We've talked about how important your attitude is toward the patrol, and the individual members of the patrol. Now it's time to talk about how you view your job as Patrol Leader. Take a moment and think about it. A lot of people, without experience as a leader, tend to equate being a leader with being a boss. But a Patrol Leader is much more than just a boss.
When most people think of a boss, they think of the type of person who tells other people what to do. A person like that uses his position of authority like a club, threatening the people who work for him, and expecting them to do what he says simply because he's the boss. Most people don't like being treated that way, and I'm willing to be neither would you.
Now, when most people think of a leader, they think of the type of person who asks people to do things. A person like that uses his position to get the job done by getting the people who works for him to do things that are good for everyone. A leader expects people to do what he asks because he treats them as equals, shows them he has confidence in them, and is always ready to ask questions or explain things. Most people like being treated that way, and so would you.
Your job as Patrol Leader is to lead the patrol, not boss them around. The sooner you show the members of your patrol that, the sooner they'll be willing to help. Remember, bosses can be a lot like bullies, and no one likes a bully. Let me show you an example of what I mean.
Lets take a look at our two Patrol Leaders, Ben and Mike. Both are brand new to the job, and both want their patrols to be the best. On last months campout though, everyone got a real good look at how different Ben and Mike are. You decide. Which patrol would you rather be in? Which Patrol Leader would you rather be?
Ben's Story
It was a lousy campout! There we were sitting on the side of the road with our gear when the SPL called all the patrol leaders together. I told my patrol they better get the campsite set up before it got too dark or I'd make their lives miserable. Then, Pete complained about always having to do all the work. I told him to shut up and went to the PLC meeting. Wouldn't you know it, as soon as I got back to the patrol site everyone was fooling around and nothing was done. I expected Pete to at least try to get the site up, but as usual he was goofing around just like the others. That got me real mad, so I started yelling at everybody, especially Pete. I told them I was going to put up my tent, and anybody who didn't have their's up before mine wasn't going to have a tent to sleep in. Things just got worse from there. I don't know what I'm going to do, they're just a bunch of screw ups.
Mike's Story
We had a great time. There we were sitting on the side of the road with our gear when the SPL called all the patrol leaders together. I asked Joe, my assistant, to make sure the campsite set up before it got too dark while I went to the meeting. Then, Andy complained about always having to do all the work. I told him everyone does their fare share of the work, and that he should remember that a Scout is cheerful. Wouldn't you know it, as soon as I got back to the patrol site everyone was fooling around, but all the work was done. It looked like they were having a lot of fun. Heck, they even put my tent up! I called them all together and told them they did a great job with the campsite, which they had. Then Joe suggested going on a night hike, which sounded like fun. Of course, Andy wanted to have a snack first, so we spent 10 minutes discussing which to do first. In the end, the snack won out. Things just kept getting better from there. I can't wait to find out what they want to do next!
