The BSA has experienced significant change over the last few years, and as we work to rebuild, change will continue. For this simple reason, we identified adapting to change as a Unit Service priority. Change can be both exciting and exhausting and, as we even teach in our Wood Badge course, change is inevitable. But we as commissioners are uniquely positioned to lead through this change.

Our Scout Oath reminds us to help others at all times; our Scout Law reminds us to be friendly, courteous, and kind; our Code of Conduct, which we affirm when we register as members of the BSA, calls for us to do our best to live up to both.

Too much of anything leads to burnout. We’ll need to help one another through the challenges we face. How do we do that? Prioritize, Recognize, Seek and Invite.

Prioritize: As commissioners, our mission is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law. Our vision is to ensure that every member of the BSA has a great Scouting experience. It’s our program, though, that attracts to Scouting the youth we serves and the adult volunteers that enable its success. Our program is also what retains them. Helping units deliver a program that attracts and retains youth must be our highest priority; anything that limits our ability to support program delivery by the units we serve is secondary. Commissioners must be empowered to focus on that and defer anything that distracts them. Our council and district commissioners and their assistants must enable it.

Recognize: Commissioners are human; they appreciate recognition of their efforts, and recognition inspires others. It could be a simple “thank you;” it could be a token; it could be an award that can’t be earned by completing prescribed tasks (think of our Certificate of Commendation and Distinguished Commissioner Service Award). Recognition done publicly is most powerful, even more so when we take the time to describe the behavior recognized, its impact, its importance, and what we’re going to do as a result (to encourage or enable similar behavior by others).

Seek and Invite: It’s no secret that we don’t have enough commissioners. Unless we change that, the risk of burnout will increase. We have a great story to tell about the impact of effective Unit Service. THE LOOK on the faces of youth experiencing a great program is a start; understanding that Scouting literally helps build a better community, nation, and world raises that to an exponential power. Seeking and inviting takes effort; every district and every council should have a commissioner for whom seeking and inviting is their only responsibility. There are people who enjoy it and are good at it. We need to find them, add them to our team, and empower them. There are people who want to help—we just need to identify the ones with the interest and skills needed, tell them our story, and ask them to join this important, mission- and vision-driven work.

Let’s be friendly, courteous, and kind to one another as we adapt to change, overcome the challenges we face, and lead through it. Let’s help each other and work together to Prioritize, Recognize, and Seek and Invite.

On the uptrail…