Eagle Project - When It Falls Apart
| Category: | Advancement |
|---|---|
| Notes: | For an Eagle candidate whose project hit a setback, or as a general minute before project season. Encourage the Scout to talk with their Eagle coach or Scoutmaster about any changes, since a project that changes significantly may need to be reviewed again. Part of a series - see also eagle-project-choosing-your-project, eagle-project-leading-not-doing, and eagle-project-the-thank-you. |
Here's what nobody puts in the project plan.
The lumber store delivers the wrong size boards. Half your volunteers text you that morning to say they can't make it. The beneficiary changes their mind about where the project should go. And just when you finally get started, it starts to rain.
If something like that happens to you, I want you to know two things.
First: it happens to almost everybody. I have yet to see an Eagle project where everything went exactly to plan. Not one.
Second: this is the real project. Anyone can lead a work day when everything goes right. What your Eagle project is really testing is what you do when it doesn't. Do you panic, or do you take a breath? Do you blame people, or do you figure out what to do next? Do you quit, or do you adapt?
So take a breath. Figure out what you still can do today. Reschedule what you can't. Call your Eagle coach and talk it through, because a big change might need to be approved. Ask for help. That's not failing. That's leading.
Years from now, you probably won't remember the days that went smoothly. You'll remember the one that fell apart, and how you put it back together.