“If a PL says his patrol cannot do without him, then contrary to what he might think, he is not a good PL. Surely a good PL can train his patrol to function at least reasonably well without him?” – adapted from Mr Teo Tiong Hin (then-GSL of DHS Crane Scouts)
More than 15 years on, I am reminded of this statement by Mr Teo. Then in the swagger of youth, it was common to hear the refrain “wah the patrol is going to suffer when I graduate” mentioned amongst the PLs and APLs. Mr Teo’s point was not to cut our egos down to size (or maybe it was), but to let us in on the fact that ours was to ensure the patrol was left in good hands when we were done, just as much as ours was to lead them ably while we were around.
As we remember, laud and celebrate leaders who have had a long and lasting impact on units, groups, or most of all… people, we should feel a certain ambivalence in our hearts and in our minds.
Ours is not to become the unit.
Remember that as we grow scouts, ventures and even rovers or junior leaders, the expedient way would be to give them all the answers. The painful, sometimes torturous way (for both) would be to send them off on their own to figure things out (while still under your watchful eye of course).
If you give them all the answers, you are the only one who is getting smarter.
A Singapore Scouter's Log 