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LEADERSHIP
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Scouting is a voluntary Movement. What exactly does that mean? Clearly that a boy, man, or woman joins of their own free will, and may leave at any time they wish, and that is fundamental. It also means, that the Movement is led by Scouters who volunteer their services without payment, and that has made an irreplaceable contribution to its spirit and its success. Perhaps the description may be held also to cover the fact that there has always been substantial delegation of responsibility for details to "the person on the spot" to run their own show as local conditions demand and with a minimum of interference from headquarters. And there it ends-for there is precious little else "voluntary" about it! The Scout Leader enjoys these freedoms, but otherwise their job, if it is to be worthy of the Founder's challenge, involves them in certain clear obligations. And the fulfillment of these obligations demands training for the job. The game of Scouting - to look for a moment at the Movement as a whole - is a combination of three factors, each of which is essential to make the "training in citizenship" which B. - P. designed 1. First and most obviously, there are the activities of Scouting - the characteristic things that Scouts do. The key to these is in the group of skills which form the list of tests for the Scout's First Class Badge: · First Aid and Personal Hygiene: the knowledge to keep himself fit and to be of service to others in emergencies · Observation: (including stalking, tracking estimation), taking an intelligent interest in the world around, and the world of nature in particular. · Ropework and Pioneering: ranging from a simple practical handicraft through improvised structures to large-scale engineering with ropes and spars. · Exploring: the whole range of map and compass work, leading to venturing in the out-of-doors · Camping: the art of living in tents and cooking in the wilds. These are just the skills required to equip a youngster so that he may safely set out on that great adventure, his First Class Journey. They are the basis of the open-air life in the Scout manner. In Cubing, the foundations are laid for all of these skills. For the Scout Leaders these skills emerge at an adult's level of performance (a) for their own sake, because of all the pleasures and opportunities they create and open up, and (b) as the equipment of the adult instructor in his service to Scouting. Accordingly, one would expect a very high standard of first aid, the keenest of interest in all of God's creation and the world in which we live. An advanced knowledge and experience of pioneering, expeditions of the most adventurous and challenging type, and camping of a standard to set an example to the whole Movement, and indeed to all others. The Adult leader should accordingly have sufficient knowledge and experience to develop these skills and pursuits. 2. Second, there are the characteristic methods of training in Scouting, which provide a graded training in personal responsibility. In the Pack, the Pack itself is the training unit, where loyalty and team spirit develop against the romantic storybook background of Cubing, and the boys learn just a little of the responsibilities of leadership. In the Troop, the unit shrinks - to the patrol. Here is one of Scouting's most distinctive features - the giving of very real responsibility to the boys themselves, a training method which when properly employed, yields striking development of the boys, first as followers (without which experience most leaders fail) and then as leaders in their turn. And for the Scout Leader the training unit is further focused down to a unit of one - the individual leader is largely responsibly for their own training standards development. As is appropriate to their age and stage in life. 3. Finally, and vitally, there is the code of the Promise and Law, with its particular emphasis both on personal honor and reliability and spirit of service. That formula of magical simplicity, yet profound depth, which has found acceptance in all Scout countries, and which likewise increases in significance and demand, and becomes for the trained Scout Leader a way of life. The Scout Leader must clearly accept the Promise and Law and be prepared, by their personal example and the way their unit is run, to help their fellow Scouters fully appreciate them in all their implications. These then are the things, which the Scout Leaders, must provide in integrated form and in proper balance if they are to do their job in the Scouting Movement, and that is the obligation, which rests with all Scout Leaders. It makes the Scout Leaders job the most demanding of all - worthy of the finest leadership. The Adult Leaders influence on this critical age group entrusted to Scouting will be in direct proportion to the quality of leadership available, and the grasp and imagination of its leaders in appreciating and putting into action this basic formula for Scouting. "Training of Scouters" exists as a department of the Movement's service to help make that leadership effective. Scouting had not been going very long when the Founder introduced a scheme for training of Scouters to keep it on the right lines. It was one thing to write the basic handbook, but clearly that was not enough. A program that depends on personal leadership and example is bound to reflect the ability and imagination of the individual leader in each case. We would all of us agree that a few of us have the ability or the imagination of the Founder. Then there is the effect of local tradition falling short of what is desirable and attainable - the familiar case of the young man growing in one unit whose standards are not very good, and who then takes a leadership position there, never realizing that his picture of Scouting is blurred or deficient. Not the least of these difficulties, too, is the case of the leader who takes "voluntary" to mean that he/she is free to do virtually anything they like and how they like, and call it "Scouting." Scout Leaders, who in the enthusiastic exercise of some personal hobby or interest distorts the balanced program, which Scouting exists to provide. For these and other reasons, the Training of Scouters in all its aspects has developed. Not, be it noted, to tell you who are Scout Leaders how to run your own units, for that has always been your privilege and trust. But rather to make available to you a means of seeing and learning and experiencing for yourself what is the normal content of Scouting in general against which to measure your efforts. It may be true to say that specific training, as a leader is not absolutely