Parents’ and New Leaders’ Guide to a Boy-Led Troop

Introduction

Welcome! Whether you have just crossed over with your son from Cub Scouts or just joined Boy Scouts, we appreciate your enthusiasm and encourage your participation in the troop. The three aims of Boy Scouting are character development, citizenship training, and mental and physical fitness. To accomplish these aims, Scouting employs eight methods: the ideals, the patrol method, the outdoors, advancement, association with adults, personal growth, leadership development, and the uniform. We encourage you to take the Boy Scout training offered online and by the District to find out what we are
trying to accomplish and how you can help.

One of the major differences between Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts is a very important method, leadership development. In order to teach leadership, you have to let the boys lead. In fact, one of the more vigorous debates you can have in Scouting is over the feasibility of a boy-led troop. Some adult leaders will argue that while a boy-led troop is the BSA ideal, it’s not possible in their particular troop for any or all of the following reasons: the boys are too young, too lazy, too irresponsible, or just not interested. A boy-led troop is more work for the adult leadership, and therein is the problem, and our need for your cooperation and help. It is so much easier for the adults just to take charge themselves than to teach the necessary leadership skills to the boys.

All Scoutmasters and Assistant Scoutmasters are taught the basics of a boy-led troop and patrol in Scoutmaster Specifics. However, putting that training into practice is often difficult without a mentor in the troop. It is the intent of this guide to bridge the gap between theory and practice. It covers some of the common pitfalls and offers suggestions for getting a working boy-led troop. The importance of a boy-led troop and patrol is emphasized in two chapters of the Scoutmaster’s Handbook; chapter 3 “The Boy-Led Troop” starts with this strong statement:

“Empowering boys to be leaders is the core of Scouting. Scouts learn by doing, and what they do is lead their patrols and their troop. The boys themselves develop a troop program, and then take responsibility for figuring out how they will achieve the goals. One of our most important challenges is to train boy leaders to run the troop by providing direction, coaching, and support. The boys will make mistakes now and then and will rely upon the adult leaders to guide them. But only through real hands-on experience as leaders can boys learn to lead.”

As mentioned before, perhaps the most common reason for the existence of adult-led troops is that it is easier for the experienced adult leaders to run things; teaching leadership to boys is not easy. A second common reason is that the adult leaders may be afraid of failure; they want a smooth running troop. A boy-led project will occasionally falter, and adults may feel it necessary to take over to ensure success. A third is that the troop may have adult leaders that do not delegate well and do not wish to give up control. In fact, many consider that the main barriers to a boy-led troop come from the attitudes within the adult leadership.

Adult Leaders and Parents Work Together

Always Rigidly Flexible
This guide is meant more like guidelines than actual rules. Just as every troop, scout, adult leader, and parent is different, what works best is not always the same. Also, what worked yesterday may not work tomorrow. We do not want change for the sake of change, but to meet the changing needs of the troop.

Adults Are There For the Boys
The adults need to keep in mind that we are here for the Scouts. In Scouting, parents will meet others with similar values and goals for their children. Parents will build good friendships with the others and they can provide support and parenting suggestions. Scouting is a way to become a better parent through association with and the help of like-minded adults. However, adults should keep in mind that they are there for the boys and should try not to let socializing dominate.

The Scoutmaster Is In Charge Of the Troop
All parents should understand the structure of the troop. There is a “chain of command” both within the youth leadership and within the adult leadership. The Scoutmaster has to have a final say as the ultimate leader of the troop. He needs to work together with the parents and the other leaders toward the boy-led goal. The boys should understand that they have only as much authority as allowed by the adults, especially the Scoutmaster, and need to show the appropriate respect for the adults in their lives.

The Parent Involvement
Parent support and involvement are essential. Unlike the full parent involvement in Cub Scouts, parents are asked to become much less involved with their own child and more within the structure of the troop as a committee member or assistant Scoutmaster. Unfortunately, few parents come into Scouting with
a good understanding of the program. To get all the parents on the same page and working toward the goals of Scouting, we ask them to take the online Fast Start training. Parents coming on outings should work through the online Youth Protection training to understand the behavior that BSA asks of all adults. Committee members should take the on-line Troop Committee Challenge. It is useful for the Scoutmaster occasionally to meet with ALL parents to share his vision for a successful troop and to involve the parents in accomplishing the troop’s goals.

