(no subject)

[csberry]

At the closing of each troop meeting at Scouts, we have a Scoutmaster's/Inspirational Minute. Each week a different adult typically reads some sort of leadership, teamwork, or inspirational email that might have appeared in their inbox in the past 4 months. A couple of the adults put some effort into it and come up with something interesting. For those that know me, there should be no doubt that my SM Minutes are a bit unique.

I'm responsible for doing the SM Minute tonight and I had a spurt of inspiration. I worked through a quick thing on leading by example yesterday. Today while working, I realized that I could take that speech and do a prescription drug ad parody tonight instead. With the help of two Scouts, I plan on doing the following for my SM Minute:

Scout 1: Gosh, Jimmy, congratulations on being elected Superior Scout Leader Position of Large Group of Boys.

Scout 2: And congratulations to you for becoming Small Unit Leader in Boy Scouts after my promotion. I know you will run it as well as I did.

Scout 1: I do have one question now that I’m in this leadership position, Jimmy.

Scout 2: As an all mighty Superior Scout Leadership Position for Large Group of Boys, I know the answer to any situation.

Scout 1: What am I supposed to do now that I’m in leadership?

Adult:
If this scene seems familiar to you, you may be suffering from Blatant Avoidance of Duties Lamenting Youth-Leadership Example Deficiency – also known as BADLY-LED.

Boys in leadership positions are often attracted by the power of the position but don’t understand the nature of the beast. As a leader, your peers look to you to be an example. Your words and actions as a leader become the blueprint for others when they assume leadership positions.

Symptoms of BADLY-LED include:
• Duties are shirked and forgotten
• Leader acts like a dictator
• He’s so absent from activities that the leader’s picture appears on side of a milk carton
• Socializes with older scouts instead of helping the young scouts
and
• Doesn’t think about what will happen next

There is no easy cure for BADLY-LED. No pill, potion, or rant will change these characteristics.

A reliable cure can be best articulated by the eloquent words from my father growing up and a slogan from Nike:
“Get your head out of your duffle bag.” and “Just Do It.”

Do whatever you can to accomplish the tasks of your leadership positions in such a way that your peers want to emulate you. Be part of the cure and be a good example.

Disclaimer: This Scoutmaster's Minute was written by Mr. Cory Berry and all opinions contained within are his alone. Blatant Avoidance of Duties Lamenting Youth-Leadership Example Deficiency is not a clinical disease and is not covered by most medical insurance, Medicaid, or Medicare. Studies have shown that 2 generations of leaders with BADLY-LED is all that is needed to grind an organization to a halt. The term “duffle bag” should not be construed as a euphemism for the human posterior. See our ad in the next troop newsletter for more details.

Comments

[csberry.livejournal.com]

The teens in leadership went "oooo" or "ooww!" in the list of symptoms. I guess they were filling in the blank on who those were (not targeted at individuals, but all symptoms are items I've talked to them about in the past).

What I didn't expect was the round of applause at the end. I'm used to Scouts and/or adults coming up to me afterward but between the applause and the group around me once the meeting closed, I think it went over exceptionally well.

One of the adults was particularly tickled by the part of the disclaimer about the use of "duffle bag."