Empathy - Seeing It from the Leader's Side
| Category: | Empathy |
|---|---|
| Notes: | Good when Scouts are complaining about their patrol leader or Senior Patrol Leader, or as a general minute on empathy. Pairs with followership-the-other-half-of-leadership. |
It's pretty easy to complain about your patrol leader. The plan was confusing. The duty roster wasn't fair. They yelled at everybody to hurry up. Sound familiar?
Before you complain, try something. Imagine standing where they're standing.
Your patrol leader is probably about your age. They might be thirteen or fourteen. And they're trying to plan meals for eight people, assign duties so nobody feels cheated, keep the younger Scouts safe, answer to the Senior Patrol Leader and the adults, and somehow still have fun themselves. All while half the patrol isn't listening.
That's hard. Really hard. Most adults would find it hard.
Empathy means trying to see things from someone else's side. And when you look at it from your patrol leader's side, a lot of things make more sense. They rushed everyone because they were worried about being late for the next activity. The duty roster wasn't perfect because they had ten minutes to make it. They got frustrated because nobody was listening the first three times they asked.
That doesn't mean leaders never make mistakes. They do. But a little empathy changes how you respond. Instead of grumbling, you might say, "What can I do to help?" Instead of complaining behind their back, you might talk to them kindly.
Someday it'll be your turn to lead. When it is, you'll hope your patrol gives you a little empathy too.