The position of Scoutmaster is a volunteer position. In most troops, an adult is selected by a troop committee, or in the case of a troop that is being newly-formed, a steering committee. They look to members of the community who can be responsible for training and guiding youth leaders in the operation of a scout troop and for managing, training, and supporting his assistant Scoutmasters in their role. In troops that are chartered by congregations of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Scoutmaster and his assistant Scoutmasters are chosen by a Bishop who prayerfully considers who would serve well as a Scoutmaster. After receiving spiritual approval, the Bishop (or one of his counselors) extends the “calling” of Scoutmaster to the person they have chosen.
A Scoutmaster serves voluntarily and receives no monetary remuneration for his service. He spends much of his volunteer time training and guiding the youth leaders in the troop, helping them to successfully conduct troop meetings and “outdoor experiences,” also known as “camp-outs.” In my experience, he often ends up spending not only many hours of his time, but also some of his own money in fulfilling the responsibilities associated with being a Scoutmaster for his troop.
As Scoutmaster of Troop 770, I have watched young men—usually only thirteen years old—step into leadership positions and learn how to lead. I have watched several boys take their first tentative steps into leadership. They don’t always succeed, especially at first. I have watched Senior Patrol Leaders that have blinked back tears of frustration as things didn’t go as well as they had envisioned. Then it is the Scoutmaster’s job to offer encouragement, pointing out what DID go well, helping them figure out how to make it go better the next time. I have watched timid and inexperienced leaders slowly grow to fill the shoes of the great leaders who came before them. As they grow, their confidence grows and they begin to take pride in the accomplishments of their troop. As they grow, the quiet confidence of leadership replaces the timid countenance that they had in the beginning.
A good Scoutmaster works in the background, giving the boys the opportunity to lead and learn leadership and gain confidence. This is something I'm working on, slowly getting better and better at letting the boys lead the troop.
The best leader is one that the people are barely aware of.
The next best is one who is loved and praised by the people.
Next comes one who is feared.
Worst is one who is despised.
If the leader does not have enough faith in his people,
They will not have faith in him.
The best leader puts great value in words and says little
So that when his work is finished
The people all say, “We did it ourselves!”
--Lao Tzu from the Tao Te Ching
Despite the volunteer service, there is a “pay” from being a Scoutmaster that is, in my estimation, unequaled in other volunteer service. My “pay” as Scoutmaster comes through the feelings I have as I watch inexperienced boys grow into young men who understand leadership because they have become leaders.
Last week at scout camp, I received a lot of this “pay” that makes my time and effort as Scoutmaster really pay off.
I watched a scout stress and fret as he committed to memory a closing flag ceremony in only a few short hours. My pay was found in the pride that I felt as he stepped forward and brought a hush to the assembled camp, his commanding and confident voice calling hundreds of youth and adults to attention in respect of the flag of the United States of America.
I watched my own Senior Patrol Leader son struggle to find his role as a leader. As the week wore on, I could sense the extra burden he felt in leading his troop. I asked him to do things that he had never done before. He stepped forward time and time again, calling his troop to order and asking them to perform, and they performed according to his instructions. Each time, he stepped forward with a little more confidence than the last. By the end of the week, he was confident enough to lead his patrol in a cheer that won his troop their second “cheer award” at opening flag ceremony. There were times I wanted to step in and lift this burden from his shoulders, especially a couple of times when things weren’t going well. But by holding back and watching him struggle, I saw him learn and grow. At the end of the week, I talked with him about his experience and he beamed at me as he realized that he did it himself.
The feelings I had as I saw the confidence he gained and the satisfaction that he was obviously feeling—that is the Scoutmaster’s pay.