Helpful - Help That Actually Helps
| Category: | Scout Law |
|---|---|
| Notes: | For any meeting, and especially useful before a service project or when older Scouts are working with younger ones. |
A Scout is helpful. We all know that. But have you ever tried to help someone and made things worse?
Maybe you grabbed a younger Scout's rope and tied the knot for them, and they never learned it. Maybe you rushed to help an older person across a parking lot, and they didn't need help and felt a little embarrassed. Maybe you reorganized the patrol box "to help," and now nobody can find the matches.
You meant well. But help isn't really help unless it's what the other person actually needs.
So here's the secret to being truly helpful: ask first. "Can I give you a hand with that?" "Do you want me to show you, or would you rather try it yourself?" "What would help most right now?" Then listen to the answer, even if it's "No thanks, I've got it."
Sometimes the most helpful thing is doing the job. Sometimes it's showing someone how, so they can do it themselves next time. And sometimes it's just standing nearby, ready, while they figure it out on their own.
Helping someone the way you think they should be helped is about you. Helping them the way they need to be helped is about them.
That second kind is what makes a Scout helpful.