Introduction to Leadership
Skills for Crews (ILSC)
August 28, 2010
Capitol Area Council
Objective of ILSC
• Give youth a clearer picture of
how their position fits in the Crew
• Help youth understand how they
make a difference
• Give youth additional tools and
ideas for their role as leader
ILSC Module One –
Unit Organization
•
•
•
•
All officers (elected or appointed) attend
Held as close to elections as possible
Give an introduction to ILSC course
Show how ILSC fits into continuum of
Training
• Discuss Crew Organization & officer
responsibilities
• Games to reinforce leadership skills
• Introduction to “Vision”
Purpose of ILSC
• Provide a foundation of unit level
leadership skills that every leader
should know
• Provide consistent look and feel
between youth training programs
– Boy Scouts, Varsity, Venturing, Sea Scouts, Exploring
Continuum of Youth Training
Unit
ILSC
National
Counsel
National Youth Leadership
Training - NYLT
•
•
•
•
•
•
6 day course
Venturers (including female) can now attend
Must complete ILSC & have Advisor's recommendation
Provide youth skills to become an effective unit leader
Great program to build units leaderships
Youth put on program
– Encourage graduates to attend NAYLE to run future NYLT courses
• Course is built around the life of a unit (Troop/Crew) during
typical month
– 3 Unit (Troop/Crew) Mtgs representing the first 3 weeks in a month
• Covers: Planning, Leadership Meeting, unit meeting, planning for larger event
• Meetings examples to make interesting, lively & relevant
• Leadership requires: Vision, Goals & Planning
– 4th week - big campout
• Youth have a LOT of FUN
National Advance Youth
Leadership Experience - NAYLE
• National Training presented at the national level
– Taught at Philmont
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
6 day course
Expand on what learned in NYLT
Venturers (including female) can now attend
Personal written commitment to apply
Skill, ability, & motivation to be a dynamic/effective leader
Uses elements of the Philmont Ranger Training
Uses advanced Search & Rescue skills
Teaches leadership, teamwork and the lessons of selfless
service
• Unforgettable backcountry wilderness experience
• Develops leadership & teamwork skills
Crew Officer Positions - Common
•
President
– Conducts meetings
– Supervises officers
– Represents crew
•
Vice President of Administration
– Manages membership and advancement records
– Leads membership recruitment (including supervising Crew Guides and Den Chiefs)
– Responsible for the crew in the President’s absence
•
Vice President of Program
– Plans calendar
– Supervises Activity Chairs
– Provides meeting program
•
Secretary (sometimes known as Vice President of Communications)
– Manages communication tools (Webmaster)
– Maintains crew records (Historian/minutes)
•
Treasurer (sometimes known as Vice President of Finance)
– Oversees crew money earning
– Accounts for crew funds and property (inc. Quartermaster and Librarian)
•
Activity Chair
– Appointed by Crew President and Vice President of Program
– Responsible for planning and execution of specific activity
Crew Officer Positions - other
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Crew Guide
– Appointed by Crew President and Vice President of Administration
– Liaison to any membership resource pool (Troop, Team, Club, Post, Crew, etc.)
– Mentor and host to new Venturers
Quartermaster
– Appointed by Crew President and Treasurer
– Maintains crew property (including storage, inventory, maintenance, and acquisition)
Historian
– Appointed by Crew President and Secretary
– Creates, preserves, and shares records (news, photos, videos, memorabilia)
Webmaster (example of the kind of leadership positions a crew might define for itself)
– Appointed by Crew President and Secretary
– Maintains the crew website, and any e-tools used by the crew
Librarian (example of the kind of leadership positions a crew might define for itself)
– Appointed by Crew President and Treasurer
– Establishes crew library
– Maintains system to check literature in and out
Den Chief
– Appointed by Crew President and Vice President of Administration
– Assists Cub Scout Den Leader to operate den
– Liaison to Cub Scout den
Crew Member
– Participates in meetings and activities
– Periodically serves as Activity Chair
– Recruits new members
Adult Positions – most visible
• Crew Advisor
–
–
–
–
–
Upholds chartered organization and BSA standards
Mentor and role model for Venturers
Works with Crew President
Facilitates training for officers
Supervises Associate Advisors
• Associate Advisor
– Assists Crew Advisor
– Works with assigned Officer
• Consultant (may or may not be a Scouter; may be
a professional for hire)
– Recruited by Crew Committee for a specific activity
– Assists Activity Chair in planning and executing a specific
activity or activities
Adult Positions – less visible
• Committee Chair
– Supervises Advisor and Committee Members
– Recruits and approves Advisors and Committee Members
• Committee Member
– Serve as resource to crew
– Work with assigned officer
– Recruits consultants
• Chartered Organization Representative
– Liaison between crew and chartering organization
– Recruits crew committee; approves Advisors and
Committee Members
– Participates in district leadership
• Institutional Head or Executive Officer
– Head of Chartering Organization (may or may not be a
Scouter)
Venturing Crew Organization
President
Advisor
Vice President
Administration
Associate
Advisor
Administration
Vice President
Program
Treasurer
Associate
Advisor
Program
Committee
Chair
Crew
Committee
Treasurer
Consultants
Secretary
Activity
Chairs
Sponsoring Organization
Vision
• vision is critical to success in any job or
project
• Knowing what success looks like to see if you
reach it
• A crew’s vision is something developed &
shared by all members
– Identifies where the Crew is “going”
– What it wants to accomplish
• Vision more thoroughly in Module 3
– Think about a vision of success in your new job, as
well as that for the crew.
