Lazziness

Laziness it seems that it is becoming a epidemic not only with the youth but also with the adults in the Troop as well. Right now there are probably only three people that have the interest of the boy scout Troop close to their heart. I know that I am taking a extended leave of absence for 6 weeks due to a first responder class I will be taking but even though I will not make the weekly meetings I will still continue my work by doing stuff behind the scenes which. So really even with me not attending meetings at least it is for a reasonable reason and will benefit the Troop in the long run. This leave of absence according to some may been seen as being lazy but the truth of the matter is that I will still be doing work for the Troop.

Now lets get back to the real problem and lets focus in on this subject matter. First off lets look at the primary reasons for youth and adult leaders being lazy. Here is a list of the common excuses i get for being lazy:

1. Its boring: Leadership is not just fun and games it will have its boring parts. Knowing how to deal with the boring parts shows that you are capable of being a true leader to your scout group.
2. Its not going well: Going well is just a matter of perception. As soon as the leader in the worst conditions looses sight on the positive of the situation he/she has doomed the group to fail. Scouting does accept failure as a option but failure should only be considered a alternative when a group has a safety issue or has exhausted all of the resources of the group.
3. Takes up too much time: Yes every leader whether they are a youth or adult are expected to be available when needed in order to execute their power inherently given to them by their position. What I am trying to say is that a leader must spend time outside of the regular meeting in order to be successful at their assigned tasks. Also if you truly broke down your schedule for the week most people would notice that their are probably large chunks of time that are wasted. Learn how to balance things in your life and know when you are using your time adequately in every activity that you engage in.
   

These are the three major excuses that i find that scouts use in order to try to get away with being lazy while in a position of power. The truth is each of these three major excuses can be broken down by logic and can be removed from use if their is a senior leader willing to take this excuses head on and fight them.

Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Junior Assistant Scoutmaster
Troop 1616
Great Alaska COuncil
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
NSJ '05 WSJ '07 Philmont AA '08