ATLANTA, GA - My 11 year old son's Boy Scout Troop is holding elections this week for its 14 leadership positions. Some of the positions seem like small potatoes: Troop Bugler, Troop Scribe, and Troop Historian jump out as a way for a rookie Boy Scout like my son to cut his teeth in troop leadership.
But some of the positions seem like they'd be great fodder for a college application.
Take the position of Senior Patrol Leader, for example. This Senior Patrol Leader is the alpha dog of the troop, and according to BSA founder Robert Baden-Powell, “The best progress is made in those Troops where power and responsibility are really put into the hands of the Patrol Leaders.” Kind of like a multi-national corporation or franchise operator that pushes responsibility and accountability down to the local level.
Good command skills
We have a family friend who served as a Senior Patrol Leader, and this young man ...
- Was not afraid to take charge in difficult situations.
- Faced challenging situations with guts and tenacity.
- Encouraged direct and tough debate on major issues, but wasn't afraid to make solo decisions when the time came.
- Spent his time and the time of the Troop on high-impact issues.
- Etc.
Basically, the kid was a leader -- and his leadership skills only sharpened with practice. Without trying to be the Great Santini, I'm encouraging my 11 year old to pursue an elected role.
It's kind of a big deal.
This morning I received the application form to determine which boys will go on the voting ballot. Should my son decide to run for one of these positions, he must complete the form. The form was less than one page long. At the bottom of the page was a text box, not nearly large enough to answer the question it contained:
Use this space to tell why you want this job, how you would do the job, and why you are the best choice for this position.
There is clarity in brevity -- and there is power in clarity. I especially love the red part. Any candidate who can answer this question in just 100 words has really thought through the issues, don't you think?
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