As leaders, we hold a lot of influence on those around us. Sure, we might not be celebrities with the paparazzi following us, but there are still people who look up to us, admire us.
Just the other day, a younger Scout in my troop learned that I had fairly recently completed my Eagle Scout rank just before turning 18 and becoming an assistant Scoutmaster. He asked me all kinds of questions about the process and was shocked about some of my experiences. He thought it was incredible that during my Eagle project, I had worked with representatives of large companies (getting brick to build the campfire with) and I had contacted the government for permission to build (using call to dig). These may have been minor details that many of us simply moved on from, but these strange little tasks can still mean a lot to some people.
As leaders, there is another task that many of us seem to forget about, which is to find and motivate the next generation. Many of us are amazing at what we do, but there’s always someone who can fill our shoes, the same way we fill the shoes of those before us. When you were a young Scout, you looked up to those older Scouts and Scoutmasters, and they led you to fill their shoes.
So, I told that younger Scout that he would do all of that too, he would become SPL of our troop, lead the troop through summer camp and camporee. That he would be contacting companies and governments in order to service our community. That he would be center stage at an Eagle Court of Honor, with dozens of renowned Scouts and Scouters in the audience. Because in him, I see the future of our troop, of our organization. In many younger Scouts all across our country, I see our future.
Yours in Cheerfulness,
Truman Grace
2024 Section Secretary
