Basic Leadership Challenge
Course Book
By Thomas C. Nulf
Purpose
The purpose of this course is to train Scouts to lead and manage people. It is designed not to instruct specific camping skills, but rather to develop judgment, thought, personal initiative and integrity. The methods and techniques taught in this course are life skills; they will be used by the Scout long after his experience in Scouting.
Overview
This course is designed for seven classroom sessions of 1 hour and a field exercise of one night. The classroom sessions will be accompanied by several handouts with written explanations as well as case studies of the subjects being taught. Prior to the course, the Scouts should obtain the following materials: a small pocket notepad, a reliable pen or two, and food money for the field exercise. Scouts will be required to attend ALL of the classroom sessions and the field exercise. If a Scout misses an event, he may make it up by contacting the Course Director to schedule a remedial session. The Course Director has the authority to remove a Scout from the course at his discretion.
Course Outline
# I. Classroom I - You as a Leader
# A. Introduction
# B. Three Types of Leadership
# C. Communication Skills
# 1. Speaking to Individuals
# 2. Speaking to Groups
# 3. Writing
# II. Classroom II - Organization
# A. Tasks
# B. Time
# 1. Time Management
# 2. Prioritizing Tasks
# C. Chains of Command
# D. Delegating your Authority
# E. Notetaking
# 1. Responsibility
# 2. RepresentationIII. Classroom III - Decision Making
# A. Identifying the Decision
# B. Determining Options Available
# C. Determining Solutions
# 1. Best Case v. Worst Case
# 2. Least Harm v. Max Benefit
# IV. Classroom IV - Dealing with Problems
# A. Crises
# B. Challenges to Authority
# C. Counseling
# V. Classroom V. - Influencing People
# A. Management Techniques
# 1. Things you can do
# 2. Things you can say
# B. Personal Charisma
# C. Image
# 1. Leadership by Example
# 2. How you project yourself
# 3. How people see you
# VI. Classroom VI. - Followership
# A. Followership
# B. Teamwork
# C. Developing Work Relationships
# 1. Caring for your Command
# 2. Representing your Command
# VII. Classroom VII. - Training
# A. The Importance of Training
# B. How to Train People
# VIII. Field Exercise
# IX. Wrap-Up
# A. Conclusion
# B. Commentary
# C. Awards
Note: Case Studies and explanatory handouts will be given with each event.
Course Description:
I. Classroom I - You as a Leader
# A. Introduction
# This course will consist of seven classroom sessions, a field exercise, and a follow-up session. It will teach leadership, initiative, problem solving, communication, public relations, judgment, and responsibility. You must complete each of the seven classroom sessions prior to going on the field exercise. You must complete the field exercise in order to pass the course. However, passing and failing are of little concern with this course. Learning how to lead is.
# As a leader, your job consists of three elements: keeping the morale of your people up and keeping their respect of you, organizing your people to do the maximum work with the minimum effort and energy, and making decisions.
# B. Types of Leadership
# Principally, people are motivated by three reasons to follow a leader. The first, Fear of Reprisal, is the style of leadership typically used in the military. A direct order is issued by the commanding officer and the soldiers know or feel that bad things will happen if they choose not to follow the order. This command style is useful in life-or-death situations but is ineffective on an interpersonal level. Another type of leadership is the use of Positive Reward; an order is followed in hope or knowledge of a reward. Positive Reward is common in the workplace-a paycheck is reward for work done by an employee. Common Cause or Self-Motivation is the third method of influencing others. People follow instructions because they trust that the instructions will be of benefit to themselves and/or others. This is the type of leadership you need to inspire. A common cause of motivation will produce the greatest results from the most people. You have these results when people ask you how they might help or often anticipate your order and begin acting on their own initiative.
# C. Communication Skills
# 1. Speaking to Individuals
# Informal speaking comes easily to most, so I will keep it brief. Look at the person with whom you are talking. Speak loudly enough and clearly enough for that person to hear and understand you. If you are giving an order, repeat the order and then have the person repeat the order back to you so you know they have heard and understood the order. If asking a question, repeat back the answer to make sure that you understand.
# In cases when speaking to an individual formally, such as in a business setting or speaking to an authority figure, always call him by title and last name (Mister Nulf, Doctor Morehead, Father Jones, etc.) Speak politely, stand or sit still, and do not lean or fidget with your hands or feet. Keep direct eye contact and smile. Above all, be positive, no matter what the situation. If you are giving or receiving information, summarize the information you get and make sure the information you give is understood. Upon leaving, give the person(s) with whom you are meeting a firm handshake and express thanks for the meeting.
# 2. Speaking to Groups
# An entire Merit Badge program is dedicated to public speaking; this concept is crucial to being an effective leader. Talking to an individual or a small group, as mentioned above, is mostly an informal and quiet exercise. Talking to a large group of people requires a bit of acting because while some people take naturally to attracting a lot of attention in public, others hate speaking in public. In any case, public speaking dictates that you think about what you want to say BEFORE you say it. Another requirement is a voice loud enough and clear enough to get everyone's attention. Drama teachers are absolutely right when they say "talk to the person in the back of the room".
# Nervousness is natural in public speaking. This nervousness is because the speaker is thinking about himself rather than about his subject matter. If you feel silly or small or stupid or tongue-tied in front of people, then you absolutely will be silly, small, stupid, or tongue-tied and you will not be heard, no matter how important your message. Some tips for relaxing in front of a crowd are: think about what your are saying or are going to say, think about how bored the people in the back will be unless you speak loud enough and clear enough to keep their attention, and make sure you look okay before entering the room or area so you don't have to worry about it while you are speaking.
