Scoutmaster Bob Writes
Leading an organization is hard. Leading an all-volunteer organization is even harder. In an organization where there are paid employees, you can count on them to show up and do their job. In an organization staffed with volunteers, it is very difficult to find anyone you can truly count on. As a man I greatly admire used to say, “Bob, the Boy Scouts is a volunteer organization, and you get what you pay for.”
Sadly, every Troop experiences difficulties in getting things done from time to time. All too often, the work is much and the workers are few. To get tasks done and make sure all of the details get the attention they deserve, you need people who you can count on. The problem is, you have no authority over them to compel them to do anything they do not want to do, and you have no ability to reward them for a job well done.
The keys to maximizing your volunteer workforce can be boiled down to three principles. Once you understand them, things will work much better in your Troop.
Passion Trumps Everything: Passion is what keeps the Troop running. It’s why I got involved with it in the first place. The same is probably true for you. All of us are passionate about working with Scouts, helping them on their journey from boys to men. We express our passions in different ways. Some love the outdoors, some love teaching merit badges, some have the gift for recruiting or popcorn sales, and some the gift of administration. If you can find an outlet for that passion (for example, getting them to take on a position within your Troop), that is half the battle. How can you keep a group of volunteers going? Purpose.
The Number One job of Leaders is to Remove Obstacles: When you have neither carrots nor sticks to fall back on for motivation, you have to develop a different set of management skills. Fanning the flame of their passion is one of them. Another one, though, is figuring out how to clear out the obstacles that prevent people from getting things done. A good leader is not a director, but rather a supporter.
Prevent Burnout: When volunteers get tired, two things happen. They stop communicating and they stop meeting their commitments. If you have a volunteer who has gone quiet or who is missing their deadlines, it is time to mix things up. See if you can find another volunteer to assist with that position. Most of the time, the new passion for the same old thing that a new face brings to the table is enough to get them in gear. If that doesn’t do the trick, let the new person take over the leadership for that position. It will probably be a huge relief for the seasoned veteran, and it will be a fresh challenge for the newbie. In either scenario, it is a win-win for the Troop.
When you align passion and the ability to get the job done, you have done your job as a leader. The only thing left to do is get out of the way.
Scoutmaster Bob
Camp Open House at Covered Wagon
Chilly temperatures didn’t make a difference to the 300+ Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, families and Scout leaders who spent the weekend at Camp Cedars and Camp Eagle for a first-time ever open house and training event showcasing the Covered Wagon Scout Ranch.
“Putting our tent up twice!” laughed Melissa Stephens, leader and mom with Pack 26 from Soaring Eagle, when asked what were some of the things they’d been doing. “We were asked to move it, and were really glad when we realized we’d be closer to the campfire.”
Don Godfrey posted on Boy Scouts of America, Mid-America Council, “Last night [Friday], I went out there after 9 pm. There was enough fire that it looked like a small trailer park.”
Scouts, families and leaders know how to have fun regardless of the weather. They were prepared and bundled in coats, hoodies and hats. And they did the things they like to do most!
“Canoeing!” shouted Tanner , Michael and Michael of Pack 481 from Lewis & Clark District. “We got to be in the canoe by ourselves! Just us – we never done it before – we paddled and paddled and figured it out. We also tried a rowboat, but the canoe was best!”
Each Wolf in Den 8 from Pack 363 in Soaring Eagle District from Gretna liked a different activity. Austin liked horseback riding best. Curtis was totally into the climbing tower. Jake like blasting off rockets, and Cole thought BB shooting was the best of all!
In Pack 26 from Soaring Eagle, Jack the Tiger Cub liked games the best, while Bear Cubs Sam and Hunter liked horseback riding and archery respectively. Webelos, Max said, “I like all of it! Really… I do!”
Boy Scouts in Troop 335 and 340 from Lewis & Clark District, unanimously insisted Tomahawk throwing was their favorite along with the compass course. Scouts Christopher and Nicholas had come out to Cedars the day before and set up the compass course. Good job, Scouts! These Scouts also shared what they had found while hiking – deer rubs and scat, coyote and turkey tracks and wild onions. They said the wild onions were pretty tasty and they were considering cooking wild onions and eggs for breakfast.
Events and activities for Scouts to choose from included shooting sports (BB and archery for Cub Scouts; shotgun and rifle for Boy Scouts); COPE/Climbing Tower; horseback riding, rockets, handicraft, fishing, canoeing, rowing, first aid, GPS course, outdoor skills, and a bounce house.
Scout leaders and parents agreed that outdoor events such as the Covered Wagon Scout Ranch open house had immense value for Scouts and families.
“Absolutely this program has value for my family and our Scouts. It’s good to get out and experience the outdoors and activities with others,” stated Melissa Stephens.
