[Philmont]: RE: Crew Leaders

I have seen advisors insist on having their crew leaders rotate during the
trek. I think this is not the direction one needs to go in. How
disasterous would Operation Iraqi Freedom have been had we rotated every
general in the Army through the position held by General Franks.

One of the fundamental things a leader must do is have a vision to lead
his/her team to. Otherwise it is just a group of people wondering
aimlessly around the backcountry and on into basecamp on day 11. A
definition I once read for leadership is:

Leadership is “the capacity to move others toward goals shared with you,
with a focus and competency they would not achieve on their own.
Leadership is not just giving directions, but liberating people to do what
is needed in the best possible way.” – John Grahm Outdoor Leadership.

“Team building is a complex and comprehensive process, which requires
clear thinking, common sense, and a caring heart. But its most important
element is your ability to create and communicate a vision of results that
inspires action, moves individuals to perform at their best and helps
create the cohesional guidance, and momentum needed for success.” – John
Grahm Outdoor Leadership

This came from a book called "Outdoor Leadership: Technique, Common Sense,
& Self-Confidence"
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0898865026/aphilmorangersgu
Really good book for someone aspiring to be an outdoor leader.

One would hope that by allowing the crew members to elect a crew leader,
that they will have confidence in this person and also respect this
person. However, I have often seen where much like the OA, it is a
popularity contest. On the other hand, the advisor can appoint the crew
leader, but this person may not be respected or have the confidence of the
crew. Perhaps the best solution is to explain in depth what will be
expected of the crew leader and the type of person the crew leader needs
to be, followed by a crew election.

I remember one crew I took out who appointed "an up and coming" scout from
their troop to be crew leader. The idea was that this scout would be come
a fantastic leader after being a crew leader at Philmont. No one respected
the kid (he was the youngest in the crew) and he had never even been a
patrol leader. It should be understood that Philmont is a place to
develop leadership, not discover it. There must be some leadership
abilities present before making this person a crew leader. More than just
potential, but evidence of being able to lead.

Some qualities to look for in a crew leader: a caring heart about the well
being of others, knowledge of all skills (not necesarily expert) that will
be used, a level head, an enthusiastic attitude, the respect of all in the
crew, and a forward looking vision.

The crew leader needs to have a hand in making sure the crew has a
sucessful trek. Alot of this is before even leaving home. From trek
selection, transportation, making sure payments have been made, crew
meetings, shakedowns, inspection of each person's gear, propper physical
conditioning, and an understanding of the paperwork which is normally
handled by the adults. Of course adults should still advise in all these
areas, but the crew leader needs to learn about upcoming responsibility
before hitting the trail.

The crew leader needs to be familiar with everyone in the crew. Crew
dynamics are going to play a big role during those 10 days on the trail.
If Tommy and Johnny don't cook well, they don't need to paired off when
cooking duties are assigned. This should be discovered, if not corrected,
during shake down hikes.

While on the trail, decisions need to go through the crew leader. Say a
youth asks an adult about when they should start cooking dinner. This
should be defered to the crew leader. Be sure to allow your Ranger to
send questions and decisions to the crew leader. Many adults feel left out
of the loop when they are not being consulted about everything. Rangers
will try to work everything through the crew leader. If your Ranger is
good, he/she will still keep adults in the loop as far as knowledge of
information goes, but will go to the crew leader for all decisions.

Jason
><>
Retired Ranger

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Received on Tue Apr 8 16:58:53 2003