# Furthermore, when you are speaking in public, leave your hands at your sides. Make eye contact individually for emphasis and to keep attention. Stand up straight the entire time you are speaking and do not shift your feet . Fidgeting with your hands, looking at the floor, mumbling, leaning back and forth, and worrying about yourself makes you look boring, weak, and nervous. Your audience will become bored and nervous and your message will not be heard. Stand up straight, do not fidget, do not lean, look at the audience's eyes, and speak loudly and clearly.
# 3. Writing
# When writing anything that anyone else will read you need to make sure your writing is of good quality. Check your spelling and grammar, make sure your sentences and paragraphs are clear and organized, and keep it short-no one likes to read long documents.
# In written instructions, include everything that the person(s) to whom you are giving the order needs to know to carry out that order. If you are handing out an informal order, keep it simple-write the date, your name, and your reminder. If it is a more elaborate order, more information is required. For instance, if your patrol is going camping, you need to include details such as: the campout date, who is going on the campout, what the weather is expected to be like, what equipment they need to bring, the menu, chore responsibility, time and place of assembly for departure, transportation details, and so on.Leadership Challenge
Class #1--Intro/Communications Skills Answer the following questions to present to the rest of the class:
# 1. Give the three elements of leadership as described in the introduction and explain why these elements are so important.
# 2. Explain and demonstrate the three types of leadership. Tell how each method is less or more effective and why.
# 3. Give an example of when good leadership is essential. Tell why good leadership is important in the example you give.
# 4. Explain the techniques to use when speaking with someone formally. When would these techniques be important to know?
# 5. Demonstrate good public speaking method. Contrast good technique with poor technique.
# 6. Show how to write a formal set of instructions to someone that is going to cook a meal. Be sure to include important details.
II. Classroom II - Organization
# A. Tasks
# A task is a distinct set of activities such as setting up a tent, heating wash water, starting a fire, washing dishes, and chopping onions. A person generally can do only one task at a time, which means that if you want someone to do two or more things, one task must take priority. If you want two tasks done at the same time you need to assign two people to do them-one task to each. Some tasks take more than one person or more time to accomplish-setting up a dining fly for instance. Also, tasks can take different amounts of time from one person to the next depending upon strengths, skills, and training. Every order you give should be one distinct task OR a distinct series of tasks to be accomplished. Make sure that the tasks you give are possible to achieve and are fully understood.
# B. Time
# An important principle behind leadership is time management, which is simply figuring out how long a task will take. If the task will take too long for one person to complete, assign more people to work on it. For instance, if only one person is sent to collect firewood and you estimate it will take or is taking too long, send more people do help. If many people are working on one task and neglecting other tasks, reassign some or all of them. To do all this means that you have to know the amount of time available, the number of tasks to accomplish, and the assets (people) you have available to accomplish those tasks. If tools will help you accomplish tasks faster or better, use them, but not if using the tool actually takes MORE time than it will save-getting a lantern going sometimes can be difficult.
# If you determine that tasks will not be completed within the allowed time period, even with a maximum number of people working, you will have to prioritize, which means that the more important tasks will need to be completed before less important tasks are started. You might need to reassign some people from one task to a more urgent one, or to request additional help from outside sources. If you cannot decide which task is more important, keep people working on their current tasks but have another task ready for them to begin as soon as they complete their first one.
# C. Chains of Command
# In Scouting, as with any business, or the military, or church, or public or private organization, there is a Chain of Command-a list of who answers to whom. It is usually graphically depicted as a tree with the head of the company, troop, military unit, or organization at the top. Directly under him are his assistants and under them are their people and so on and so forth. A Chain of Command can have splits (such as the Quartermasters, which are directly under the SPL, but have no command authority to the patrol leaders and patrols). Additionally, there are operational and administrative Chains of Command. An operational Chain of Command is a direct list of who can give and take instructions from whom. The administrative Chain of Command is how secondary functions occur within an organization. For instance, in the Merit Badge program, individual Scouts go directly to Assistant Scoutmasters to learn Merit Badges. They don't consult their Patrol Leader, the Senior Patrol Leader, or the Scoutmaster, because they do not need permission to do so. The operational Chain of Command can supersede any administrative Chain of Command given high enough authority. The SPL for instance, could issue an order suspending or modifying a particular administrative Chain of Command, or an SPL could require that he be notified whenever a Patrol requisitioned rope from the Quartermaster.
# D. Delegating your Authority
# You can only control a certain number of people depending upon how involved the tasks are, how you and your people work together, etc. One source says that between four to eight people is the most any one leader can manage at a time. This means that as a Patrol Leader, you can only supervise about half of the patrol at once. You are therefore required by necessity to delegate your authority. The whole point of being a leader is to get people to work with you to achieve a common goal that you could not ordinarily do by yourself. For instance, if you are a poor notetaker, you probably should have someone else to act as a scribe. A good leader knows how to delegate authority to others.
# In order to delegate your authority, you need to inform everyone affected about whom you are giving what amount of your authority to. For instance, if the Patrol Leader must leave the campsite, he should tell his Assistant Patrol Leader that he is going to leave, how long he will be gone, and what instructions the assistant has. After that he needs to tell the rest of the patrol that the assistant is in charge and has full authority. If the assistant is not present, the PL should appoint someone present to act as an assistant until he returns. The assistant should be someone he can trust and should be able to supervise and carry out assigned tasks and make decisions while the PL is away. Upon returning, the PL should announce that he has returned and ask the person he left in charge for an update of any information/activity he missed while away.
