The Scoutmaster Minute

Devils Half Acre

Scoutmaster Jerry — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 06:16:35 +0000

Here is a short video of our Troops last adventure. We loaded up and headed to the intersection of the Historic Barlow Trail and the PCT. From there we packed up the Pulk Sleds and hiked down to Devils Half Acre and set up camp. Saturday Morning we woke to fresh snow and lots of it. We strapped on the snow shoes and took a nice day hike out to Grindstone camp ground. Sunday Morning, we again woke to new fallen snow, ate breakfast, packed and hiked back to the trail head. Then it was off to Joes Donuts, the last trip for the year to the donut shop.
The audio on the video got a little messed up, so after the music turn it up, then turn it back down when we start hiking out on Sunday..
Hope you enjoy the video.
Have a Great Scouting Day!

SMM101 – Founders Day Podcast

Scoutmaster Jerry — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:19:01 +0000

Today is Founders Day. In this show we talk a bit about founders day and hear a word from the Scouting’s Secretary General, Luc Panissod. We also talk about vision and why Scouting is important to me. Plus a cool song I picked up along the way.
Hope you enjoy the Show.
Drop me an email at tbirdironchef@gmail.com, leave some feedback or leave a comment on the blog.
Have a Great Scouting Day!

Direct link to download

Founders Day 2012

Scoutmaster Jerry — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:29:06 +0000

When we teach our Scouts about setting goals and accomplishing tasks, we always start with their vision. We ask them to take the time in their mind’s eye and see what the outcome is going to look like. What do they want to see in the end.
Imagine with me for a moment what the vision in Lord Baden Powell’s minds eye looked like for Scouting.
What a wonderful program BP founded. What an awesome movement, one unlike anything the world had seen, and one that stands the test of time, governments, wars, economic hardship, and prosperity.
Happy Founders Day to all of my Brothers and Sisters in Scouting!
Have a Great Scouting Day!

…and Morally Straight.

Scoutmaster Jerry — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:35:12 +0000

What do we mean when we talk about “Morally Straight”? How do we explain that to our Scouts when our Scouts come from many different backgrounds, family dynamics, and religious beliefs?
Simply put, a Scout is clean in thought, word, and deed.
We had a situation in my troop recently where a concerned parent approached us because her son had been Googling “Questionable” subjects. In the discussion, it became clear that this new Scout had heard some words and ideas from an older Scout and decided to ask google rather than mom and dad what it meant.
Now before we go on, it should be said that the older Scout has had a talking to and this is the message that not only he got, but a great opportunity for me to share “Morally Straight” with the Troop.
You see, as a Scout we make a promise to keep ourselves, among other things, Morally Straight.
That means that we do our very best to stay clean in our thoughts, our words, and our deeds. IF we think nasty thoughts, then we may want to take action on them. IF we say nasty things, then we violate the promises we make in the oath and law. And if we are nasty in our deeds or what we do, we chip away at our character.
Most of what we are talking about is how we act towards women. It is truly the mark of a good man to treat women with respect and dignity. Being morally straight drives how we treat the ladies of our lives. How a man loves and treats his wife is perhaps the most important lesson that he can ever teach his children. How men treat women in general is a real test to what the character is of that man. If we are thinking about women in a less than respectful way, then we will show that in our actions and our words. Women are not “Chicks”, they are not objects to be googled. They should be held in high regard and treated well.
So if you find yourself searching the internet with less than moral intentions, or find yourself telling jokes that paint a nasty picture of women, or if you find yourself acting on something that popular culture has deemed acceptable, but you know in your heart that it is not morally straight.. stop.
Never make yourself a liar. You make a promise when you say the Scout Oath. This promise is binding among men of character. You will lose that when you act without being morally straight.

Have a Great Scouting Day!