Balloon Toss
Write responsibilities to run crew on balloons
•
•
Hand balloon to President one at a time
How many can he handle?
Balloon Toss - continued
Write responsibilities to run crew on balloons
•
•
Hand balloon to President one at a time
How many can he handle?
Add all your officers to the exercise
• Hand balloon to President one at a time
• President hands balloons to right officer
• How many can the team handle?
Balloon Toss - continued
Reflection
What did we learn?
Youth-Led Crew
• Discussion: Briefly discuss
leadership in Venturing and in
Scouting and the value of the
youth led crew
Yurt Circle game
• Must have an even number of participants
• Join hands and expand the circle outward to
arm’s length
• Spread their feet to shoulder width
• Count off by twos
• SLOWLY:
– (without bending at the waist and without moving their
feet)
– "ones" to lean in toward the center of the circle
– "twos" to lean out
• Now reverse lean - SLOWLY
Yurt Circle game - continued
Reflection
What did we learn?
Crew Officer’s Meeting
• Discussion: Discuss the
Officer’s Meeting in your crew
Helium Stick game
• 2 lines facing each other–arm’s length apart
• Hold out 2 index fingers at chest height
• Place a light rigid stick on the fingers (tent
pole, bamboo, PVC,…)
– No grasping stick or curling fingers
• Absolutely critical not to loose contact with
stick
• Now lower stick to the ground as a group
Helium Stick - continued
Reflection
What did we learn?
Leadership
• Discussion: Ask the Venturers
to define leadership
Leadership - contined
Did you cover?
• Teamwork
• Using each other’s strengths
• Not trying to do it all yourself
• Doing what you said you’d do
• Being reliable
• Keeping each other informed
• Being responsible
• Caring for others
• Delegating
• Setting the example
• Praising in public; criticizing in private
• Leading yourself
Key Leader Attributes
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Keep Your Word
Be Fair to all
Be a Good Communicator
Be Flexible
Be Organized
Delegate
Set an Example
Be Consistent
Give Praise
Ask for Help
Willow in the Wind game
• Stand shoulder to shoulder in a circle
• One person (the "faller") standing rigid
– (arms crossed with elbows on chest and fingertips at
shoulders) and trusting in the center
– Remaining rigid
– Center person falls slowly in any direction
• Circle people redirect the faller's impetus to
another arc of the circle.
• Continue in a gentle fashion until the center
person is relaxing (but remaining rigid)
• Change Venturers in the center until everyone
has had an opportunity.
Wind in the Willow-continue
Reflection
What did we learn?
ILSC Module Two
Tools of the Trade
• Three Core Topics
–Communications
–Planning
–Trainer’s EDGE
ILSC - Communications
• Discussion
Sende
r
Message
Receive
r
• Game/Reflection – Telephone Game
• Game/Reflection – The Whole Picture
Telephone Game
• Get in a straight line (ideally 6-10 people)
• Leader will whisper a phrase in the first
ear
• Each person will whisper the next when he
heard
• Last person will tell everyone what he
heard
Telephone Game - Continued
Reflection
What did we learn?
The Whole Picture Game
• Leader looks one of the sample pictures
• Each student has paper & pencil
• Leader crisply tells each student what to
draw
• At the end, everyone shares pictures
including leader what he was describing
The Whole Picture Game Continued
Reflection
What did we learn?