# Whenever you leave your command, make sure SOMEONE is in charge while you are away. You are STILL responsible for the command even though you are not there. My patrol once burned down an entire tree and several large patches of dry grass. I was away from the area but I took the responsibility and the blame for the patrol because had I left someone in charge, this incident may still have happened, but probably not. When you put someone in charge of a group, two things happen: he gets an attack of conscience and responsibility, and he gets an ego boost which usually gives him initiative and helps you in the long run because he knows you trust him.
# E. Notetaking
# 1. Responsibility
# You will almost always be under one or more higher leaders who will give you instructions, and you need to be able to take down those instructions and act upon them. Instructions may come as a formal set of instructions, such as a command by an adult leader ("You need to pay me a dollar for lantern gas") or they could come informally such as advice from an Assistant Senior Patrol Leader ("You should get wood and put it under your dining fly"). In any case, these instructions must be written down and carried out. If they are not carried out, you must have a very good reason for disobeying these instructions. Informal instructions that are ignored or forgotten by a patrol leader and his patrol is totally unacceptable. An order is an order despite how it comes. Writing down informal as well as formal instructions both prevents forgetfulness and documents completion.
# Notetaking also applies during meetings. For example, the Senior Patrol Leader will give a lot of information during TLC meetings, particularly dates, times, and special instructions. Much of this information may only affect one or two members in your patrol. You may not even realize that some of the information affects your members, but by writing all information down, you eliminate questions later on. Leaders should be doing a ton of writing.
# 2. Representation.
Leaders are required as a matter of course to keep records on their people and equipment. A Patrol Leader should be able to produce a list of his patrol members including names, addresses, and phone numbers at any time. This includes at meetings, at home, on campouts, etc. The Senior Patrol Leader should be able to produce a list of both the entire troop as well as the Patrol Leaders, Assistant Patrol Leaders, his Staff and Leadership Corps. Assistant Senior Patrol Leaders and Assistant Patrol Leaders are no exceptions. Though this course revolves around the Patrol Leader, the assistants are there just as often (usually more, in fact) and it is they, much like sergeants in the Army, who actually get most of what is done done. Do not ignore any of this assistants! It applies to you as well. A leader needs to keep records on his people's advancement progress, what type of car his parents have & how often they have driven (or haven't driven) on campouts, who has helped out a lot and who has goofed off a lot. Your patrol equipment should be recorded to keep track of it and to see what needs replacement from time to time.
CASE STUDIES
A.] On a campout for dinner, the patrol cooks T.C.'s Famous Salisbury Steaks (with Secret Ingredient), boiled potatoes, and green beans from a can. After dinner, the PL is roundly thanked for the excellent T.C.'s Famous Salisbury Steaks, except for one Scout, who (heaven forbid) didn't like the Secret Ingredient or the green beans. Should the patrol be forced to eat something other than this wonderful meal on account of one person? Why or Why not? How should the PL handle this on future campouts? B.] The SPL at a TLC meeting tells the PL that all Scouts under First Class are going to have an equipment inspection on the next campout. These Scouts should have their personal equipment squared away. The Patrol Leader doesn't write it down and forgets about it because he isn't under First Class. Finally, at the church, he is reminded of this by a friend who is also a PL for another patrol. He then gets his guys together and makes an announcement about it.
What did the PL do wrong?
What should he have done?
C.] It is Friday night. It is dark, drizzle is coming down, and it is unbearably hot. The patrol is struggling to get tents up and their gear stowed away. An adult enters the campsite and asks the Patrol Leader why he has not put his patrol box up or gathered wood. The PL answers by explaining that the patrol is working on getting tents up and will get to the other stuff as soon as they can. This does not satisfy the adult and he begins to give orders to the patrol to get the dining fly up, patrol box on legs, firewood gathered, etc. The Assistant Scoutmaster has "jumped" the normal Chain of Command by interfering in the routing camping of this patrol. Was he justified in issuing instructions to the patrol? Is the Patrol Leader responsible for the actions of his Patrol once the adult took over? If the ASM had a problem with how this patrol was camping, how should he have gone about correcting it? D.] An Assistant Senior Patrol Leader enters a patrol campsite. He then notices that there is no water in either firebucket, or the KP buckets. The PL is not there. He finds the APL and tells him to fill his water buckets.
Is this a valid use of the Chain of Command?
Can the PL, when he returns, countermand this order?
E.] On a campout, the Patrol Leader asks a Scout to go get some patrol gear, including a lantern, from the Troop equipment trailer. He is a young Scout, but faithfully follows the instructions and brings back all of the equipment. The lantern is not lighted. Darkness creeps upon the campsite. Seeing that the patrol leader is not around, the young Scout uses some initiative and starts to light it himself. No one else in the patrol seems to mind. Suddenly, an Assistant Scoutmaster appears from nowhere, tells the Scout never to mess with lanterns, and takes it away from him. The Assistant Scoutmaster has "jumped" the normal Chain of Command by interfering in the routine camping of this patrol. Was he justified in taking away the lantern? Why? Is the Patrol Leader responsible for this Scouts actions? Why didn't someone in the patrol stop the Scout from working with a lantern? Was this incident caused indirectly by the PLs lack of instruction? Why or Why not? E.] The Senior Patrol Leader has announced that on the next campout, all patrol campsites are to be inspected. It is now Saturday morning at the campout and it is cold so breakfast is going slowly. Word has been sent that the inspection is going to happen just before morning assembly which is ½ hour from now. Some patrol members have just finished eating and are beginning to wander off. The fire is low and there is no KP water on. You have 6 patrol members in your patrol on this campout.
