Humility - Learning from a Younger Scout (Scoutmaster Minute)

In Scouting, older Scouts teach younger ones. That's how the patrol method works, and it's a good thing. You've learned a lot, and it's your job to pass it on.

But sometimes it goes the other way.

Maybe there's a younger Scout who knows a lot more about birds than you do. Or one who figured out a faster way to set up the dining fly. Or one who's better at the computer stuff on the merit badge you're stuck on. Or one who's just really good at making the new kids feel welcome, better than you ever were.

When that happens, you have a choice. You can brush them off. "I'm older. I've been doing this longer. I know better." Or you can say, "Huh. Show me how you did that."

The second one takes humility. It means admitting you don't know everything just because you've been around longer. And here's the funny thing: it doesn't make the younger Scouts respect you less. It makes them respect you more. They see an older Scout who's still willing to learn, and that's exactly the kind of Scout they want to become.

Good leaders learn from everybody. Even the eleven-year-old on their second campout.

So keep teaching. But keep your eyes and ears open too. Your next lesson might come from the youngest Scout in the troop.