Notes from Highlander District Roundtable

1. Please grab a Start/
Stop/Continue form
to fill out for
Cuboree
and/or
Cub Scout Breakout.
Leave them on the
Cub Scout table when
you have filled them
out

2. May 2019
Cub Scout Breakout
Cub Scout Roundtable Commissioner: Leanne Bulger
Preferred contact: leanne.bulger@gmail.com
Alternate: 334-520-9910
Succession Planning
Leader Recruitment

3. Stand up!!!! Stretch a little!
May we sing a spell?
Over Hill, Over Dale
Tune: The Caisson Song
Over hill, over dale,
We will hit the Cub Scout trail,
As the Cub Scouts go hiking along.
In and out, all around,
You will never see us frown,
As the Cub Scouts go hiking along.
For it's hi-hi-hee,
It's Cub Scouting for me,
Shout out our name and shout it strong!
(HIGHLANDER)
For where'er we go,
All our friends will know,
That the Cub Scouts are hiking along

4. Interest Topic: Leader Recruitment and
Succession Planning
Main takeaway: “Leader recruitment is an ongoing process for
every unit. The Den Leader is one of the most important
volunteer roles we have, since the Den Leader will determine
the quality of the experience each Cub Scout has. Sometimes it
is a challenge to find the right person for the job, to find enough
people to fill the positions, and to retain them.”

5. Get ahead of the panic!
1. What we just experienced
2. If I had called 2 hours before the meeting to ask
3. If you had been assisting me with this presentation
4. If I had asked you 3 months ago to watch, then share the workload, then
teach on your own the third month.
This begins with pack recruiting.
We will talk more about recruiting in June. Your District Membership and
Marketing Chair is Elizabeth Johnston. “The job of the District Membership Chairman is to lead the
district’s membership team charged with recruiting new youth into the scouting program, developing more
opportunities for youth to join the program, and working with the other district operating committees to ensure the
structure is in place to accommodate our growth.” In the meanwhile, for advice on recruiting
and growth, reach out to other packs, your COR, your Unit Commissioner, or
Elizabeth!

6. Non-Leader/New Parents
Always start with the Family Talent Survey! It should be included in your
welcome packet (also, consider having a welcome packet at the CO, and out with
your unit when you are in public spaces).
The most important part of welcoming new families is…… being welcoming!
Scout calendars are jam packed, and we move FAST.
Enthusiastic new parents shouldn’t be squashed! Cultivate that enthusiasm! Get
them involved, while you get to know one another, and help them find their best
fit.

7. Selecting Cub Scout Leadership
This booklet is the BSA standard. Be sure to print it and use it! Let’s break it down together.
1. Chartered Organization
Encourage the COR to help identify and recruit prospective volunteers for the
pack. The COR should also look objectively for prospective leaders during the
volunteer selection process.
• Key 3: Develop a prospect list from your pack roster. Then enter the names in the spaces provided under
“Guide for Selecting a Leader”.
• Rate each prospect by placing a check mark in the appropriate box (“Yes,” “No,” or “Don’t Know”) for each
quality of leadership.
We have all experienced an ill-suited leader. Honor the Guide
for Selecting a Leader. Continue to delegate position specific
tasks to potential leaders, and wait a few months.

8. 2. Personal Visit
3. Telling it Like It Is
Personal contact is always the best method for encouraging potential leadership
once the Key 3 have approved them using the Guide for Selecting A Leader.
Explain the responsibilities of the position. Share why the pack committee has
selected him or her for the position. Be honest about how much time is involved,
the meetings that the leader is expected to attend, how the program is financed,
and the resources available to help the leader with the position. This helps to
prevent any misunderstandings later on.
Divide into 2 groups, and toss the ball. When you are holding the ball, tell the
group something you wish you had been said to you before you took on your
position.

9. 4. Value of Leadership
Explain what the benefits are for the prospect as well as for the program. Talk
about your own commitment to Cub Scouting.
Think about your tenure as a Scouter so far. What has been the best part of it?
What do you enjoy about being a Scouter?
Emphasize the parts of Scouting that you love.

10. Yardstick Illustration
Do not wait until you are hurting to ask for leaders.
There are plenty of recruiting materials on the internet. Consider presenting
leadership opportunities: at kick off, at your first pack meeting after school
recruitment, or when it is comfortable for your pack.
Your presentation should be memorable, and should be entirely sincere and
honest--it may change each year, depending on who is presenting. Try to find
ways to tie the presentation back into your program. In the yardstick
illustration, you could add a colored ruler to the top of your newsletter or your
pack calendar. If your pack has funds, you could hand out rulers to each family,
etc.

