Our Troop will be conducting our semi annual elections next week. New leaders are assuming their positions, some have done this before they have experience, training, and are comfortable with the traditions and culture of our Troop. While for others this is their first opportunity to lead. All of you Scouts have the potential to be good leaders, notice I did not say great. You all have the potential to be good, effective leaders. For some of you it will come harder than others, but as long as you want to lead, you will lead. 

We have certain expectations of our leaders, regardless of their age, rank, or popularity in the troop. The first expectation is that all of our leaders set a good example. This at times can be the most difficult. When a Scout becomes a leader he does not automatically enter the “No Fun Zone”. But he does have to watch how he acts.

If we expect the Troop to be well behaved and demonstrate good skills, then the leaders need to be an example of good behavior and a master of skills. They need to know when the time and place for messing around is and when not to do it. They need to understand that they are looked to for leadership and guidance, from both the youth and from the adults. They need to understand what the goals of the Troop are for the year and they need to buy into the plan by creating a course of action to achieve the goals both at the Patrol and Troop level.

The new leaders have got to raise the bar. 

Setting a good example, wearing the uniform properly, acting like a leader, and moving away from being a follower, these are the attributes that will ensure a Scout’s success in leadership.  They will all be attending Youth Leadership Training where they will learn the mechanics of leadership.   He will learn what to be, what to know, and what to do. But he needs to start by being  a good example, through demonstrating his knowledge and expertise of scout skills and his good attitude towards his patrol and troop.

All of us need to commit to help them to be a success. Scouts need to follow their example. Adults need to step aside a bit and let them lead at appropriate times.   All of us together –  need to encourage and support our new Troop Leaders. They all have a lot of potential; it will be exciting to see them in six months and year from now and see how this leadership opportunity has molded them. 

It will be exciting to see how far they go in the next year… the sky is the limit, let’s see what things they are able to achieve.  

He told me that a long time ago, he had found a magical solution to nearly all challenges that came along. He said it was all contained in a single, ancient word that had powerful powers. When you understand the meaning of the word, it unleashes immense strength and abilities; it makes your mind more clear; it makes your imagination run wild with ideas.  Embracing the meaning of this word brings success.  Not knowing this word inhibits the ability to personally succeed in life.

Well, of couse, I could hardly contain myself and I just had to know what this powerful magic was. I pleaded with him to tell me and he finally agreed.

He said the word is, ‘YAGOTTAWANNA’.

In order to accomplish anything, whether it is small or big, easy or difficult, trivial or of utmost importance, in order to be successful, you’ve got to want to do it. To make be popular in school and have lots of good friends yagottawanna have good friends. To earn good grades, you gotta wanna them. To be a star athlete ttt be a good fielder or a good tailback. To become an Eagle Scout, yagottawanna be one. The main reason people don’t succeed at something is because they don’t really want it bad enough.

You can only get good grades for a short while because the teacher wants you to.  You can only achieve so many small awards because the coach or Scout leader wants you to.  You can only have a few people in life that are willing to spend time with you because they want to.  It takes your ownership of the process to be able to not only succeed but to succeed beyond your expectations.

By really wanting something, you come up with ideas, make plans, and then do it.

So Scouts, remember, to do something worthwhile and to accomplish great things in life, YaGoddaWanna do it.

Grown out of the traditional Scoutmaster Minutes these are my musings that I prefer to call Scoutmaster Moments to account for the length of them.  Many of my posts that you will read here were delivered to my Troop while some were emailed to friends or posted to other blogs and forums.

Enjoy.