What CSI Can Learn From Scouts
Whether you were in boy scouts as a boy or have a
son in scouting or not, I’m sure you’re at least familiar with the Boy Scout
Oath and Law:
On my honor, I will do my best, to do my duty, to
God and country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times;
to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.
A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly,
courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.
These two statements form the core values of the
Boy Scouts of America. For those of us who are active in this organization,
they are what we teach our boys each day and with each activity. Being kind,
caring for your country and your neighbors, keeping yourself strong and free
from substances that damage your body or cloud your judgment are a few of the
life lessons young men can take away from their time spent in Boy Scouts.
However, there is much more to it than that.
From the BSA web site, www.scouting.org, is this statement: “For
over a century, the BSA has helped build the future leaders of this country by
combining educational activities and lifelong values with fun. The Boy Scouts
of America believes….that helping youth is a key to building a more
conscientious, responsible, and productive society.”
Isn’t that what CSI is trying to do for the
construction industry: build leaders in construction through education and fun?
So, what can CSI learn from the Boy Scouts of America? Here are some thoughts.
Be Prepared: This is the scout motto and we teach
our boys to prepare themselves for any situation that might come up while on an
outing. Just last weekend, the first weekend in December, my son’s troop had planned
a campout in the outdoors. The weather Friday night was raining with lows of 35
degrees F and high winds. Saturday was sunny but cold with a high of about 40
degrees F. Sunday offered a chance of snow, mixing with sleet and rain later in
the afternoon. The troop discussed the gear necessary and the trip went off
without a hitch.
Being prepared is applicable to all instances in
life, well beyond scouting. I’m involved in a project right now where the
architect of record likes to schedule meetings and not give any indication of
the purpose or agenda for the meeting beyond a relatively generic description
in the Outlook meeting invitation he emails out to attendees. I’m sure the
organizer of these meetings has a good idea in his mind of what the meeting
will cover, but without communicating that to the team, we are unable to
adequately prepare ourselves for the meeting. In our CSI activities, just like
in our business activities, we should be prepared and communicate the details
of meetings to others so that they can be prepared.
Communicate: Every other month, my son’s troop
delivers our neighborhood newsletter on Saturday morning. The newsletter is a
folded 8-1/2” by 11” page and there are about 1,500 homes in our neighborhood.
We need all the scouts we can get to help make the work easier and shorter. In
our compact neighborhood, cars are of little help: the boys walk door-to-door
and drop the newsletter on each porch. Two months ago, we had three scouts show
up on Saturday morning so it took us most of the morning to finish the
delivery. This past month, our troop’s Senior Patrol Leader, the top scout
leader, worked the phones and contacted each scout in the troop so that on
Saturday every scout showed up and we finished in 45 minutes. When the delivery
was finished, I spoke with the Senior Patrol Leader and told him how important
those phone calls were in the success of the event.
In many scouting activities, we are outdoors
hiking, canoeing or participating in other fun activities that can be dangerous
without good communication skills. We train our scouts to recognize the
situations that can be perilous and how to communicate with each other to
navigate those situations successfully. Communication was the key to the
success of the newsletter event and in most endeavors in which we participate.
Business is the same way. When projects go into litigation, a contributing
factor is frequently the lack of intrapersonal communication among the team
members. If we don’t communicate, we fail.
Does your chapter communicate enough with your members to ensure the
success of the chapter and your activities?
Work hard, play hard: Scouting is intended to teach
boys life lessons about organizing yourself, preparing yourself and working
hard to produce the results you want. It is incredibly hard work to earn the
merit badges and other requirements to earn your ranks and ultimately earn the
Eagle Scout badge. However, scouting is also about having fun and there are
also lots of fun things to do along the way while earning ranks and merit
badges. Camping, canoeing, rock climbing, swimming, archery and pioneering are
just a few of the great outdoor activities scouts participate in. There are
many others from woodworking to astronomy to computer science. There are 130 merit
badges that scouts can earn to learn more about the activities that interest
them.
I think sometimes in CSI we take ourselves too
seriously. We too narrowly focus our activities to things we encounter at work
each day. Life is more than just work! I define myself as husband, father and
architect, in that order. My first responsibility is to my wife and children
while my occupation comes further down the list of priorities.
In CSI, we
should loosen up! Plan some fun activities along with the usual educational
programs. Our chapter holds a bowling event each December. Baltimore is the
birth place of duck pin bowling: a form of bowling that uses a shorter lane,
shorter pins and a ball with no holes that is about the size of a cannon ball.
When you’re in town for CONSTRUCT 2014, look me up and I’ll take you duck pin
bowling!
Think about what kinds of activities your members
are interested in. Plan a social event to get to know your members better.
Create a night for CSI Jeopardy or tour a local vineyard. Hold a cookout or
chili cook off competition. Give your members an opportunity to include their
significant others and families in events. Above all, we need to have fun to
keep people coming back.