Trina Griffin and Christina Melia, moms and leaders with Pack 481 agreed, “There’s no electronics to distract them– just good outdoor fun and bonding as a pack and family.”
Jen Simmons and Cynthia Boeftger of Pack 363 with Den 8 agreed the boys were having a great time participating in activities and camping, “This is something we’ll do again.”
While Camp Cedars held outdoor activities and events for youth, Camp Eagle hosted adult training which included Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation (BALOO), Webelos Leader Outdoor Skills, Introduction to Outdoor Leadership Skills (IOLS), Leave No Trace and Learn to operate a Forge.
Thank you to all Scouts, families and leaders who participated this weekend. If you missed it, or want to do it again next year, watch the Mid-America Council Calendar at www.mac-bsa.org/calendar for the 2014 Open House and Trainings at Covered Wagon Scout Ranch.
Cub Camp Is Comming – And It’s Better Than Ever Before!
First of all, check out these opportunities to TRY camp for FREE!
To sum up, we have more Cub Camping offerings with better programs that will be even more fun for the boys. Check out the details on our website at www.mac-bsa.org/CubScoutCamping.
Hope to see you at camp!
Going the Extra Mile
In Roman times, the Roman practice of commandeering civilians or their property (mules, horses, oxen, camels, carts, wagons, etc.) to carry the luggage or other burden of military personnel for one mile was the law of the land. During those times the Romans were imperialists and they had conquered most of the world, ruling it with an iron hand. Under this law, if a Roman Soldier passed you he could tell you to carry his pack for up to one mile in any direction. By law you were forced to go with him, carrying his pack. The soldier, however, could not compel you to go further than one mile. Many people were offended by that law and hated the brutal and despotic rule of the Roman Empire, but obeyed the law so as not to be arrested; They begrudgingly followed the one mile law and that was it, not an inch more.
No one likes to be made to do someone else’s work. At the very least, we are apt to complain, argue, or simply refuse to be used. Being compelled to engage in “community service” against your will, by law, is inconvenient, demeaning and, perhaps, unjust. What would happen if we chose to take the sting out of the situation by being willing to carry such a burden an extra mile with a cheerful attitude? Even though the law was despised, some chose to not only obey the law, but go “an extra mile” and do it happily.
This concept of going the extra mile has evolved through the centuries and it now means to live above the benchmark, treating people with benevolence, deference, and consideration regardless of what they are entitled to. In our day, the principle is that it is not enough to do only what is requested or required. In order to find real happiness and success in our lives, we should give charitably of ourselves beyond what is expected of us. Going the extra mile as a philosophy is not based on logic, feelings, or emotions but on something we can all control: choice. We can choose to act out of affection or appreciation for others, not because they are entitled to it, not because it is demanded of us, and not even because we feel like it, but simply because it is our choice to do so. It involves aiming for excellence and finding pride and satisfaction in the process. The principle of going the extra mile could totally transform our society to one where we are not ruled by our own selfish motives, but, instead, by generosity and goodwill to others.
Let’s all try to do more than what is expected, taking total control of our lives by the conscious, mindful act of giving our time, energy, or resources, as our contribution, not because we are required to do so, but because we have made the conscious choice to do so.
- Scoutmaster Bob
Ding, dong – Cub Scouts calling!
It isn’t Avon calling and it isn’t rocket science. It’s Cub Scouts and leaders visiting homes of Kindergartners to invite them and their parents to attend a Cub Scout recruiting event.
For years, Cubmaster Brian Havens and Cub Scout Pack 229 in Soaring Eagle followed traditional recruitment methods of calling families to invite them to attend the pack recruitment/sign up event without much success.
“Last year no one came – year before we had one come – even though we called to invite them to our spring events,” said Havens. “This year at recruitment training, Daryl [Soaring Eagle District Executive Daryl Milius] suggested we visit people at home as part of our recruitment plan.”
Havens and pack leaders printed Google Earth maps of the neighborhood of Kindergartner families to visit and a flier inviting the boys and families to the pack recruitment event.
“Three adult leaders took their sons and went to visit 12 Kindergartners who would be Tigers next fall,” continued Havens. “It makes all the difference in the world to show up at their homes with a Webelos Scout in uniform with a Scout leader.”
“It was a nice night out and a lot of families, especially boys were outside. We were received very positively by boys and parents, and invited in to their homes. The power of a Scout in uniform in a Kindergartner’s house is incredible!” said Havens. “The Kindergartners beamed with excitement as our sons talked about the great opportunities and adventures in Cub Scouting.”
“Most parents indicated that they and their son would attend the recruiting event, and in two cases there was an older sibling or cousin present who said he would like to join Scouts, too. We did it in an hour and half,” reported Havens.