The Troop Committee
From Fast Start: “If you haven’t been involved in Scouting, you may think that the whole organization is the Scoutmaster and the youth members. The truth is, the success of the troop depends on many adult volunteers who work behind the scenes to make it all happen. The troop committee is like a steering committee—volunteers who actually handle the business end of running the troop.” From the Scoutmaster Handbook: “The most important responsibility of a troop committee is recruiting qualified adult leaders for the troop.” “The Scoutmaster should be able to turn to the committee at any time for assistance, support, and encouragement.” The troop committee must then step back and not try to run the troop. That is for the Scoutmaster to train the boys to do.”

Adult-Led Symptoms and Impacts

Adults Loudly Asserting Authority
Adults yelling at the boys in front of the troop is one characteristic of an adult-led troop where the adults have not transferred authority to the youth. Yelling at the boys has a toxic effect on the supportive atmosphere we want to nurture in a troop. Scouting is a put-down free zone. We use the Scout hand sign as a silent way to bring the troop to order for this very reason.

In addition, the boys never learn to lead if the adults dominate. The only time an adult should step in is if there is an immediate safety threat. Otherwise, there is time to work through the youth leadership chain of command. The only way for boys to learn leadership is actually to hand them the reins of power, with plenty of instruction of course.

Adults Jumping In With More Enthusiasm Than Patience
Volunteers who take charge are usually a good thing except when they preempt the boys’ responsibilities. It is hard to wait for a boy to do something that you could do better in much less time. However, if you do something for someone, they will not learn the skill. Adults already know how; boys
still need to learn. Scout meetings and outings should provide a hassle-free environment in which to learn leadership.

Adults Operating In Cub Scout Pack Mode
Parents crossing over with their boys can often feel more comfortable modifying slightly the structure they know from Cub Scouts than to adopt the changes demanded by a boy-led Boy Scout program. They continue the parent-child authority structure and don’t hand power over to the boys. This leads to an
extension of the parent-child relationship into the teen years when the youth should be transitioning to independence.

Adults Enabling Codependency
Parents of scouting age boys are often comfortable with the roles they have established with their young children. They organize the program and the boys follow along. However, the boys remain in a dependent role. Very young Scouts may be comfortable with a dependent role for a while. Adults feel useful and boys don’t have to put out much effort. The troop operates like an adult-run outing club. But as the boys grow older, their lack of control of the program begins to chafe.

Adults Contributing To Older Boy Attrition
Boys can stay dependents only so long before they rebel from imposed adult authority. Adults giving the boys more control over outings can help solve an older boy attrition problem. Venture patrols or similar older boy patrols allow them to plan high adventure outings that increase retention. Scouting trains boys in life skills. Removing “boy-led” from the program removes an extremely important aspect of Scouting: leadership and teamwork. Boys need to practice team leadership in a safe environment that Scouting provides. Without this practice, they are less prepared to enter the workforce, where mistakes have significant consequences.

Boy-Led Advantages

Boys Learn Critical Planning Skills
Adults should involve the boys in the process of planning an outing. Boys need to learn how to set achievable goals. For example, planning a canoe trip can start with “Safety Afloat” as an outline to make them aware of safety concerns. Including the boys in the process allows the adults to teach the logistics of planning: setting goals and objectives; breaking the project into smaller tasks and determine deadlines when they need to get done; assigning responsibilities to individual team members; putting the plan into action and tracking progress; evaluating the outcome and modifying the plan. There is always the need to check in with others on the project to see if all is going well.

Boys Learn To Lead In a Safe Environment
Leadership is not only knowing what you need to do to succeed but also knowing what to do if things go wrong. Before each boy-led activity, an adult leader should sit down with the boy leadership and go over their plan, to make sure that the boys are not set up to fail. The adult leaders are responsible for maintaining a non-confrontational environment by letting the boys know the adults support them and will be available if needed. Adults minimize the fear of failure by maintaining a supportive environment.

Boys Learn From Mistakes
It is hard to watch a process be done poorly, but if a boy-led troop meeting does not go as planned, there is no great loss. If a meal on a camp-out does not work out, it becomes a learning experience, a teachable moment to show how one responds to mistakes and still shows respect for others. It is very important to meet after each activity with the boy leadership to help them conduct a Start, Stop, Continue evaluation (SPL Handbook p. 97). How could this activity have been done better? Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from learning from your mistakes.