What do you do?
What are the tasks that you must accomplish before morning assembly? What priority should these tasks take? How many patrol members should be assigned to each task? Can you get it all done in a half hour? What are some alternatives?
III. Classroom III - Decision Making
# A. Identifying the Decision
# When a problem presents itself, you need to do several things: 1) find out as much as you can about the problem, 2) develop a list of all of the possible solutions to it, 3) determine the advantages and disadvantages of the possible solutions, and 4) execute the best solution. Some problems may be simple and have only one real solution, such as: P: The fire buckets are empty. S: Go fill them with water or dirt. However, some are more difficult: Where should our campsite be located? Who will drive for the campout? The key idea in problem solving is to think about all of the alternatives before selecting a course of action. Frequently, considering all options is best in complex problems, such as negotiating a dispute between two patrol members. This way one may fall back on other courses of action or one is prepared in the event the situation changes. An example of this is to pack rain gear for a campout that it is not supposed to rain on-just in case. As a leader you should be open to suggestions, but remember that it is YOU that makes the decisions and your decisions must be THE course of action taken by your people. If they do not understand this, you need to take them aside and explain it to them.
# B. Determining Options Available
# It is best to develop three distinct solutions to any problem. This sometimes isn't possible, other times, four or more equally plausible solutions present themselves. Feel free to ask advice of your people to see what they think possible solutions are and which solution they think should be selected. After having considered their opinions as well as all other information on the subject, make your decision. The importance and speed of the decision dictates how much effort you should put into researching possible options. If a fire has broken out, don't waste valuable time deciding who should help with it and what to take, just tell everyone to grab what they can and go help. In deciding on a menu, however, careful consideration must be made to dietary needs, storage size and weight, and cooking practicality. There are lots of resources for this sort of decision and plenty of time.
# C. Determining Solutions
Best Case v. Worst Case
Sometimes the options for a decision may include the Best Case Scenario or Worst Case Scenario. This means that the decision you make will depend upon the outcome you wish to prepare for. In some cases, you want to determine what will happen if everything goes wrong. This is how you want to think whenever you actually make the decision. In addition to that, you will also want to consider what happens if your luck is all good. For instance, a person has a sum of money. He is considering an option to play the stock market where there is potential for tremendous gain or loss. In the worst case scenario, the stock market will crash and he will lose his money. In the best case scenario, he will become a millionaire. The decision becomes: is it okay to risk this money? If not, then this course of action is ruled out and some other possibility is to be selected.
Least Harm v. Max Benefit
Another way of looking at the outcome of a possible choice is by figuring the option that does the least damage to you or alternatively if there is little risk, which choice gives you the most reward. This differs from the above only in that in Best Case/Worst Case you are deciding the merits of one possible choice and running through all of the possible outcomes of that choice. Here you are deciding which of all of the choices is best or worst.
Activities-Classroom #3
Situation 1:
Given: You are the sole survivor of a plane crash in the desert. You have determined that your crash site is 60 nm (nautical miles) off course from your scheduled flight path. The first question is: Do you go for help or wait for help? If you go for help do you travel by day or by night? Why do you choose this course of action? After ejecting, you have collected several objects. Prioritize them by importance with 1 being the most important and 12 being the least important and list why you put them in order you did. You have 5 minutes. The objects are: (__) 2 one-gallon water bottles (with water in them) (__) backpack (__) 60 ft. of aircraft cable (__) canvas tarp (__) hand mirror (__) blanket (__) flotation seat cushion (__) parachute (__) knife (__) compass (__) map (__) snake bite kit Questions: Why did you choose to stay or go? If you went for help, why did you travel by day or night? Why did you put the objects in the order you did? Did you run out of time? If so, what slowed your decision-making process?
Situation 2:
Your patrol has arrived at a campout. Q1: What do you do? (Determine the tasks you have to accomplish.) Prioritize these tasks in order of importance (so you can do the most important tasks first.)
(__) Set up camp
# (__) Set up Patrol Box and other patrol gear
# (__) Set up personal tents
# (__) Gather firewood
# (__) Set up Dining Fly
# (__) Take attendance
# (__) Decide where to camp
Q2: Where do you camp? How do you make this decision?Use the Decision-Making Process:
# 1) Identify the Decision - "Where do we camp?"
# 2) Gather Information
# 3) Determine all of the possible solutions. Determine their probable outcomes.
# 4) Make your decision and stick to it. Be prepared to explain your decision to others.
Assume there are 3 possible campsites.
Site: Surface: Slope: Distance from Parking Distance from Water Flood Potential Notes:
Campsite Beech
Campsite Cottonwood
Campsite Pine
Notes:
Q3:
Q4:
Q5:
Q6:
Q7:
Q8:
Fact:
Fact:
Fact:
Fact:
Fact:
Fact:
So, what have we learned about decision-making? Answer: Gather as much information as possible BEFORE making your decision.