“The end result was that we had seven new Scouts and one new Tiger Den Leader sign up! Some of the new recruits stayed after the recruiting event for our pack meeting and Tiger Cub Graduation, and experienced the excitement of the whole pack in uniform and Tigers graduating to Wolves,” he shared.
“There is a minimal outlay of time for us to do this when adult leaders share the work, and our sons loved to do it! This is how we will recruit in the future,” concluded Havens. “It’s not rocket science, but sometimes we overlook the simple things. All we need to do is ask!”
Marsha is going Over the Edge!
Marsha Graesser
How did you hear about the event?
I work at Woodmen of the World.
Why did you decide to rappel over the Woodmen Tower this year?
I decided to rappel over the Woodmen Tower again this year, (even though I vowed to ONLY go again when my daughter, Olivia turned 14 years old – in 4 years.) because two very special people urged me to form a team.
Have you ever rappelled before? If so, where?
I rappelled over the Woodmen Tower last year.
Does anything scare you about rappelling down the Woodmen? If so, what?
The first step back….. I thought I was going to pass out…and then when I traveled down over the letters of Woodmen, there is a little drop before you get to the windows….I did not look down…
What excites you about rappelling?
Everything… My personal mantra is a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt “Do one thing every day that scares you…..” The view from the roof top of Woodmen is priceless.
Why support the Boy Scouts?
I do believe that the Boy Scouts fosters great leadership for youth/adults and gives amazing opportunities to impact the community and the world.
More than anything – the Little Sioux Tornado victims – Sam, Josh, Aaron and Ben, for some reason, have a very special place in my heart….. and their families… Most people remember exactly where they were when the Space Challenger disaster happened or when Elvis died, I will never forget the evening in June 2008…. When I heard about the opportunity to help the Boy Scouts and rappell down the tower, I decided to pay tribute to Sam, Josh, Aaron and Ben….and I wore their names on my Robin cape…. The rappel team duct-taped it to my back….
My way of paying tribute and honoring their too short but full lives.
Who else is going over the edge?
Dale Van Stratten
How did you hear about the event?
I heard about the event through the normal BSA communications process, via email updates and news letters… I am the Scout Master for Troop 143 in Blair, NE.
Why did you decide to rappel over the Woodmen Tower this year?
Ever since the MAC brought the Over the Edge program to Omaha I have wanted to join in. I enjoy the thrill of an event like this. On my bucket list I just happened to have a goal to rappel at least 30 floors or more. Since the Woodman Tower has 33 floors, it made the cut. I actually thought raising the money would be easy. Facebook, Twitter and email make it easier than ever before to reach out to a number of folks. I was correct. I was done and had a lot of little donations in no time.
Finally, I thought of doing this to showcase Troop 143 and what we are all capable of. Raising money for the Troop and for BSA/MAC are always a great cause. After I made the decision I was contacted by a friend who saw the update on facebook and they wanted to rappel with me. So… we started a team. My son, who is a Life Scout and also in the Venture Crew is the third member of our team. The team now consists of; Myself, Denise McCauley (who works in the Woodman building and has always wanted to do this) and my Son, 14, Dalton Van Stratten. Our Team name is ‘The 3 D’s from 143’.
Have you ever rappelled before? If so, where?
Yes I have rappelled before while serving in the US Army and I still rappell with the BSA Venture Crew 143, in Blair, NE of which I am also an active adult leader. As a matter of fact, the crew is currently in training for a 4 day trip to Blue Mound, MN where we will be rock climbing and rappelling yet this summer. We are fortunate in that our Venture Crew is affiliated under the same charter as our Boy Scout Troop from 143. We share a lot of the same boys and leverage/share in joint training offerings, ie, backpack training for high adventure this summer. We are somewhat unique in this regard and very fortunate to have such great adult leadership to drive these programs for our Scouts.
Does anything scare you about rappelling down the Woodmen? If so, what?
The beauty of being an occasional rush seeker is that you don’t tend to dwell on the facts. Meaning, you focus on the positive, fun and exhilarating aspects of the event vs the raw truth that this is inherently dangerous. If I was going to focus on the scary details I would probably worry about the sudden stop at the bottom.
What excites you about rappelling?
This is a trick question. The same thing that excites somebody about an event like this is the same reason that most people wouldn’t do it. Meaning, it’s scary, high, vulnerable……the hardest moment is when you have to lean back and put your trust in the rope. Scary things revolve around trust.
Why support the Boy Scouts?
I’ve seen first-hand what ‘good’ the BSA program does for a young boy. Roy Rogers used to say the best thing for the inside of a man is the outside of a horse. I think you could expand on that and say the best thing for the inside of a boy is the outdoors. Let’s face it, camping, and scouting craft are simply the tools the program uses to help achieve the goals of leadership, service and stewardship.