11. 5. Training
Let the prospect know that training is available. Also emphasize that Cub
Scouting is a team effort and that other pack leaders, the pack trainer and unit
commissioner, are willing to help.
Resources: General Resources Roundtable, “So You’re a New ________”
Roundtable, Den Leader Guides, Roundtable, Facebook support groups,
Roundtable…….. Have we mentioned Roundtable?
If you utilize the resources provided by BSA for Cub Scout Leaders, and consistently remind yourself to let the kids be
your first and last influence on the program, the value of time, money, and resources will be evident to your families.
Work together at your table to write/draw training resources you know of-- in
person, online, Cub Scout specific, BSA general, unit, District, Council, National--
on the poster board. Feel free to add more during Breakout.

12. 6. Recruit For 1 Year at a Time
Let all prospects know that they are being asked to serve in a specific one-year
time frame.
This practice allows them to move on gracefully after one year if they so wish; it
also gives the Cubmaster and pack committee a chance to tactfully release
leaders who are not adequately fulfilling their responsibilities.
Often, you will end up wanting to enlist a leader for additional years, but do so
one year at a time
**The one year approach requires a pack to always have a back up in mind for
every position.**

13. 7. Allow Some Time
8. Don’t Pressure
Give the prospect a few days to make their decision and discuss it with family
members, but set a definite time when you will expect a response. This deadline
suggests the seriousness of the commitment and lets the prospect know that the
decision is important to the pack. It also allows you to move on to your next
prospect quickly if the answer is no.
Let prospects know that they are free to say no. A leader who joins under
pressure might not be the right person.
Also keep in mind that many roles that benefit the pack can be
temporary/intermittent- Popcorn Kernel, a single event coordinator, T-shirt
designer, PWD Registrar, BALOO trained adult, CPR trained adult, etc.

14. Succession Planning
The principles in Selecting Cub Scout Leadership can be applied for succession
planning.
1. COR--with your COR and fill out the “Guide for Selecting a Leader”
worksheet, but with succession in mind rather than new leadership. Or find
a succession-specific guide like this one.
2. Personal Visit--exactly the same for new leaders and prospective
successors.
3. Telling It Like It Is--This is the same for new leaders, but this “telling it like it
is also needs to include a definitive end date for the current leader and start
date for the successor.
4. Value of Leadership--also the same

15. Succession Planning... still...
5. Training--the same training resources are available to successors, but they
have a huge advantage over new leaders--familiarity. An established
leader has (ideally) been exposed to the resources available from the BSA.
Committee Chair and Cubmaster are often the hardest positions to find
successors for. Encourage your Leaders and Committee Members to take
expanding training opportunities at University of Scouting. Bring your leaders
to Roundtable. Hold regular Pack Leader meetings. Invite them to take one of
your responsibilities at events, pack meetings, leader meetings, etc all year
long. From the moment you take on the role of Committee Chair or
Cubmaster, begin bringing other leaders along with you. It is often “easier to
do it myself”, but “do it myself” is a known path to pack upheaval.

16. Still Planning Succession…
at this point, maybe mutiny if Leanne keeps talking
6. Recruit for 1 Year at a Time--the more accurate phrase here is closer to
“Prepare for 1 Year in Advance”.
Once you find the right Den Leader, it is common for a DL to lead their group to
Scouts BSA. For succession purposes, best practice for a DL is to have a strong
ADL.
For Cubmasters and Committee Chairs, it is anecdotally recommended for the
incoming leader to work with the outgoing leader for an entire scouting year,
handing over more and more responsibility with each passing month.
There is no required tenure time frame for a CC or CM, but consider the
requirements for Cubmaster’s Key and Scouter Training Award as suggestions.

17. Succession Planning, almost over
7. Allow Some Time
8. Don’t Pressure
Allow some time not only for the person to consider the proposition, but to
train for their new role. A full scouting year is ideal for positions like Committee
Chair and Cubmaster. A half year might work for Assistant Cubmasters,
Treasurers and Secretaries. A couple of months may be enough for a new Den
Leader. These are suggestions at best-- the range of time needed to train a
leader for succession is incredibly subjective. Involve your Unit Commissioner
and COR through the process.

18. 90-60-30-14-7
90 days: End of Summer Activities, Kick off
60 days: Resident Camp (ish), July Pack Activity, Pack Annual Planning (Invite COR/UC!)
30 days: Crossover, Day Camp, June Pack Activity, Annual Pack Planning (Invite COR/UC!)
14 days: Crossovers, End of Year Outing
7 days: Den Meetings

19. Practical Application
*Use the “Selecting Cub Scout Leaders” booklet to guide your pack through the creation of a
succession plan. Aim to have the succession plan started before August. Continue to add to
it throughout the Scouting year as needed
*Consider using the brainstorm poster board with your Scouts as a gathering activity at
Crossover. Ask them to write or draw their favorite memories from the year, and use it as a
Stop/Start/Continue tool for pack planning.
*Fine tune the Ruler Illustration for parent recruiting, or find a method that
Is genuine for your pack.

20. Next Month: Joining Nights and Fall
Recruiting!
BRING YOUR SCOUT NIGHT TABLE SUPPLIES!!!
Bring recruiting tools that your pack uses year
round, and come ready to share.