Classroom IV - Dealing with Problems
A. Crises
Every once in a while an unexpected event powerful enough to disrupt your plans and timetable will occur. When this happens, determine the nature of the situation quickly. First and foremost, remain calm and ask yourself if this is a real and true crisis or if it is just an interruption of your plans. If there is a safety issue at stake, act fast and alert others to the danger and command them to act also. If there is no safety issue at stake, think how this event has affected your plans, your instructions, your time allowed for tasks, and how it has affected your people and resources. If the crisis MUST be dealt with before resuming your previous routine, remember where you are in your routine and set all your resources to solving the crisis. Break the crisis down into tasks and assign people to them. Once complete, regroup your people and set them back to work doing that which remains to be done.
B. Challenges to Authority
Another thorn that leaders must deal with is a person that will not cooperate. There are four possible reasons for this: the instructions that you have given were unclear, your instructions have been misinterpreted, distraction, or disrespect and refusal to obey. Regardless of what the problem is, you need to take the person aside, well out earshot and preferable out of sight, and talk with him one-to-one. Under no circumstances should you talk with him about this in public. This will only cause him to be embarrassed and hurt in front of his peers. (Don't forget to leave your assistant in charge while you are gone). Once aside, ask this individual if the instructions you have given are clear. If he says no, clarify them and make sure he understands them and repeats the instructions back to you in his own words. Then send him back to do them. If he still is a problem, take him back aside and repeat this procedure once. If the person understands the instructions, then find out if he knows how, or is capable of carrying them out. If not, find out why and if necessary have him swap duties with someone who CAN carry out the given task(s) for tasks that he can accomplish. When a person becomes distracted, take him aside and ask him why he is not doing what you asked of him. Usually he will not be able to answer satisfactorily. (Common excuses range from "well John's not doing it either" to "I'll get to it in a minute" to the famous "I don't know" or whatever). Explain to him that his job needs doing now and that if he doesn't pull his own weight, someone else will simply have to do his job for him and that will make people mad at him. You need to encourage that sense of meaning and duty that will motivate him to follow you. Perhaps pointing out examples of others who are working will help. If a person directly disobeys you, take him aside and ask him why. He will probably explain that he doesn't follow your instructions because he doesn't respect your authority, he feels that the task is not suitable for him, or that he should not have to work because others are also not working. If he does not respect your authority or the task is not suitable for him, find out why. Discuss with him how you might work together. Negotiate. This may require some arbitration by an outside neutral source, such as an Adult Leader. If he feels that he should not have to work because others are not working, explain to him that it is BECAUSE others are not working that you are going around and talking to people. Tell him that you are getting people to work and that you yourself are working right beside those that are. Explain to him that if the patrol is to function, everyone needs to pitch in. If you encounter several people with this attitude, it is time to pull the patrol together and give a speech. Talk to your patrol in straight terms. Explain to them that the patrol is experiencing some problems but will work through them and that every man needs to pitch in and help. If your patrol still blows you off at this point, you need to seek help. Dealing with problem Scouts is much the same as pulling weeds - get to it fast or it will be out of control. And remember, take each Scout aside when you have a chat. Remember that any person can become a problem at almost any time and can become productive just as quickly if you talk with him.
C. Counseling
Once in a while, someone will come to you with secrets or problems, either as a function of your position (Patrol Leader, SPL, etc.) or because he trusts you as a person. If you are told something in confidence, do not destroy that trust. The ONLY case in which you have a duty to tell anyone else what you have been told is where you believe the person has done or is doing/contemplating an illegal or immoral act. In this case and this case only seek a trusted, responsible adult leader, take him aside, explain your situation, and ask for his advice. When asked about moral dilemmas, don't tell people what to do-tell them what you would do. If you don't know, tell them you don't know and should seek further advice. If someone just wants to talk, just listen. Most of the times people have ever talked through problems with me, they weren't actually asking for my opinion, they just wanted to reflect and validate their decision. Above all, don't try to psycho-analyze, just give your opinions honestly and with conscience. If a person sees few or no doors, see if you can give them more options. Be a friend. Lastly, if you do not know your people, find out about them. See Caring for Your Command below. If a person has conditions or psychological problems which you are not equipped to deal with, tell him this and find him someone who can help him-if not an adult, then perhaps the SPL or a Leadership Corps person, or even another patrol member. For instance, I had two guys in my patrol when I was a Patrol Leader who brought liquor in a canteen on a campout. I didn't have the slightest clue about how to even bring up the subject with them, so I got Rick Hayes who had a long heart-to-heart chat with them. I have no idea what they talked about to this day, but later that evening, they brought out their hidden stash and poured it in its entirety on the fire on their own initiative and apologized to me and to the patrol.
CASE STUDIES
# 1. On a cold campout, many patrol members refuse to get up for breakfast. Opening ceremonies are in two hours. Bacon and eggs need to be cooked.
What do PL and APL need to do?
# 2. A fight has broken out between patrol members. The APL goes and gets the PL to break it up.
Did the APL do the right thing?
How should the PL handle the situation?
# 3. The troop has just arrived at a campout. Most of the patrol is getting equipment from the trailer. However, the PL notices three Scouts chasing each other around, clearly not going to gather equipment as ordered.
What should the PL tell the APL to do?
What should the PL do about the Scouts?Classroom V- Influencing People
# A. Management Techniques
# 1. Things you can do
# Getting Scouts to do jobs that they really don't want to do, such as KP, is very hard. Few Scouts enjoy doing KP and no one wants to go get firewood in the rain. In the darkness of Friday night, it is very difficult for PLs and APLs to get people to do all of the various chores that need to be done. The Scouts are more concerned with getting their own tent up and their own gear stored, and are not very interested in doing work for the patrol. You will be working the hardest during times when no one wants to work. If you are not working hard during these times, either you are neglecting your duty or your assistant is doing your job for you. If you are an assistant, you need to be working as hard or harder than the leader-the mark of a good patrol is how hard the Assistant Patrol Leader works with the PL.