Planning
•
•
•
•
Is really just thinking ahead
Ask questions
Come up with answers
The more questions and answers you come
up with ahead of time, the smoother the
activity will go
Service Project Exercise
On a Saturday, six weeks from now, the Crew will
conduct a service project at a local city park.
The project involves:
• Installing 50 feet of Split rail fence around a tree
(to protect it)
• Removing old plants and undergrowth from a
nearby area (approximately 500 square feet in
area)
• Laying down weed block in the cleared area
• Spreading six cubic yards of mulch in the area
just cleared and under the fenced in tree
• Planting 15-20 small plants and shrubs in a
small garden in a third area nearby
Service Project Exercise
• Lay out plans for Service Project
–22 people
–3 projects
–Plan what equipment needed
–How to get, use & allocation people
Service Project - Continued
Reflection
What did we learn?
Edge
• Four Step Process
–Explain
–Demonstrate
–Guide
–Enable
Use EDGE in one of:
•
•
•
•
•
How to build/fold a paper airplane
How to properly fold the US flag
How to tie a knot
How to perform a basic first aid activity
How to toss a small object into a coffee
can from a short distance
• How to properly lace up a hiking boot (or
tie a shoe)
Edge - Continued
Reflection
What did we learn?
ILSC Module 3 –
Leadership & Teamwork
• Discussion of Teams & Stages of
Development
• Review & discuss Venturing Oath & Law
• Game/Reflect – Integrity
• Conclusion - Be a Servant Leader
• Vision
• Course Wrap-up
Teams
• Discussion: What do we mean by
“teams”?
• Teams can be a temporary or
permanent
–Give examples of each in your Crew
• Teams work for a common goal
Effective Teams
• Common Purpose
• Interdependence
• Appropriate Roles, Structure & Process
• Leadership and Competence
• Team Climate
• Performance Standards
• Clarity and Understanding of Boundaries
Stages of Team Development
• Discussion:
–Stages of teams same as
individuals
–Teams have natural ups & downs
–For new leaders, 2 important
factors:
• Skill level & enthusiasm
Stages of Team Development
• Starting out (skills are low; enthusiasm is
high)
• Becoming discouraged (skills and
enthusiasm are low)
• Making progress (skills and enthusiasm are
rising)
• Finding success (skills and enthusiasm are
high)
Stages of Team Development
• Discussion: How can a leader
assist their team through these
Stages of Team Development?
Inclusion
• Discussion:
–Why is it important to get
everyone involved?
–Does everyone bring the same
skill & perspective?
–How can you leverage each
team member?
Potato Game
• Distribute one uncooked baking potato to
each participant.
• Take a minute to get to know their potato.
• Introduce their potato to the group,
pointing out its unique size, shape, and
other characteristics
• Collect all potatoes in a bag
• Redistribute one potato to each person
• Everyone try to find their own original
potato
Potato Game-continue
Reflection
What did we learn?
Venturing Oath
Discuss each phrase
As a Venturer,
I promise to do my duty to God
and help strengthen America,
to help others, and
to seek truth, fairness, and adventure
in our world.
Venturing Code
As a Venturer, I believe that America’s strength lies in our
trust in God and in the courage, strength, and traditions of
our people.
I will, therefore, be faithful in my religious duties and will
maintain a personal sense of honor in my own life.
I will treasure my American heritage and will do all I can to
preserve and enrich it.
I will recognize the dignity and worth of all humanity and will
use fair play and goodwill in my daily life.
I will acquire the Venturing attitude that seeks the truth in all
things and adventure on the frontiers of our changing
world.
A Venturing Leader is:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Trustworthy
Loyal
Helpful
Friendly
Courteous
Kind
•
•
•
•
•
•
Obedient
Cheerful
Thrifty
Brave
Clean
Reverent
Integrity Game Part 2
• Hopefully you did Part 1 at the beginning
of the module
• Count how many cookies/candies
• Did each student only take up to 2 pieces?
• Truth is key in leadership positions
Integrity Game
Reflection
What did we learn?
Servant Leadership
(Advisor leads this section)
• Discussion: lead a discussion
of why Venturers should
choose to be leaders
Servant Leadership
• Need to Listen
• Achieve Consensus
• Set/Maintain Standards
• Serve their Customer
Servant Leadership
(Advisor leads this section)
Reflection
What did we learn?
Crew’s Vision
• Take this time to write or review your
Crew’s Vision
• How will you use what you learned in this
course to your Crew’s benefit
ILSC Wrap-Up
• Congratulations on your new position
• Thank you for attending today