Be Flexible and Adapt to New Situations: Most Boy
Scout troops, or least the ones I’m familiar with, schedule activities many
months in advance. If the weather looks bad building up to the activity, it is
typically not changed as too much advance planning has taken place. Pack your
rain gear, extra socks, warmer sleeping bag, whatever you need to adapt to the
weather. CSI should be look at this idea of flexibility and use it to our
advantage. We all bring different ideas and experiences to the table. We should
all be able to adapt to the ideas of others to make it a more enriching
experience. Freezing your tail off on a December campout may not be your idea
of fun, but I guarantee it will help you appreciate having the right gear!
As CSI chapter, we cannot be in the business of
“it’s my way or the highway.” Most chapters have long-time leaders but the
mantra of “we’ve always done it this way” is bad policy and will lead to
conflict, poor attendance and diminished participation. Times change and so
must we as an organization. We must be flexible to the needs and desires of the
next generation of construction professionals.
Mentoring: Each Boy Scout troop is organized with
the older scouts leading the younger scouts in planning and conducting all of
the troop activities. The adult leaders will occasionally help with certain
logistics and with transportation, but the activities are intended to be
scout-led. In our CSI Chapters, we should seek our emerging professionals and
give them the skills, the opportunity and the responsibility to lead the
chapter. This empowerment will give the emerging professionals what they need
to improve their careers, which I believe is a huge opportunity CSI is missing.
The older or long-time leaders in our chapters should step aside and let others
try their hand at leading. Our chapters want and need the long-time leaders,
but if don’t cultivate the next generation, we will fail.
Teamwork: Boy Scout troops are made up of patrols,
which is a group of 8 to 10 scouts that work together in the troop setting.
Each patrol has a leader who sits on the leadership council of the troop along
with the Sr Patrol Leader and Assistant Sr Patrol Leaders. While on a campout
or other outing, each patrol is responsible for their own equipment and food as
well as setting up their camp, preparing their food, cleaning up after
themselves and in general, taking care of each other and the patrol as a whole.
The idea of the mutual benefit of scout to unit
begins in Cub Scouts. The Cub Scout Law of the Pack contains these lines: “The
Cub Scout helps the pack go. The pack helps the Cub Scout grow.” Just like
there can be no patrol or pack without scouts, scouts need the pack and patrol
to help guide them and help them grow. Similarly, CSI chapters need CSI members
and members need chapters. CSI Chapters should function very much like a Boy
Scout patrol. Chapters have leaders who set the agenda and organize the team,
but then they have other leaders and volunteers to pitch in and help make sure
the work is spread out evenly and equitably. Leaders should have strong
relationships with their members so that the members’ needs are met by the
chapter. If the board of directors sits on a pedestal in their meeting room and
ignores the membership, the chapter as a whole will suffer.
There is a sense of belonging that comes with the Boy
Scout uniform. On your left sleeve, you wear two indications of who you are and
where you come from: your troop number and your council patch. There are many
CSI members who are designated as “Without Chapter Affiliation” in the CSI
database because they did not designate a home chapter when they joined or
processed their annual membership renewal. Those members are not getting the
full benefit of membership as they are unable to identify themselves with a
chapter. Chapters should reach out to these “Without Chapter Affiliation”
members in their area and invite them to meetings. Make these members feel
welcome, listen to their thoughts and ideas and give them the full benefit of
CSI membership. You might cultivate your next generation of leaders!
After reading this, I think you recognize my strong
passion for both Boy Scouts and CSI. Some of my happiest times as a teenager
were spent with my Boy Scout troop. I now have two sons, one Boy Scout and one
Cub Scout, who are having a great time learning and growing in the program. CSI
has been a similar source of learning and fun for me. My first chapter meeting
was almost 13 years ago and I still get a kick out of the networking and
education opportunities afforded to me through CSI on the local and national level.
However, we need to always be mindful of those who come after us and tailor our
activities to encourage their participation. We can always learn from other
organizations, so don’t stay in your silo! Get out, experience, think and then
come back to your chapter and make it the best you can!
If you’re reading this and learning about CSI for
the first time, I encourage you to check out some ways to learn more and to get
involved:
www.csinet.org
is the national CSI web site. It has information on national initiatives as
well as local events happening at the 140 chapters we have.
Most chapters have a web site and those are listed
on csinet.org.
Many chapters also tweet, so if you are on Twitter,
check out @CSIConstruction and you’ll see the myriad of Tweeps who routinely
tweet about what’s happening in our industry. You will surely be able to find
someone in your area. If you’re in the Middle Atlantic Region, you can find me
@mpkemp and the Baltimore Chapter @BaltoCSI. The Baltimore Chapter’s web site
is www.csibaltimore.org.
www.CONSTRUCT.com
is the web site for our national convention. It contains blogs and other great
information about CONSTRUCT and how and why you should attend.
Look up these resources, attend a meeting and get
involved! You’ll have fun and learn some things that will help you each day at
work!
