What Is
Troop Leadership Training (TLT)?
TLT is the leadership
training given primarily by the Scoutmaster and the
senior patrol leader to all the youth leaders in their
troop. ALL Boy Scout troops should conduct the TLT course
with every leadership shift—whether it is when the
youth get a new troop position or a patrol leadership
role, or even when they welcome a new patrol member. The
course has three one-hour modules that can be presented
as individual one-hour sessions or as a combined
three-hour block. These sessions are as follows:
1. Introduction to Troop
Leadership—This is conducted within a week of a
Scout assuming a new leadership role and focuses on what
a new leader must know. The Scoutmaster conducts this
session for the senior patrol leader and new Scouts. He
may then choose other Scouts or adults to help train the
other troop leaders.
Part one of the training
has the following flow:
- The Scoutmaster begins
by discussing the principles of the youth-led
troop.
- The senior patrol
leader then follows with an explanation of the
power of a youth-led patrol.
- The Scoutmaster will
then go though the troop organization chart so
that the youths see where they fit in the
structure of their specific troop. Examples of
these organizational charts are found in the Scoutmaster
Handbook.
- The Scoutmaster and
the senior patrol leader go over each of the
positions in detail and introduce the position
description cards.
- The senior patrol
leader concludes with a description of the
National Honor Patrol Award requirements.
2. How to Fulfill Your
Position—The second TLT module focuses on how to
fulfill the responsibility of the position and is
presented by the Scoutmaster and the senior patrol
leader. They may be assisted by assistant Scoutmasters or
NYLT-trained Scouts.
This module begins to use
leadership tools such as Creating a Vision of Success,
the Teaching EDGE(TM) model, and the Start, Stop,
Continue method of assessing progress. These tools are
summarized below in the section describing the NYLT
course.
The Scoutmaster and senior
patrol leader begin by describing their own vision of
success, which they have written before the training
session to ensure that the two visions are aligned and
that each paints a vivid picture of future success for
the troop.
The Scoutmaster, senior
patrol leader, and the troop then work to ensure that all
members share in this vision, so that they are excited
about making it come to life. Creating Future Success
will encompass:
- VISION—What
success looks like—a picture
- GOALS—What
needs to be done to reach what the group calls
success
- PLANNING—How
the group will execute its goals
The Scoutmaster, an
assistant Scoutmaster, or a youth who has experience with
NYLT will then lead the discussion on Teaching EDGE(TM).
This is a simple four-step process used for teaching any
skill.
- Explain—The
trainer explains how something is done.
- Demonstrate—The
trainer demonstrates while explaining again.
- Guide—The
learner tries the skill while the trainer guides
him through it.
- Enable—The
learner works on his own under the eye of the
trainer.
After the Teaching EDGE(TM)
discussion, the senior patrol leader or an assistant
Scoutmaster will ask the troop how they are doing. They
will use the process called Start, Stop, Continue:
- What should we start
doing that we are not currently doing?
- What do we stop
doing that is not working?
- What should we continue
doing that is working well and helps us succeed?
Lastly, the Scouts are
assigned to get to know the team they are responsible for
leading. During this session, the Scoutmaster is getting
to know more about his troop leaders and should take this
assignment to heart as well. This concludes the second
module of the training.
3. What Is Expected of
Me—The third module is the do—what
the youth must do to be effective in his position.
It is led primarily by the Scoutmaster.
At the beginning of this
module, each Scout is given a card with the
responsibilities of his new position. The Scoutmaster
reviews each of the responsibilities with him.
The Scoutmaster then leads
a discussion of how to be an effective leader who helps
each member of his team succeed, explaining that their
role is not to simply tell people what to do, but to care
about their team and help them succeed. This leads into a
discussion of servant leadership, or others-first
leadership, with the group.
The Scouts learn to create
a vision of success for the troop as well as to define
goals for how to get there. They define this vision for
themselves for their new leadership position and write it
on the leadership position card.
The Scoutmaster ends the
training with personal coaching of each new leader,
helping the new leaders set the goals to achieve their
vision of success.
What will the Scouts
learn?
At the end of Troop
Leadership Training, all of the troop leaders will
understand what is expected from them in their new
leadership position. They will better understand the
roles of each member of the leadership team (at the
patrol and troop levels) and will learn to work toward a
common vision of future success. They will learn that
putting others first as a leadership style builds a
strong and effective team.
How can we use this
training to support our unit's program in a troop
setting?
TLT training is the
cornerstone of a youth's leadership experience. He will
learn what is expected of him and how he can contribute
to the success of both his patrol and the troop, while at
the same time strengthening his own abilities to lead
effectively. It will lead the troop to a true youth-led
capability.
How can I help the Scout
become the best leader he can be?
Encourage your Scouts to
attend the troop's TLT whenever it is offered. As a troop
leader, continue coaching and mentoring, using the tools
of SSC and EDGE(TM) to hone the Scout's leadership
abilities. As a parent, it is vital that you understand
the role your son plays in running an effective youth-led
troop as well as his desire to empower the rest of his
team so that they may have a shared success
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