Issue 613 – August 29, 2019

Hi Andy,

We need your help. The current “SCOUTING” magazine has an article in it called “Ethics,” sub-titled “Pest Control,” on page 16. One of the things it talks about is the Patrol Leaders Council assigning two Scouts to an existing patrol that already has seven Scouts in it. We’ve talked this over in our troop committee meeting last night, and we can’t find where it’s written that the PLC is allowed to just “assign” Scouts to a patrol they’re not in, and that patrol has no say-so at all. Can you tell us where we need to look, to find the rule on this? (Mort Gages, SM, Homestead Council, OK)

You have sharp eyes! Let’s start with a quote from Baden-Powell himself, which I found in the current BSA TROOP LEADER GUIDEBOOK: “Patrols should be kept intact under all circumstances.” Further, in all the reading and research I’ve ever done on this subject, I’ve never come across anything that says a patrol can be arbitrarily told—by anyone!—that they must either reconfigure themselves or that they must unilaterally “absorb” other Scouts. That’s not to say it’s not specified somewhere; it’s simply to say I’ve not ever found it.

My best suggestion here is to write to the editors of “SCOUTING” and ask them to provide the publication and page number for you. When you hear from them, please let me know what they say; I’ll be happy to publish their response. In the meanwhile, stick with B-P’s admonition and don’t mess with patrol composition! Why? Because The Patrol Method is the very essence of Scouting!

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Hi Andy,

Have you ever seen someone appointed District Commissioner who’s never been either an Assistant District Commissioner or Unit Commissioner, to say nothing of minimal to no experience in the BSA’s programs for youth? We just had this happen in our district, and worse. At the first Roundtable meeting our newest DC attended, he made it a point to tell us how he knows almost nothing about the Cub Scout program!

I guess we shouldn’t be surprised. After all, our outgoing DC, who is moving on to an Assistant Council Commissioner position, made four specific recommendations for who should be the next DC and our council executive board and Council Commissioner ignored all four of these in favor of someone with no experience at all!

Commissioners are supposed to be “working” positions; not “political appointments”! And now we’re gonna be stuck with this guy for the next three years! (Assistant District Commissioner, Council Withheld)

Your departing District Commissioner has every right to be really annoyed. When none of those recommendations was accepted, that had to have been a huge punch in the gut. And as far as the four who were recommended are concerned, ignoring all of them is a bummer (and I’m going to guess you were one of them).

Scouting—like 99% of all organizations—loves hierarchies and sometimes appoints people who don’t seem able to do the job, but sometimes we get pleasantly surprised! Give it a chance and steadfastly steer clear of bad-mouthing both the decision and the person.

Scouting has no exclusive on “political” stuff like this appears to be, and the new guy is going to have lots of trouble getting your district’s ADCs and UCs to accept him as their “leader” unless you all take the high ground. If not, then frankly, I’d rather be in your shoes than his!

So here’s the first question: Can someone who’s never served in a commissioner capacity be a decent District Commissioner? He can, if he’s a team-builder who’s willing to listen and learn from the corps of commissioners in his district. He can, if he’s willing to acknowledge your own knowledge of the district’s units—which are the strong, the weak, and the ones who need modest help. He can, if he’s a pretty good administrator (remember that the District Commissioner position is more about the “care” of the commissioner staff than about direct unit service!) and is a “people-person.” If he’s none of these, he’s going to have some problems.

And here’s the second: Will the ADCs and UCs of your district rise above the situation and make the entire commissioner team look good? Sure, you can be passive-aggressive, you can bad-mouth this guy, you can do your best to make his life miserable, but to what end?

You’re all at a fork in the road. As you debate which pathway you’re going to take, consider that one hallmark of a good commissioner is making others look good—and that includes your District Commissioner. Think of it this way: If you’re a UC, you want your units to shine—the “spotlight” isn’t yours to hog, it’s for you to shine on others. Same with ADCs: When you have several UCs you’re responsible for, your goal is to always make them look good. You do this through ongoing coaching and on-the-job training. You use commissioner service Progress Records to get them the recognitions (Commissioner Training Award, Commissioner Key, etc.) they qualify for and deserve to receive. And you do all these things to strongly support delivery of the Scouting program across all levels in your district.

You mentioned a three-year term. That may be a tradition for other positions in your district or council, but not for commissioners. Commissioners at all levels serve one year at a time; they’re re-commissioned every year. So you may or may not have this new DC for three years. But, regardless of his duration, consider these guideposts, which I’ve used myself in similar situations:

1 – I stay in my own “back yard.”

2 – I don’t worry about seeming inequities: In time, they either work out or go away.

3 – I do my job.

That’s it. Nothing more; nothing less.

If you find you can’t do these three things, and you’re not having fun, go get yourself another “job” that IS fun! You’re a flippin’ VOLUNTEER! This means you can pick and choose!

Happy Scouting!

Andy

Have a question? Facing a dilemma? Wondering where to find a BSA policy or guideline? Write to askandybsa@yahoo.com. Please include your name and council. (If you’d prefer to be anonymous, if published, let me know and that’s what we’ll do.)

[No. 613 – 8/29/2019 – Copyright © Andy McCommish 2019]