4 Campground Lessons for Leaders

This past weekend I spent two days outside Colorado Springs with my son’s Scouting BSA Troop camping, hiking, orienteering and forming our new “team.” Actually, we’re forming a new troop as we do every March-May when a new crop of scouts joins the troop and the ranks of Scouting BSA’s program for 11 to 18-year-old youth. Ours is now a co-ed troop, so we’ve been through a number of changes in recent years, but one thing remains the same: the secret to Scouting is that it’s a Leadership Program disguised as an Outdoor Program.?

From this most recent trip, I have four major takeaways, leadership learnings and ah-ha moments of my own.?

Honor the Zone of Tolerance

The Zone of Tolerance is real. This month I’ve witnessed two youths (one my son’s friend, one a scout) out of their zone of tolerance while doing new and tough things. For one, it was ascending a new hike-back ski run with gusty wind. For the other, it was the uncertainty of spending her first night of camping away from family. In both cases, the kiddos were overwhelmed: tears, shaky breath, fear of the unknown and the unexplainable feeling that something isn’t right but we don’t know how to fix it.?

As an adult leader in these situations, I realized the most important thing is to remain calm, stay positive and help them regulate their breathing and emotions so that we can take the next right action. For one, it meant descending the peak. For the other, it meant arriving at the belief that she could do something new and uncomfortable for a few more hours and realizing that she had a new friend who was with her through the night. Both outcomes were successful.?

As a leader in the workplace, I’ve realized that the Zone of Tolerance is critical to keep in mind when teams are going through transitions. Newness, change and the unknown can stir up some powerful emotions and push our colleagues and team members into the red zone — and that’s not where growth happens. So, remember to keep an eye on folks who might be moving out of the green or yellow zones and help them find their way back.?

Support Strong Teamwork

Teamwork, teamwork, teamwork — I hear it all the time, but what is it actually? What makes a great team? Well, I heard a few scouts at our evening Patrol Leadership Council meeting debriefing the day and discussing what would make the next day successful. How could we motivate and promote strong teamwork? A few ideas really stood out:?

1. Play to people’s strengths. Identify who is good at certain things and ask them to take on those tasks or help others accomplish those tasks.
2. Give specific assignments. Make sure each task is specifically delegated. Don’t say “Someone put the water jugs away.” Instead, ask Abby and Joe to oversee that it happens. Responsibility and trust lead to accountability.
3. Reward/Bribe with candy! Okay, this might not seem applicable on the surface, but who doesn’t like a little treat around the office now and then? Has the team been working hard? Did they crush a goal? Maybe a surprise treat is just the right way to recognize the effort.
4. Make a plan and stick to it! It was a few years ago at Scouts that I heard the phrase “Plan the work and work the plan.” And you know what, it works! Taking the time to debrief in the evening, align on priorities and discuss what the next day will look like is important work. This is what it means to set a vision and create alignment. Make time to create alignment and clarity; the returns will be tenfold.

Don’t Wait for the Perfect Time: Be Brave

My son has been in scouts since he was in first grade and I’ve been volunteering as a Den Leader, Committee Chairperson, Assistant Scoutmaster, Trip Coordinator and Crew Leader ever since. When he moved up to Scouting BSA, we both moved up. We joined a new community in a new city (we had recently moved) and we were both learning the ropes. While I had been a recognized leader in our Cubscout Pack, I was a newbie in this group and had a lot to learn. I was also intimidated. The other leaders were mostly dads. As a solo parent and a mom who loves the outdoors, I had no other choice but to be the adult volunteer for my scout.?

The adult scouts — the Dino Patrol — practice the same methods and principles as our scout youths, including camping and cooking as a patrol. In this troop, camping is serious and cooking is even more serious. Gourmet camping meals emerged on car camping trips — street tacos, a roulade of pork and beef stuffed with goat cheese and spinach, pineapple upside-down cake and chili three ways. Over the years I’ve seen some incredible meals and learned a lot about eating well in the outdoors on a budget. Our troop breakfast budget is $4/person and that has to include coffee!

While I grew up camping and cooking outside, I had never, until recently, cooked in a Dutch oven with coals. I had watched others do it, but I was admittedly nervous to tackle it and potentially leave a bunch of adult volunteers unnecessarily hungry at the start of a full day of camping.?

For this most recent campout, we needed volunteer chefs and every patrol was encouraged to use Dutch ovens in their meals. I wanted to keep hanging back, but I realized that I was no longer a baby Dino. With my son starting his 5th year in the troop, I’m now one of the elder Dinos. So, the time was right, ready or not, I needed to get out of my comfort zone and try something new. I didn’t tackle the most difficult Dutch oven dish, but I did it —and I didn’t do it alone. I planned the dishes, I leaned into some family specialties and I asked for help. And guess what — the right time is always now. The food was delicious, our new Dino scouts got to pitch in, and one of them wrote to tell me he's thinking about leading a meal on the next campout. Mission accomplished and then some.?

Nothing is impossible one step at a time.

Take Things One Step at a Time

I’ve been a huge fan of this saying for the past 10 or so years. It’s sort of like the question: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. (Who, by the way, came up with that one?!?)?

Regardless, they both speak to the art of breaking down large tasks or long routes and simplifying them. In addition to cooking breakfast on Sunday, my Saturday role was to co-lead nine adventurous scouts up the famed Manitou Incline. Even for the avid hiker and outdoors person, this is a daunting, Colorado bucket list kind of trek. The challenge: hike 2,768 steps to ascend 2,000 vertical feet over 0.8 miles. Translation: that’s a very long, very high-stepping Stair Master workout — except much harder!?

The steps are all different. Some are shallow, some are two steps deep. Some are 4 inches high, others are 18–20 inches high. In some places a bear climb is useful, maybe even necessary, to keep your balance and reduce the almost vertigo-inducing steepness.?

I love watching everyone climb in their own way. For every person who attempts the Incline, there is a unique way of tackling it mentally and physically. Some start off slow and then speed up. Some take a rest every 100 steps where the stair markers are. Some play music, sit and look back at their progress. Some try to pace their breathing and keep moving no matter the speed. In our group of 11, no two people climbed the same, but everyone climbed one step at a time.?

When the end is not in sight, when you crest the false summit and with disappointment realize you still have 600 steps to go, when you’re winded and wondering why you ever started — you have a choice: take the bail-out route (that’s just what they called it on the signs!) and feel complete — be satisfied with your achievement — or keep trudging one step at a time. And if you’re so inclined, maybe you’ll do it again and again. I felt pretty good about my ascent, but I couldn’t help but be impressed by the person who lapped our group on his third time up and down that morning!?

Nothing is impossible one step at a time.?