# As a leader, your job is to keep people moving and busy. If a Scout sits around or goofs off for too long, it is next to impossible to get him busy again. On Saturday mornings, firestarting, breakfast, and opening ceremonies all happen in a time span of only a couple of hours, so things must flow smoothly and happen fast. Never appear rushed or your people will pick up on your nervousness and they will be nervous and uptight. ALWAYS appear calm and collected and encourage your people to keep working. Don't rush them, but don't let them slack off either. You may have to ask one or more of your people two, three, four, five, or more times to get them to do something. You may also have to ask them repeatedly to keep them working on something they have started. Don't let this get to you. Just keep calmly asking and asking. Eventually they will do it. Always be confident and persistent.
# 2. Things you can say
# There are ways to motivate people to do what you want them to do. Some of the more powerful tools include angering a person either by insult, slander, or condescension, so that they "prove" they can do something that you allege that they are incapable of doing, thereby getting your required task accomplished. You can also disguise the task as something else that they are interested in instead of what it actually is. You can tell them that they are not using their full potential in order to anger them into action. Furthermore, you can restrict their activities until a task is accomplished. You can flatter them by pretending that they (and/or the task they are performing) are more important than they are. You can promise them some sort of reward for completing the task. All of the above is what I call my bag of dirty tricks. They are rhetorical techniques that work for a very short amount of time but ultimately will backfire on you when either the people figure it out or have simply had enough. The only things you can say consistently to develop long-term relationships are positive and constructive discussion. When I say discussion I mean Two-Way communication. This is truly hard. Most people react poorly when you try to correct them. They get defensive. Ignore this entirely when it happens - and it WILL happen - and continue on with the discussion where it was prior to the person's comment. Resist the urge to lash back at them because if you do, the conversation ends and cannot resume for some time.
# If the person flatly refuses to talk with you on a rational basis, tell him that you will continue this conversation later with a neutral arbiter present, preferably an adult leader. When a person is doing something wrong, ask them how they are doing. If they say okay but are seen to be in error, ask them aside as I mentioned above. Be friendly about it. Be informal. Smile. When out of earshot, tell them that you noticed a way they might improve what they are doing or a way you could help them accomplish their task. Then take them back and train them on that task, mostly away from others. This is an excellent non-confrontational approach to motivation even if the person knows how to do the task properly already. Nine times out of ten they will learn and do it right rather than be taught over and over again the same task. Who wants to be shown how to collect firewood five times? Every once in a while, someone will try to take advantage of your good nature by pretending not to know how to do something in order to get you to do the work. There are two ways of stopping this abuse: have the person practice what you have taught over and over again while you watch, or have someone else in the patrol instruct him. Finally, whenever ANYONE completes a task you have assigned, make ABSOLUTELY SURE that you thank them because without them nothing would get done.
# B. Personal Charisma
# There is little you can do about this. Generally, people either naturally follow you, or you have to work very hard to get people to follow you. There are a few things you can do, however, such as learn your the names of the people around you, find out what they do and talk to them about that, speak out in a group, invite people into your circle rather than being part of someone else's. Define your existence by your own terms, not someone else's. Be smart. Above all be CONFIDENT. Above all, to thine own self be true.
# C. Image
# 1. Leadership by Example
# If you as a leader expect neatness and organization, you must also be neat and organized. You should also be capable, knowledgeable, and understanding in the eyes of your people or you will not be respected as a leader. You need to have a tidy uniform, to be able to take down instructions at any time, to have appropriate equipment in good condition, and to be skilled in every aspect of Scouting. Above all, you need to maximize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses. To be in charge of people, you need to be in charge of yourself. That is what being responsible is all about.
# 2. How you Project Yourself
# It is very easy to simply bark out commands to people, but will people obey them? Probably not. Work with the people you are leading rather than just telling them to do something. Get in and get involved. It is better to include yourself in what needs to be done. If you are seen working, others will be more likely to join in and follow your lead. Ask your people if they would do something for you; don't tell them to do it. If something needs done requiring a number of people, say "let's do this". If they are reluctant, explain to them why it needs to be done. The idea is to encourage people to get things done on their own rather than under your whip. There are times that you will need to give imperative commands, especially during an emergency situation. The more you lead by example, the more likely you will be heeded during these times.
# 3. How People See You
# Your appearance is the first impression people have, so choose it wisely. If you come to meetings without a uniform, people will see through you as if you weren't there and your command effect and charisma will be near zero. Certainly you cannot correct a uniform error on one of your people if your uniform is sloppy. Likewise, if your attendance is bad, your leadership effectiveness will also be bad because in order to be a good leader, you have to develop a working relationship with your people. If you are not there, that relationship can never be developed.
# Also, frequently we find that people view us far differently than the person we think we are. It is good from time to time to get feedback on what people think of you so you can reflect on how people see you. I was fortunate to have two excellent assistants while a Patrol Leader with whom I could talk privately and get some reflection. They would politely tell me when I was out of line or when I was right on and their advice was invaluable to me. Think about who you are.
