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Leading your patrol and troop

Positions of responsibility, teaching with EDGE, running a meeting people want to come to, handling conflict, and learning from how it went.

For youth, leaders · Scouts BSA · 7 min read

In a troop, Scouts lead

In a Scouts BSA troop, the adults are there to keep things safe and to coach. The Scouts plan the meetings, run the campouts, and teach the skills. The senior patrol leader runs the troop, patrol leaders run their patrols, and together they form the patrol leaders' council, which plans what the troop actually does. That means your ideas can become next month's campout.

Leadership is also part of advancement. For Star you serve 4 months in a position of responsibility as a First Class Scout, for Life 6 months as a Star, and for Eagle 6 months as a Life Scout. Positions include patrol leader, senior patrol leader, assistant senior patrol leader, troop guide, quartermaster, scribe, librarian, historian, instructor, chaplain aide, den chief, and others. Ask your Scoutmaster which positions your troop uses and what each one involves.

Holding a title isn't the same as doing the job

Before you take a position, ask your Scoutmaster what doing it well looks like. Write down two or three things you'll do each month, like keeping the gear list current as quartermaster or posting the meeting plan as scribe. That's what you'll talk about at your conference.

Teaching with EDGE

Scouts teach Scouts. The Teaching EDGE method is how you do it well, whether you're showing a new Scout a bowline or helping your patrol learn to set up a dining fly. Life rank asks you to use it, but it's useful long before that.

  1. Explain

    Tell them what the skill is and why it matters. "A bowline makes a loop that won't slip, so it's what you tie around someone in a rescue." Keep it short.

  2. Demonstrate

    Do it slowly where they can see your hands, ideally from beside them, not across from them, so it isn't backwards. Do it again and name each step.

  3. Guide

    Let them try while you coach. Point out what's working. When they get stuck, give a hint instead of grabbing the rope.

  4. Enable

    Step back and let them do it on their own a few times. Then give them a chance to use it for real, like tying the tarp line at the next campout.

Running a meeting

Good meetings have a plan, start on time, keep moving, and end with everyone knowing what's next. Here's a sample plan for a 30-minute patrol meeting during a troop meeting.

  1. Check-in (3 minutes): who's here, and one good thing from everyone's week.
  2. Old business (5 minutes): did everyone get their gear and permission slips for the campout?
  3. Plan (12 minutes): decide the menu and duty roster. Write it down as you go.
  4. Skill (7 minutes): one Scout teaches a quick skill someone needs for their next rank.
  5. Wrap-up (3 minutes): read back who's doing what by when, and check that everyone knows the next meeting date.

A few habits make a big difference. Ask quieter Scouts what they think by name. Give every job to a specific person, because "someone should" means nobody will. And keep the fun in: a patrol that laughs together shows up again.

When people disagree

Every patrol argues sometimes: about who cleans the pots, which campsite to pick, or who's doing all the work. Handling it well is a big part of leading.

  1. Cool down first

    If people are upset, take a short break. Nobody listens well when they're angry or hungry.

  2. Listen to each side

    Let each person explain without interrupting. Repeat back what you heard: "So you feel like you've done dishes twice and Sam hasn't done them at all?"

  3. Find what everyone needs

    Usually both people want something fair. Look for a solution that meets both, like a posted rotation for dishes.

  4. Agree and follow up

    Say the plan out loud and check in later to see if it's working.

Some problems go straight to an adult

If someone is being bullied, hazed, threatened, or hurt, or if something is unsafe, don't try to handle it yourself. Tell an adult leader right away. That's part of leading well, not a failure.

Look back so you can do better

After a meeting or a campout, take five minutes with your patrol for a quick Start, Stop, Continue: what should we start doing, what should we stop doing, and what's working that we should keep? Write the answers down and look at them before you plan the next event.

Ask yourself

  • What did I do as a leader this month that I'm proud of?
  • Who in my patrol hasn't had a chance to lead or teach yet, and how could I give them one?
  • When things got hard, did I step in too fast or wait too long?
  • What would my patrol say I'm good at as a leader, and what would they want me to work on?
  • Which adult or older Scout could I ask for advice on the hardest part of my job?

What to do next

  • Ask your Scoutmaster for the list of positions in your troop and what each one expects.
  • Offer to teach one skill to a newer Scout at the next meeting using EDGE.
  • Ask whether your troop or council offers leadership training, like Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops or National Youth Leadership Training.
  • Browse badges that build leadership skills on the leadership interest page.

Badges that help you lead

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