteers and we definitely can add more to the list, probably take it to 100 reasons and almsot every single addition is another adult created issue.

[asm 411]

highcountry -

 

I think one of the most important things that any adult leader needs to know is the boundaries of their position. Understanding where the Scoutmasters or ASM job starts and ends, where any particular committee members job starts and ends.

 

For instance when we leave for a campout we publish when we expect the Scouts to show up at the meeting place and when we are leaving. We leave on time unless we get phone call. If we have a Scout who is running late we leave one care behind. The rest of the Troop with the SPL leaves on time. So that the many don't suffer because of the few or the one. The Scouters job is drive to the event safely. The Scouts job is to show up on time. If a Scout does not show who was suppose I will talk to him next time I see him to make sure he is okay. I will talk with him about being polite when not showing up.

 

When the Committee Chair asks me to do something. I always ask myself if it is an ASM should do or not. If not I point to the right person. It is so easy for Scouters to take on more than their share of the load. Do I do things outside my circle, certainly. A Scout is helpful and all but I really tried to keep from doing it too often. I love Scouting so I want to savour it for years.

 

 

[highcountry]

ASM I appreciate the pointers but the problem is in my real world that problems are always coming up that Rarely can be a dilema for the boys to resolve and only sometimes can be delegated to another adult leader, I do try when I can. There are problems adult leders in my group do try and handle but when push comes to shove, it nearly always comes back to me.....the SM. There are critical issues, time senstive things that have to get done many times that just ccan't be effectively delegated. When someone has issues, questions etc, 90% of the time they come to me. When I can I always deflect these off to PL, SPL, ASM, Advancement Chair, Treasurer etc but even after all of this there is a major work load and time commitment as an SM. I can provide a boat load of valid examples bu I think everone here knows what I am talking about. I have a pretty decent crew of adult leaders but sometimes some need a few jump starts to get engaged and sometimes some don't do a complete job or drop the ball or fail to communicate when they hit a sticking point etc. and when the critical hour comes and the major problem appears I have to jump in and fix it or an activity will end up cancelled or a meeting will have no plan or an arrow of light ceremony will get no support form out troop, or we have ride issues to a distant summer camp at the last minute etc etc. I wish it was that simple and I make every attempt to get people trained and in thegroove, they know the expectations, it happens and there isn't a lot that can be done other than 2 choices.....deal with it immediately, or allow the event, meeting whatever to fall apart. With teh fall apart option I then get to hear all the complaints from parents and scouts how nothing is going on, they are bored, maybe we should find another troop etc.

[highcountry]

I have a good pointer.....make sure you keep problem people out of your committee, and adult leader positions. We have all seen plenty of threads regarding difficult people that are ruining troops and packs. As everyone knows I had the Committee Chair from below and barely got her fired before I lost more than half the troop. Everone knew this individual was a MAJOR problem when she got the position but since no one was willing to volunteer to be CC, she got the position as there was no one to fill it. A monkey with a pulse would have been elected before her. I try and point that out to adults from time to time that if they are too busy, the default could be more work than someone stepping up to teh plate. I know my troop will never let an problem adult in to a psotion because no one will run agaisnt ehm after what we had to live through 2 years ago. Don't learn this lesson the hard way in your unit.

[Stosh]

asm 411 finished my post. As SM I work only with the boys. That's my job. My CC works with the parents, that's his job. A CC FUNCTIONS as the leader of the adults, my ASM's and I work with the boys. If my CC or any of the other CM's attend an event, they attend as any other parent. They are not there to run the troop, that's my job. The only time I interact with adults is when they are interferring with the operations of the boys, and if that interaction is going to take more than 2 minutes, they are referred to the CC for further discussion. I politely remind them that I work with the boys and if they have a problem with that, take it to the CC. If my CC has a problem with the way I handle things, he has the option of replacing me with someone who better fit's what the adults want. I have no problem with moving on down the road, there are a lot of troops out there that have inquired into my availability. Maybe I would be a better fit somewhere else, but so far my CC has been pleased with what I'm doing and always fields the "issues" that come up on the adult level. Any SM who feels it's his/her job to deal with adults will quickly find out that he/she is wasting precious time with whiney adults and it detracts from his/her time with the boys. I don't babysit boys and I surely don't babysit their parents. I spend a lot of time with parents passing information, being polite, working around their schedules, etc. all for their boys. But as soon as the tone starts to get nasty, I direct them to take their concerns to the CC for further discussion. I can't see the value in trying to worry about one whiney parent at the expense of 25 boys.

 

Stosh