Scouting- A Way of Life

Scoutmaster Jerry — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 19:56:43 +0000

Picked this up along the way.. it still rings true today.
The Scout Oath and Law are a system of principles, and the program of Scouting is the method of making these principles work in the lives of boys. Let your boys know that the Oath and Law are the rules of the Troop. Scouting is a great game. Boys want to know the rules. When the ideals of the Scout Oath and Law become practical guides for the games, they then become a code to live by.
Keep in mind as you go along that the purpose of Scouting is”‘…to promote,…the ability of boys to do things for themselves and others, to train them in Scoutcraft, and to teach them patriotism, courage, self-reliance, and kindred virtues,…’ by placing emphasis upon the Scout Oath or Promise and Law for Character development, citizenship training, and physical fitness.”
Knowing the purpose of Scouting and the means of achieving it, you will have made a giant stride in the direction of building good men.
Finally, remember that as the first Scoutmaster Handbook put it- “Our purpose in this Boy Scout Movement is not to exploit methods, not to glorify organizations, not to honor Scoutmasters, but to lead boys into useful lives.”
- The New Scoutmaster, Boy Scouts of America, 1958

As much as we all have tried to say this in other words.. that pretty much sums it up.
Have a Great Scouting Day!

2-11-12

Scoutmaster Jerry — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 16:36:26 +0000

“Listen Lord, oh listen Lord,
As I whisper soft and low.
Bless my Mom and Bless my Dad,
For these are things that they should know.
I have kept my Honor bright,
The Oath and Law have been my guide.
Mom and Dad this you should know,
Deep in my heart I love you so.”

Today I simply want to thank my Mom and Dad. 46 years ago today they introduced me to the world.
And the rest they say… is history.
Love you Mom and Dad!

Have a Great Scouting Day!

Preaching to the Choir

Scoutmaster Jerry — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 04:41:45 +0000

During this last years recharter we had an extremely disappointing turn in of the Journey to Excellence form. As a District committee we chalked this up to a couple of things.. perhaps it was that many people were not aware of the change in program. Maybe some Scouters did not receive proper or inadequate training on the subject. It could have been that the program was not communicated effectively. Another reason may have been that some Scouters just don’t care enough to fill it out. Then again, it may have just been that there are units out there that really are not delivering the promise and would not fill out the form for any reason.
I will go on record and say that the answer is All of the Above. (In my opinion).
So rather than simply complain about it.. I figured that the right thing to do, because I love Scouting and believe in the program, would be to tackle the issues and start with training.
So I volunteered to teach about the JTE program and give out all the tools that would make a unit successful in at least getting the 2012 form in with their charter in November.
So back in January, I announced that we would hold a JTE session at the February Round table. I made arrangements with the Round Table commissioner and we decided that this would be a great class. We could have all levels of Scouting attend and present the information in a clear and easy to use format.
I made copies of all of the materials and even used my own Troop as an example. I made copies of our spreadsheet JTE tracker and our goals for this year. A sample budget was included as well as the Pack, Troop, and Crew requirements for 2012.
Last night at Round table, the room was set and I prepared to teach this subject of which I have developed a passion for. 7 people showed up for the training. 7. 2 of them were Assistant Scoutmasters from my Troop, 1 was a Scoutmaster of a high performance troop that is using the JTE tools and is delivering the promise of Scouting. 2 were Cub Scout leaders that I assume got a lot out of the class. They had great questions and seemed to be very interested in getting this ball rolling within their Packs. 1 was an Assistant Scoutmaster of another Troop that is always in the hunt for Troop of the Year, and finally a committee member from on of the LDS units in our District. She had never heard of JTE and took lots of notes. She informed me that she thought that this was all done at the Stake level.. but wanted to know more so she could get the program started with the Troops she worked with.
7 Scouters.
85 units did not bother to fill out and turn in the form during the last recharter process.
So essentially last night I preached to the choir… again.
As I drove home from Round table last night my mind was filled with disappointment which of course drove me to thinking about the other areas in which we fall short in our District, Council, and of course the BSA.
Mostly I think it comes down to training. We do a fantastic job of getting people to help. Just look at the numbers.
1.1 Million volunteers currently serve the youth of Scouting. 1.1 Million. Now I am no fool, and I know that in any population you will never get 100 % of the folks to do anything, but we need to try right?
So we have lots of Scouts that deserve the best, and we have lots of volunteers that have at some level made a commitment to give their best, and yet we don’t.
Lets assume that my District (which I consider a real great district) is representative of most if not all districts in the BSA. First, lets throw out some numbers again… bear with me here. Remember that I said 85 units in my district did not bother to turn in the JTE form. My district has 129 units in it.
In 2010 the BSA reported that there were 47,259 Cub Scout Packs, 40,099 Boy Scout Troops, 8,539 Varsity teams, and 18,856 Venture Crews. That would be a total (in 2010) of 114,753 units in the BSA.
So assuming everything is equal, 40,000 units within the BSA did not turn the JTE form this last year. Now I do not know this to be true.. I am just looking for a solution. IF that big a population within an organization that makes it its business to deliver the promise of Scouting to the 2 million (plus) Scouts that come to us allows this to happen.. then I think it is worth a review. Not a change in the Journey to Excellence program. It is rock solid.. after all its all about making every unit the best. It follows the methods and places its focus on what is important.. serving Youth!. No, it does not need to change. What needs to change is how we present, train, and work with units to ensure that the program (both the Scouting program and the JTE) are being followed. Units that are in need of help need to get it.
I think this is where the commissioner service comes in… and there again.. we are preaching to the choir… assuming again that your district is like mine.. where are all the commissioners? We are in need of good commissioners that are dedicated to making every unit a great one.
There are many ways that we need to attack this. I think that we have a huge disconnect here and it will not get better as long as we keep preaching to the choir. The choir is fine and is singing loud and clear. It is the folks that don’t want to sing that we need to reach. It is the people we never see, it is the countless applications that come through the council that never get a hand shake or a visit. It is the volunteers that are not reached by hands on training or a friendly invite to Round table.
As much as I am a big fan of computer based training.. I think we may have lost some of the contact by going away from class room training. We need to connect with the 1.1 million volunteers, or what ever that number is in your District and not only fix this JTE problem, but get more leaders trained, active, and taking on rolls that complement their skills, attitudes, and level of committment within the District. We need commissioners that actually pay visits to their units. Commissioners that do not wear multiple hats in Scouting. Commissioners that can take the time to work with and mentor unit leaders.
We need to get a bigger choir! I’ll have more to say on this later… I am curious to hear what you have to say about all this… leave a comment!
Have a Great Scouting Day!