Boys Learn To Lead Others and Work In Teams
Working well with others is perhaps the most important life skill that youth can learn. Boys gain confidence by being entrusted with power and in leading their peers. Section Six in the Senior Patrol Leader’s Handbook talks about leadership styles and developing your team. The youth leader learns that their leadership style needs to change from Explaining, to Demonstrating, to Guiding, and finally to Enabling as the group develops into a working team (the Leading EDGE in SPL Handbook page 88-89).

Boys Learn Respect When Treated With Respect
Adults should show respect by not interrupting or criticizing the youth leadership during a troop meeting, no matter how bad things may be going. Instead, the adults should praise youth leaders in public when they do well, which helps boost both their confidence and the troop’s faith in them. If the troop believes in their Senior Patrol Leader, they will treat him with respect and listen to him more readily, which in turn makes the troop run more smoothly. The time for critique is after the meeting, in private. Sadly, it is much more difficult to build up confidence in others than to tear it down. The adults will earn the respect of the boys by their actions and example, not by demand.

Role of the Adult Leaders in a Boy-Led Troop

Follow the Lead of the Scoutmaster
Just as the Scouts need to know that their SPL is in charge, the adults need to know that the Scoutmaster is in charge! Scouts will follow the example of the adults, good or bad. Please criticize only when you can give a suggestion to correct the problem, otherwise, it is nothing more than whining. This is crucial for the adults to follow as well as the Scouts.

Train Patrol Leader and Assistant
This is especially necessary if the troop does not participate in district or council youth training. The boys need to know what is expected of them. Often a troop will do BSA’s Troop Leadership Training (BSA publication #34306A) which has four sections. First is a section on how the Scoutmaster should train the senior patrol leader. The Scoutmaster and the senior patrol leader jointly train the rest of the boy leadership in three modules:

Module One – Introduction to Troop Leadership (Know). The boy-led troop and boy-led patrol chapters in the Scoutmaster Handbook are discussed. The troop organization and overview of each position is next.

Module Two – How to Do Your Job (Be). The Scoutmaster shares his vision of success. This is followed by a discussion of the teaching EDGE (Explain, Demonstrate, Guide, and Enable) as the method used for teaching skills. Finally, a troop progress discussion is held using the Start, Stop, Continue assessment tool.

Module Three – What is Expected of me (Do)? This section focusses first on the position descriptions and expectations. The Scoutmaster then leads a discussion on servant leadership. It closes with defining success in your position and a Scoutmaster conference.

Mentor the Patrol Leader and Assistant
Leadership mentoring must continue beyond the initial training. An important rule to remember is to praise publicly and criticize privately. It is best to start with simple leadership tasks first, so the boys are not set up to fail. An adult should always meet with the Patrol Leader before the activity to go over preparation. The youth leadership should be able to rely on the adults to provide the skills and resources for them to succeed. The Senior Patrol Leader Handbook and the Patrol Leader Handbook are excellent resources. Robert Baden-Powell in the Scoutmaster Handbook said, “Training boy leaders to run their troop is the Scoutmaster’s most important job.”

Back Up Youth Authority
Your youth leaders will have to learn how to deal with problem people (SPL Handbook p. 95-96). Managing conflict is an extremely valuable skill for both youth and adults to master, that is why it is included in both National Youth Leadership Training and Wood Badge. If the Patrol Leader can’t resolve the issue then it goes to the Assistant Senior Patrol Leader and the Senior Patrol Leader. In a well-run boy-led troop, if the disciplinary problem has to be brought to the adult leadership, some feel that it is serious enough that the offending boy should go home.

All things are taught best by example. Just as there is a chain of command in the Scouts, there is a chain of command with adults. The better we follow this chain of command, the better example the boys have to follow. We cannot expect the boys to follow a chain of command if what they witness with adults is chaotic and controversial. The adult chain of command should be similar to the Scout chain of command. This is why it is crucial that the Senior Patrol Leader be the leader of the youth and the Scoutmaster be the leader of the adults.

Step Back and Delegate
Often an adult will be asked a question from a boy in a patrol because the adult is viewed as the authority. It is best if the adult does not give the answer. One of the most important things a Patrol Advisor can say is “Did you ask your patrol leader?” By respecting the chain of command, you build the authority of your boy leaders. Some relevant quotes from Robert Baden-Powell in the Scoutmaster Handbook are, “Train Scouts to do a job, then let them do it.” and “Never do anything a boy can do.”