CASE STUDIES
On a campout, several Scouts are playing pyro with sticks from the fire, watching plastic drip from the end. In the course of the play, one Scout that no one likes drips some burning plastic on his arm, drops his pyro stick and runs around yelling. Eventually, he trips over a tent rope and falls on the stake box, twisting his ankle. Some adults come by about this time and take the Scout away to give him first aid. The patrol, glad that the nuisance Scout is gone, resumes playing pyro. Assume the Patrol Leader or his Assistant were in the campsite while all this was going on:
What was wrong with the situation?
Should the PL have done anything about the playing pyro?
Was there anything the PL could have done to keep this one Scout from being such a cast-out in the patrol? What didn't the PL do? Assume the PL and APL weren't in the campsite: Should there be someone in charge while the PL or APL is away? How should the person in charge handle the situation?
VI. Classroom VI. - Followership
# A. Following Your Leader.
# Followership is a term coined by the military. In essence it means that in order to give effective instructions, you must be able to take instructions. If not the most crucial aspect of leadership, certainly it rates a great deal of merit. Without the understanding of how to be a follower, one cannot be expected to be an effective leader. A person may have a wealth of personal charisma, he may know every leadership technique invented, and he may have the brains of Albert Einstein, but if he cannot follow instructions, he will never be an effective leader. Followership is a key part of Leadership.
# Followership involves four parts: 1) Putting yourself in the place of the person to whom you are giving an order. 2) Putting yourself in the place of your leader giving you an order. 3) Understanding why an order was given and carrying out that order. 4) Having faith in the instructions of the leaders over you.
# It is this fourth part that gives us so much trouble. It is hard for us to follow an order simply because it is handed down to us and your people are the same way with the instructions you give them. It is especially hard to follow an order that we consider contradictory, wrong, or hypocritical. If we think an order has been given to us based on faulty information, or worse yet, on faulty judgment which we disagree with, we are inclined to ignore the order and do what we want instead. FIGHT THIS URGE with every bone in your body!!! If you have a severe problem, as for an explanation or clarification. Unless the order you are given is against your moral code (such as murder or thievery for instance), you are obligated to carry out the order as a member of the organization to which you belong. You must have faith that your leaders are not completely stupid, and that in their place, with their information, you would make the same judgment. The reason you MUST do this simple: you are giving instructions too. You expect your instructions to be carried out without hesitation and without discussion. If you rebel against instructions given to you by your superiors, you cannot expect your command to follow you. Resist any urge to foul up, postpone, halfway, "creatively interpret", or subvert instructions given to you. The very best way to treat them is to pretend that they are the very best instructions possible and you cannot wait to do them. If you have reservations, tell no one, for it may very well BE the best order possible. You have to have faith in your instructions in order to those under you to have faith in instructions you give.
# B. Teamwork.
# As a leader it is your job to get your unit to work as a team. Under the most favorable circumstances this will actually only truly occur every once in a while. Hopefully it will happen at the right times and for the right reasons. The whole point of teamwork is to make tasks that would be difficult or impossible for individuals, possible and easier for a team. One of the best ways to get your people to act with each other as a team is to do tasks that require multiple persons to accomplish such as pitching tents and dining flies. When doing this the first few times, take command and direct each person's actions. As you pitch the next tent and the next, your actual involvement will diminish so that the team can interact with itself. However, until the tasks are accomplished, keep everyone involved in what is going on so that they can be part of the team instead of being alienated and isolated. Never ever single someone out for poor work in front of the others. Take them aside and talk to them as above. Anything requiring most of your team should have EVERY team member involved so that everyone gets used to each other.
# Fights and disputes. You simply cannot allow this to happen, or to continue once started. It will destroy any sense of teamwork and loyalty to your command. In Scouts, especially at night on campouts, incidents will happen that will lead to angry tempers, hurt feelings, possibly harm to equipment or persons. Fighting is not an appropriate way to solve disputes between people. When accusations fly, shouting matches occur, or fists fly you need to be right in the middle of it fast - and so does your assistant. Each of you should take one of the two parties away RIGHT AWAY and talk to them to calm them down. Keep talking to them until they calm down, which they will given time. Even if they are right, there is no reason to shout or fight with the other party. Do NOT take sides in the dispute no matter what you may feel or think about it. If you take sides, you alienate the other party and teamwork is impossible. It is nearly impossible to regain their respect also. In any case, when the parties have BOTH calmed down and can talk out the problem should you get them together. If you are having a problem remaining neutral or controlling the parties, get help - the SPL, Staff, Leadership Corps, or adults are all good help. Finally, make sure that all sides agree and abide by the solution agreed upon or subsequent trouble is brewing. If the dispute was between only a few people, then keep it that way. Make one of the conditions of the agreement be to keep it quiet. It will leak out eventually - these things always do, but if it can be kept quiet for a while, it may blow over without doing much damage. Solve disputes rationally and have the two parties offer solutions of their own as much as possible.
1. Caring for your Command.
Another crucial aspect of leadership is caring for your command. As a leader, you are required to know all of your Scouts. You must know what they need for advancement, their strengths and weaknesses, and frequently you must make sacrifices to insure their welfare. You must keep your people informed. You should know where they are. In the event that one of your people becomes injured or sick, you need to make sure he is properly cared for and you should check on him frequently. You should take the time to make sure all of your people have proper equipment, uniforms, etc. and know how to use them. (You will note that this means that you need to be properly equipped and know how use your equipment, that you have to have a uniform which is squared away, etc.) Never ignore complaints by any of your people for any reason. Your people will only complain if there is a problem. It may not seem a problem to you, but obviously it seems a problem to them, so you cannot ignore it. If you do ignore them, you lose their respect. Eventually, they will learn what is and is not important to mention to you.