Larry says it well

Scoutmaster Jerry — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:52:42 +0000

On the heels of a great JLT weekend and Troop elections, it is fitting that Clarke Green, fellow blogger and podcaster posted an article today that nailed my thoughts. The article was written by Larry Geiger, a contributor to Clarke’s blog and regular commenter here on the Scoutmaster Minute Blog.
So rather than me rewrite what Larry has so succinctly said..
Go to his blog and read this. Well done Clarke/ Larry… Bravo!… and thanks!.

Have a Great Scouting Day!

Modeling the Expected Behavior

Scoutmaster Jerry — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 04:59:04 +0000

This weekend, our Troop conducted Junior Leader Training. Because we have so many young Scouts, we decided to do things a little different this year. This year, wanted to ensure that the leaders clearly understood what was to be expected as a leader. Instead of the typical classroom environment, we took the training out doors where we do the leading. An over night camping experience in which the Scouts attending the training committed to doing everything right. The committment of the Scouts that arrived on Friday evening at Camp Discovery was apparent from the word go.
We built a camp fire and pulled our chairs up close. The theme for the weekend was Modeling the Expected Behavior. What that means to the Scouts of our Troop is that as leaders they need to set the very best example that they can. As examples they model the behaviors that we expect to see from the rest of the Troop.
So this weekend, the leaders learned about the Teaching EDGE, Leading EDGE, Ethical decision-making, Communicating effectively, and Learning to teach. The leaders shared expectations and demonstrated to one another what “Right looks like”. This morning after teaching one another how to properly pack gear, leave no trace, and cook a meal, they spent some time on the C.O.P.E course working on team development.
At the end of the training it was time for reflection and reinforcing the theme of the weekend. Modeling the Expected Behavior.
This theme will be the driving force for the rest of the year. It is the hope of those that attended the training that they will affect a positive change in the Troop. They all understand that as they go, so will the rest of the Troop.

