For The Boys

Of Ruts And Graves

As adult leaders, we occasionally need to step back and look at what we are doing; to evaluate our way of doing things and refresh our passion for Scouting. This is as important to an adult leader as the Scoutmaster's Conference is to a Scout about to advance. The conference gives the Scout a chance to look at what he has accomplished, evaluate his performance as a Scout, and to redefine his self-confidence.

Without this occasional step back, we tend to get entrenched. Stuck in a rut and unable to see where we are going. It happens to the best of us at times. You have most likely met a Scouter like this without realizing it. It could have been the old Scoutmaster who insists on personally testing his Scouts on every advancement requirement and expects near perfection. Perhaps it was the troop advancement chair that insists on turning every board of review into a proficiency examination because "most Scouts simply don't know the skills they're supposed to." Maybe it was the district guy who required a specific number of man-hours of work for an Eagle project, and seemed particularly hard on younger candidates.

Each of these folks has something in common. They are passionate about Scouting, believe they are helping the boys do their best, and need to take a step back. Each of these Scouters developed their particular attitude through experience and an effort to improve Scouting. They may have chosen the wrong corrective action, or were forced into it from a lack of support, or even simply told "that's how we do things." Each of these people firmly believes that they do what they do "for the boys".

Taking A Step Back

You see, when a Scouter gets in a rut, he can see the problem - it's at the far end of the rut, but he can't see the cause of the problem or the real solution to it. That's because he's focused on the problem and his job. That committee member knows that Scouts should know their skills to advance, and that the program should be providing the opportunity to learn the skills and complete the requirements. Perhaps she talked to one too many Scouts who got to a BOR without doing their best. That's a problem.

But, since she's focused on the problem, and her job, she can't see the root cause of the problem or the real solution. She only sees what she can do to fix it, and that means testing the Scouts to make sure they don't pass the BOR without knowing the skills.

The root problem, of course, is that the skills aren't being taught, and the Scouts aren't being challenged to do their best. If the Advancement Chair could see past the walls of the rut she's in, she would be able to see that the real problem is in how the advancement method is implemented in the troop. If she were conducting a BOR according to the way it's intended, she would see that. But, she's stuck in a rut.

She's become focused on fixing the problem from within her area of responsibility. Her solution, to turn BORs into proficiency examinations, does not fix the problem though. The problem still exists, and every Scout who comes before the Board not knowing how to tie a Square Knot adds fuel to her determination. She stays in the rut, determined as ever, where she'll stay until the root cause of the problem is fixed. She won't be contributing to the solution though, and that causes even more problems later on.

If she could take a step back and look at the whole advancement situation in the troop, she'd be able to see the cause of the problem. She'd be able to see that her solution isn't fixing the problem. And, very likely, she'd easily see the solution to the problem.

Get Out Of That Rut!

It doesn't matter how we get ourselves into these ruts. What matters is that we get out of them as quickly as possible, before the rut gets too deep. As my father used to tell me: "A rut is a grave with the ends kicked out!" We need to take a step back and look at things from a different point of view. We need to look at our attitudes and practices from a critical standpoint and make sure we are telling the truth when we say we're doing it "for the boys".

Ideally, we should make this a regular part of our life in and out of Scouting. To make sure the way we practice Scouting is in fact the way it should to be practiced. Because if we really are doing this "for the boys" we should want to make absolutely sure that what we do for them is the best thing we can do.

So, the next time you find yourself saying "it's not in the book, that's just the way we do things," or "I'm doing it for the boys," or you find yourself treating a Scout like the Scout who came before him - stop! Take a step back. Try to look at the situation from a different point of view. Think about what you are about to do. If it's beneficial to the Scout and it doesn't conflict with the Scouting way, you're probably right. But at least you won't be stuck in the rut.