Set the Supportive Tone
Adults should not be yelling at kids, except in safety emergencies. A major part of creating a supportive environment is training the adults how to respond to the youth with patience and respect. The boys need to know that they will not be yelled at if they fail. Notice one way we set the tone is by silently raising the Scout sign and patiently waiting when we want order, rather than losing our patience and yelling for them to ‘shut up.’ Adult behavior should follow the Scout Oath and Law: teach good behavior by example. The adults need to know how to operate within themselves before they can function with the Scouts. Any adult should refer back to the Scout chain of command whenever possible. If the adults do not know how to operate within their own chain of command, they will not know how to respond to the boys appropriately.

Encourage the Patrol Method
The Scoutmaster Handbook states, “Patrols are the building blocks of a Boy Scout troop.” It quotes Robert Baden-Powell: “The patrol method is not a way to operate a Boy Scout troop, it is the only way. Unless the patrol method is in operation you don’t really have a Boy Scout troop.” The patrol is the team that you train your patrol leader to build. This may be that Patrol Leader’s first leadership experience, so he will need plenty of training and coaching. Patrol spirit, respect, and cooperation will help build that team.

Make Sure the Rules and Regulations Are Followed
Safety is the primary adult responsibility. Adult leaders are responsible for the troop following the rules found in the Guide to Safe Scouting and in the Youth Protection training. The adult leadership trains the youth leadership to stay within the boundaries set by BSA and is ultimately responsible to see the rules
are followed. The better the youth understand the reasons for BSA’s safety rules the more likely they are to cooperate and comply. Explain that the safety rules apply to everyone, boys and adults alike.

Transitioning To a Boy-Led Troop

Get Adult Buy-In First
The cooperation of the adults can make or break the troop. The Scoutmaster needs to have all the adults on board with what he is trying to accomplish. The safe, nurturing environment that Scouting hopes will be established in a troop can be ruined by one cranky adult. One take-charge adult can strip the boy leadership of the opportunity to lead. Basically, the boys can’t lead if the adults are treating them as if they have no power. Even if your Senior Patrol Leader is fully trained, he cannot be effective with the boys unless he is empowered by the adult leadership. Any leader who is denied any actual power is set up to be ignored and eventually fail.

Train the Adult Leadership
Adults need to see the “big picture” of Scouting and there is no better way to do this than by taking more training. Your troop level adult leader training can be as simple as a small group working through the Scoutmaster Handbook. A simple start, stop, continue assessment can compare the troop to the ideals set in the Scoutmaster Handbook. If it has been a while since your adult leaders have taken New Leader Essentials and Scoutmaster Specifics, maybe it would be good for them to sit through this one-day training again. In addition, our Council presents a ‘University of Scouting’ annually that covers many areas of Scouting. By far the best Scout training available is Wood Badge, which merges some of the best corporate leadership training with Scouting. If possible, the Scoutmaster should be Wood Badge trained.

Train the Boy Leadership
This can be as simple as BSA’s Troop Level Training. One of the best boy leader training is NYLT, National Youth Leadership Training. It is essentially a Wood Badge course for youth. If possible, your Senior Patrol Leader should be NYLT trained. However, you do training, realize that youth leader training is a continual process. Often they will not succeed the first time they try to lead. The adult leadership may need to continually encourage and remind them until good leadership habits form. This continuing training may take quite a while, so the adult leader must have patience with the process.

Get the Adults Out Of the Patrol Leader’s Council
“Patrol leaders’ council, not the adult leaders, is responsible for planning troop activities.” – Fast Start: Boy Scouting. The PLC, Patrol Leader’s Council, is run by the Senior Patrol Leader and not the adult leadership. If your PLC has kibitzing adults, try to have a separate meeting for them at the same time, so that the boys can lead their own meeting independent of adult interference. If there are behavior problems, the presence of just one or two adult leaders should be enough to remind the boys that their Senior Patrol Leader is in charge, and is backed up by the adult leadership. In a nutshell, the only adult that should attend the PLC is the Scoutmaster or his designee!

Check That the Boy Leaders Are Prepared
It is very important that your Senior Patrol Leader make up an agenda for each activity. The Scoutmaster should meet before the PLC and the troop meeting to go over the agenda and make sure the youth leaders are prepared. The Scoutmaster handbook says, ‘The senior patrol leader is in charge of every troop meeting. Help him plan ahead, coach him along the way, but stay in the background and let him be the leader.”