In my opinion this was the best Junior Leader Training session I have seen our Troop do. There was a clear understanding at the end of the training and I too feel that the Troop will better for it. With so many young Scouts in the Troop and more coming at the end of the month, Scouts that are willing to take responsibility and be the very best example by modeling the expected behavior, will be have a lasting impact on our unit.
Have a Great Scouting Day!

Leadership Expectations

Scoutmaster Jerry — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:48:19 +0000

We have heard and practice that defined leadership is simply that Leaders provide Purpose, Direction, and Motivation. To accomplish those three things, leaders MUST clearly set and enforce expectations. They need to be able to clearly communicate those expectations to those they lead. The leader must paint a picture of what the result should look like. The picture should be clear enough that the people you lead know exactly what they are supposed to do and accomplish.
Before we go on.. the first step in this process is to set the BEST example. Not a Good example.. the BEST example. Good is not Good enough when it comes to leadership. With your BEST example you will then be able to set expectations and achieve results.

What Great Leaders Do to Set Expectations
Great leaders set clear expectations and standards for the people they lead.
Great leaders clearly communicate these expectations and standards to the people they lead.
Great leaders constantly reinforce the expectations and standards they have set for the people they lead.
Great leaders lead Great organizations. Mediocre Leaders lead Mediocre Organizations. Do not be satisfied with “Good enough”.
How Great Leaders Set Expectations
Great leaders develop clear expectations and standards for every position that reports to them. They make sure that they understand, in their own mind, the output they expect from that position — regardless of the individual who fills it.
The SPL must expect Patrol Leaders to lead their Patrols with the understanding that they are assisting in achieving the Goals of the Troop. At every level, everyone needs to be aware of what it is that the organization is trying to accomplish. This is true for the very big tasks or goals and the small steps that get you there.

Great leaders use the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time Specified) tool to clarify their expectations and set goals.

Specific – great leaders set expectations that are targeted, not broad and general. Good expectations are focused and explicit. They should be easily understood by everyone.
Measurable – great leaders are able to tell quickly and easily if an individual that they lead or a task by the group has met their standards and expectations. They develop a set of criteria that will demonstrate success or failure in meeting the expectation or standard.
Achievable – great leaders set expectations and standards that are challenging, but not to difficult to achieve. A challenging expectation is motivating, an impossible one will lead to set backs in your goal.
Relevant – great leaders don’t get caught in the activities. Their expectations focus on the results they expect the team to achieve, not the activities they will do to get there. For example, “improved knot tying skills” is a result; “participating in Pioneering merit badge class” is an activity. It’s possible to complete activities and not achieve the desired result. Keep your goals relevant to the task or goal.
Time Specified – great leaders know people need to know the deadlines associated with expectations and standards. If you give a team 6 months to achieve a goal they will take 6 months to achieve that goal. Do not allow for this to happen. Set a time line for your goal or task and then hold yourself and the team accountable to get the goal or task completed. Never leave a goal or task open ended when it comes to time.

Once great leaders have a clear picture of their expectations for the positions reporting to you, they communicate them to the people they lead who are in these positions. Great leaders explain three things:

What needs to be accomplished and Why.
The deadline for accomplishing it.
What successful completion of the goal or task looks like.

Finally, great leaders never miss an opportunity to reinforce their expectations with the people they lead. Repetition is a great tool for reinforcing expectations. The more you keep your expectations in the forefront of the minds of the people you lead, the more likely they will be to focus their attention and efforts on achieving them.
Skills and Habits are formed and reinforced by clear expectations that come with clear expectations. As a leader you must “Inspect what you expect”. Never be satisfied by mediocre results. The Scout Oath says that we will do our BEST.. not our “Good enough”. Clear expectations will lead to higher skill levels and good habits.

Note- This is the First block of instruction for our Troop Junior Leader Training. Once expectations are clear to everyone, it is easier to move on and expect the Junior Leaders to then learn in a practical way why leadership is important and what it takes to lead.

Have a Great Scouting Day!