BOY SCOUT LEADERSHIP

" Walnut Bowls!" My friend, John Thompson, asks are walnut bowls made of walnut, or are they to hold walnuts? The phrase " Boy Scout Leadership" also has double meanings. Is this book about making boy scouts into leaders, or about leading boy scouts? In a sense it is both. The principle focus is in developing the leadership skills and responsible maturation of boys. Of course, helping and teaching boys to be responsible leaders is also leading boy scouts, so this book is about both topics at the same time.

Also, this work, is not just about boys. The leadership principles and teaching skills discussed here are valuable for any leadership role. These skills are valuable for working with any children - both boys and girls, children or teenagers. Naturally, these principles are valuable for leading any one or any group to better performance, cooperation, personal growth, etc. These skills can help corporations organize and produce. They can help teachers teach, parents raise children, clubs and organizations accomplish more, and churches operate better. Most importantly, these principles will help us all to enjoy life more. This book had its beginnings many years ago while I was studying for a degree in Child Development and Family Relations. It seems to me that a lot of the Psychology and Sociology I studied focused on negative behaviors and the mechanical aspects used to change bad behavior. It is only after years of experience in varied endeavors, including raising several children, do I feel comfortable making his attempt at writing. As the years went by, I felt that an undertaking to describe behavior and interpersonal relations should focus on the positive or good that can be done or that occurs. I hope the focus of this book is on the good, positive, or healthy attributes of growth, learning, and leadership. Raising children, developing boy scout leaders, teaching children, leading corporations all require the same leadership skills. These skills and their associated objectives should be oriented toward positive growth and accomplishment. For the most part, our efforts should be positive, that is to say these efforts should encourage, reward, assist, and support the worthwhile contributions of others. Leadership should provide these types of assistance or backing to the followers. These followers should be viewed as " leaders in the making" whether the organization is a boy scout troop, church, family, school room, small business, or a multinational corporation. True, there are problem behaviors that must be dealt with, and we do deal with these in this book. I hope there is not too much time spent on these problems and negative concerns. The concepts, ideas, and suggestions here are oriented to making things right and creating positive experiences that lead to healthy lives.