necessary for all Scouters. A few, by background, vision and Scouting experience, may be well equipped for the job of Scouter without an actual training course, and clearly the Movement could never have been started without leaders who were prepared to undertake jobs and to teach them by trial and error. But let us ask ourselves seriously - can that be a safe basis for Scouting today? By what conceit (for it is no less) do so many Scout Leaders imagine "they know it all"? In no walk of life in these days of specialization can a person succeed in worthwhile work or make the most of an absorbing hobby without study, without practice, without reading, without sharing experiences, without listening to or watching people with longer or wider experience than their own. And do not forget that Scouting is not only a hobby but involves a very demanding duty to others - the young men whose welfare and progress is entrusted to their Scout Leaders; surely we owe something to them. They are entitled to expect that we make ourselves as proficient as we can in our Scouting job. What Type of Scout leaders does Scouting really want? What type of Leader does it take to realize the Goals of Scouting in the lives of the boys? There is no one type of successful Scout Leader. First rate and effective Scout Leaders come from every class of society and are found in every walk of life. One thing, however, they have in common, an ability to live up to the dignity and importance of the office they hold. This is essential. The appointment of Scout Leaders carries with it certain duties and responsibilities. Unless the Scout Leader is completely acceptable to those they lead and looked up to as such, they will be greatly hampered in their task. They must be respected as worthy of the dignity of the appointment. In addition to the respect due to their office, it is of course true to say that no one can act as a Scout Leader unless in their own person, they can command their units unquestioning loyalty and trust, through the sheer force of their character and example. This is a prerequisite. No matter how excellent their other qualities may be, they must have the ability to inspire confidence, to create enthusiasm - in a word lead. The trouble is, of course, that there are those who can inspire and incite others to great efforts, who have the obvious qualities of a leader, yet turn their talents to evil ends. History is full of examples. And so we come to the next essential quality needed by a Scout Leader. They must realize to the full the significance of their Duty to God and be prepared to set a firm and clear example of its performance, by carrying the spirit of their religious obligations into their daily life and actions. It is not sufficient for a Scout Leader merely to have religious convictions. They must acknowledge them openly and lead their unit in their light. Other wise, as a Scout Leader, they will fail, no matter how well developed their leadership qualities may be. Courage, both the physical and moral, is likewise essential. No coward can successfully hold down the job as a Scout Leader, only too soon their boys and units will see through them. Courage is not just a virtue; it is the virtue, which brings all the other virtues to life. As Field Marshal Slim once said "Even Faith, Hope, and Charity are scarcely virtues until courage is required to exercise them." Physical and moral courage is two different qualities. Nevertheless a person with moral courage is nearly always able to face up to physical danger, something which a Scout Leader simply must have if they are to succeed in their task. What next? A Scout Leader must have a clear idea of what Scouting is what it is aiming at and what it stands for. A Scout Leader must see clearly how the Aims and Methods fit in to the pattern of Scouting and their own duties and responsibilities toward their unit and be sure in their own mind how they propose to tackle them. Above all, a Scout Leader must be personally imbued with the Spirit of Scouting: " love for the boy, loyalty to the Movement, and comradeship one with another." What other points should we look for in our Adult Leaders? Out of dozens of classical attributes of a Leader, B. -P. our Founder, once picked out four, which were: 1. They must have a whole - hearted faith and belief in the rightness of their cause so that their followers catch the contagion and share their fanaticism. 2. They must have a cheery, energetic personality, with sympathy and friendly understanding of their followers, and so secure their enthusiastic cooperation. 3. They must have confidence in themselves through knowing their job. They thus gain the confidence of their boys. 4. What they preach they must themselves practice, thereby giving personal example to the unit. To these qualities two more should be added: utter sincerity, and a spirit of adventure. This is a must. Imaginations, originality, willingness to take a chance, a questing mind - all these are needed; each is essential. Scout Leaders should keep themselves informed on what the Scouting body does, pass on news to their units, and set an example of loyalty to, and cooperation in, the decisions made and activities promoted by the Council and District. Scout Leaders and Scout Units in general must keep in touch and keep the boys informed. What is important is that all this gives the Scout Leader the ideal means of infecting their boys, by their own example rather than by precept, with the right attitude to others in Boy Scouting and Scouting generally and so society at large. By passing information and views on to the District and Council and from them to the unit, the Scout Leader keeps everyone in the picture and broadens their outlook and increases their awareness and knowledge. Scout Leader by their loyal acceptance of decisions properly reached they impart loyalty; by courtesy in discussion and debate and in their references to others (even if they disagree with them) they impart level headiness and courtesy. In sum, the Scout Leader demonstrates the democratic method, the adult approach and the team spirit, and puts misrepresentation, hysteria and rabble-rousing where they belong - outside Scouting and in the trash. To sum it up: Example, Competence to help, Willingness to help, and again Example Well, there we are a formidable host of qualities? Yes, and No. They are just the qualities of the mind and spirit, which enter into the make-up of the good Scout Leader. This country is not lacking in men and women of the right stamp. What is wanted is to channel their interests and enthusiasm towards Scouting. Nothing less than the best is good enough for the job. It is sure folly to consider a second-rater in default for the right person |