Don’t Expect Rapid Change
It may take years before a fully functional boy-led troop is operating. There will always be boy leader turnover and new boys coming in. Every troop election requires a new set of boy leaders to be trained. One cannot allow setbacks to trigger a reversion to an adult-led troop. Good patrol leaders should be encouraged to move up to troop level leadership as Assistant Senior Patrol Leader (ASPL). The Assistant Senior Patrol Leader can be a training position for Senior Patrol Leader, that way each SPL has had 6 months of troop-level leader training as ASPL before taking office. The speed of the change to a fully boy-led troop greatly depends on how fast the adults can change to a Scoutmaster lead organization! Without this, the boys do not have a proper example to follow!

Treat Your Senior Patrol Leader Very Well
The Senior Patrol Leader is the leader of a boy-led troop, and you want other boys in the troop really to want that position because it carries status and power. You want the troop to respect and work hard for your SPL. The SPL has the best job in the troop! The adult leadership showing respect for the SPL and his decisions and input reinforces his status. If possible, defer to your SPL.

Allow Failure to Be a Learning Experience
Within the bounds of a safe scouting experience, the adult leadership should allow the boy leadership to make, and learn from their mistakes. If the SPL shows up unprepared for the troop meeting, he will have to wing it and do the best he can. The adults should not bail him out by taking over and running the meeting themselves. Adult-led is not plan B. A teachable moment becomes plan B. Keep other adult leaders from interrupting the troop meeting, no matter how badly they think it is going; it is the SPL’s show, not theirs. The Scoutmaster should talk with the boy leadership after the activity to evaluate what they can learn from the experience. Keep these meetings short and to the point. Set an encouraging tone if something did not go well, and keep the boys’ place from blaming anyone. Failure can be a better teacher than success.

Encourage Patrol Activities
The only way the Patrol Leader will get experience is if the patrol actually does something that requires his leadership. There should be a patrol meeting within the troop meeting. Patrol activities should be planned within troop outings also. Patrols can even plan outings independent of the troop. (See Chapter 4 “The Boy-Led Patrol” in the Scoutmaster Handbook.’

Ideas for Mentoring Leadership

Use the Senior Patrol Leader Handbook
The Senior Patrol Leader Handbook should be read by not only your SPL and ASPL but also by the adult leadership. This new handbook incorporates important new material from National Youth Leadership Training (and by derivation from Wood Badge). Leadership Tips to Get You Started (excerpted from SPL Handbook page 20-21)

Keep your word. Don’t make promises you can’t keep.
Be fair to all. A good leader shows no favorites.
Communicate. A good leader knows how to get and give information so that everyone understands.
Be flexible. Meetings, campouts, and other patrol events will not always go as planned.
Be organized. Time spent preparing for troop meetings and events will be repaid many times over.
Delegate. Among the greatest strengths of a good leader is the willingness to empower others to accomplish all they can.
Set the example. Whatever you do, Scouts in the troop are likely to do the same.
Be consistent. When the troop members know what to expect from you, they will be more likely to respond positively to your leadership.
Give Praise. Offer honest complements whenever you can.
Ask for help. Do not be embarrassed to draw on the many resources available to you.
Criticize in private. Pull the Scout aside and quietly explain what he is doing wrong. Add a suggestion on how it should have been done correctly.
Have Fun. Most of all, have fun learning to be a leader. Your joy and enthusiasm will spread to other Scouts and will help energize the troop.

Use Scenarios
First aid courses like Wilderness First Responder spend a lot of time in running scenarios in addition to lectures. Boy Scouts uses scenarios to teach youth protection. This is primarily because people learn by doing. Leadership can also be taught that way. The National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience at
Philmont uses scenarios like search and rescue to teach leadership. Closer to home, the SPL Handbook has five example scenarios (page 90-91) but any seasoned adult leader probably has many more real-life examples to use. Consider taking time with your boy leadership to work through known challenges, so
that they will feel prepared if a similar situation arises. Discussing alternatives ahead of time with an adult leader will help build a youth’s confidence that their responses would be correct. Scenarios can also allow the Scoutmaster to train adult leadership in the proper responses to boy-led challenges.

Conclusion
Like many things, working on a functional boy-led troop is a journey to be enjoyed and not necessarily a destination that will be achieved. Troop turnover guarantees that it will always be a work in progress. Working toward a boy-led troop will give you a platform to teach leadership and the satisfaction of watching boys mature into good leaders.