2. Representing your Command.
As a leader you are expected to represent your people to your higher leaders and to the public. Your personal viewpoint must be secondary to that of the collective views of the people under your command. Be sensitive to their needs and desires. When volunteering your people for an assignment or when speaking for them, be sure that their voice is heard. Your appearance and actions will speak for every person in your command so if you look, speak, and act poorly, this will be the impression that others have of everyone in your command.
CASE STUDIES
A.] A number of Scouts are throwing dirt clods at each other in the middle of the night. Some are in your patrol, some are from another patrol.
What should the APL do?
What should the PL do?
Does the SPL need to be notified of this? If so, what should he do? B.] A Scout complains that there is a hole in his side of the tent. The others in tent don't want to take the tent down.
What should the PL do to make everyone happy? Why?
C.] The PL is asked by a patrol member how to wear a uniform part for a Court of Honor coming up. He doesn't know, so he tells the Scout to find out somewhere else. Should the PL be expected to know the ins-and-outs of every part of the uniform? Even if the PL did not know, did he tell the Scout the right course of action? What should have the PL done? D.] It is November. A new Scout joins the troop and selects your patrol. You allow him to join. He is fresh out of Webelos. A campout is coming up. Eventually, the campout comes and the new Scout shows up without his sleeping bag or a ground cloth. His equipment is a hodge-podge collection of candy, comic books, and a few clothes. Is the PL responsible for this guy's mistake? What should the PL have done before the campout? What should the PL do now? (BTW, this actually happened to me on a November Campout. It is how I learned a number of lessons.) E.] A Scout has been on your roster for some time, but you have never seen him in person.
What should you do? How? Why?
Assume that he says that he is having conflicts with sports, a play, church, or whatever: Should the PL still call him concerning patrol and troop events or should he stop bothering him? Why?
VII. Classroom VII. - Training
# A. The Importance of Training.
# You will, as a leader, be required to accomplish numerous tasks. Obviously you and your people will have to know how to accomplish those tasks. In order for someone to know how to do a task, they require training. Pretty simple. However, training goes far beyond simply knowing the material. The more you teach your people, the more competent and valuable they are for you and the more self-confident they are about themselves. Therefore, the more you teach them, the more you reinforce your charisma with them, and the more they are capable of and the more positive they will be.
# B. How to Train People.
# Training can be informal or formal. Formal training is usually less effective but can be used to instruct a larger number of people. Formal training involves planning your training process and conducting it with little or no feedback from the trainees. Informal training is more personal, and involves a lot of feedback from the trainees. Try to train people informally when possible or make your formal training program as informal as possible to maximize comprehension. There are four steps in teaching someone a skill. 1) Explain how to do the task and why the task is necessary. 2) Demonstrate how to do the task. Then 3) Have them do it with you. 4) Have them do it while you observe and have them explain it back to you. People learn three ways: Visual, Aural, and Tactile. The Visual person learns the most by seeing and reading things. The Aural person learns through hearing and listening. The Tactile person learns by doing. Most people are a combination of the above. Therefore, your instruction should be on many levels to be of the most benefit. The best way to teach a physical skill is to show someone how by doing it, describing it while you do it, and making the person do it while you watch. To teach intangible information, such as leadership/management, requires you to present the material in readable and spoken form.
CASE STUDIES
A.] Breakfast is over and KP is the only thing left to do before morning announcements. A PL tells a young Scout to do KP. The Scout says blankly "OK." It is a cold campout, and the rest of the patrol is hovering around the fire after breakfast. The young Scout gets out a pan and wipes it with a paper towel on the outside. He then puts it on the ground and returns to the fire. The PL eventually notices this and chews out the Scout for not doing KP.
Was the initial order okay?
What was the rest of the patrol doing? Why?
Was the reprimand given by the PL appropriate? Why or why not? What should the PL have done?VIII. Field Exercise. The Field Exercise is on _______________ at Camp Nulf on scenic Lake Oolagah. You will need to be at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church at 17:30 on Friday, _____________. We will return late on Saturday, _______________. You will need to include in your gear: Notepad, Leadership Challenge Notebook, reliable pen, full Duty Uniform, 3 or more changes of socks, athletic clothes (sweats, shorts, sneakers, etc.), suitable clothes for normal wear (hiking, camp work, etc.), bedroll, ground cloth, rain gear, towel, and cold weather gear. Make sure you eat before you arrive at the church Friday night. You will each be a Patrol Leader at least once. Your Patrol will be evaluated continuously and a report of your strengths, weaknesses, and overall evaluation will be prepared by the Course Director and given to you at the Final session.
IX. Classroom VIII. - Conclusion
# A. Conclusion.
# This section is the final instruction for the Leadership Challenge Course. It should be a summary of the principles and concepts taught in this course.
# The Evaluations given to each Scout will consist of two parts, a numerical value (or "grade" if you will) which is used for statistical purposes only and a written commentary by the Course Director which is the important part that Scouts should pay attention to. This Evaluation may be given to the Scouts at the Court of Honour at which they are awarded for their efforts
# B. Commentary.
# This is a section in which the Scouts discuss their experiences during the course and what they have learned and what they thought could have been different.
# C. Awards.
# The Scouts that have passed the class are awarded for their efforts. Typically this will occur at the Court of Honour following the completion of the Field Exercise.
