Tweet

Eagle Scout Business

Written by: Jim Bouchard

Article Overview: What can we learn about business from an Eagle Scout? Plenty...

Eagle Scout Business

Last Sunday I was asked to sit on an Eagle Scout Board of Review.

Tyler Totten was making his final presentation in order to earn Scouting’s highest rank. Before Tyler came into the room to face our questions, we reviewed his portfolio. His Eagle project was the construction of 4 dugouts to improve his high school baseball and softball fields.

Lesson One: “To help other people at all times.” From the Scout Oath.

His rationale for choosing this project? The baseball program at his school had given him so much he simply wanted to give something back to the program.

Lesson Two: “Be Prepared.” The Scout Motto.

As part of his portfolio Tyler presented the materials he used to get permission from the town council to pursue his project. These materials included detailed renderings of the buildings, materials lists, a complete accounting of funds and manpower needed and a plan of action for the actual construction days including delivery and movement of materials, refreshments for his laborers and assignments of supervisory duties.

Before Tyler came in for our questions we were shown a video of him presenting his proposal to the council. He was organized and confident. He had distributed his written proposal to all the council members and he referred to his document as he made his presentation. He answered questions quickly, clearly and thoughtfully.

Later we had the opportunity to ask Tyler questions about his project and about his Scouting experience. I asked him if he was nervous when he presented his project the council. “No,” he replied, “I knew they were people just like me and I knew I had prepared the best I could.”

Lesson Three: “Serve in a position of Leadership.” From the requirements for Eagle Scout.

Tyler not only served in several leadership positions in his troop; to complete his Eagle project he needed to coordinate a crew of nearly 30 volunteers both peers and adults. He organized the delivery of materials and supervised construction on the site. He assigned duties including craftsmen and laborers.

He knew he needed help to complete his project. As every effective leader should, he found people with the skills and knowledge necessary for success and assumed the role of coordinating these people. He sought and considered advice from a variety of experts. He took it upon himself to assure that his team had the resources and support to do their jobs effectively.

To complete his project, Tyler needed to raise $8,000 for materials and supplies. He designed a system to solicit donations for materials by having customers purchase barcodes for the various pieces he needed at an area home center. During the Eagle Board interview one of the examiners asked him if he had help in this effort from other Scouts. In his mind, he was the one responsible and he told us that he felt he alone could best represent his project by doing the solicitation and fundraising.

Participating in Tyler’s Eagle Board of Review was a life changing experience for me. I make my living trying to perfect and teach the values that Tyler demonstrated through his project. It was an honor to be a small part of this remarkable recognition for a young man who embodies self-motivation, discipline and personal responsibility.

Each of us can apply these lessons in personal and professional life. I get the feeling Tyler would be just as comfortable presenting these lessons at a convention of leading CEOs, and you would gain much from his presentation.

Tyler is 15 years old.

Related Articles
  Eagles Joint Venture
  Metamorphosis
  Article #28 Looking For A Business That Works Fast In As Little As Six Months?
  Are You an Eagle or a Vulture?
  Scout with a Plan to Increase Sales

Article Tags: baseball program, construction days, council members, dugouts, eagle project, eagle scout board of review, high school baseball, laborers, last sunday, leadership positions, manpower, rationale, refreshments, renderings, scout motto, scout oath, scouting experience, softball fields, supervisory duties, totten



Related Forum Posts
My entry - 1. The Best Business Books Ever: The 100 Most Influential Business Books You'll Never Have Time to Read - this is a fascinating book about the history of Business theory, and I'd recommend it to anybody. 2. The Big Book of Small Business: You Don't Have to Run Your Business by the Seat of Your Pants, by Tom Gegax. Ditto. 3. PADI: The Business of Diving Book Okay, so this book won't be of use to anyone who doesn't want to start a scuba store, but I did, and this book was of course invaluable to me in reaching that goal.
Re: Make Friends...Literally BUILD them! - [quote="barrysarner":1n9pk0m8]It's the "prequel " to the Battlestar Galactica TV show. It's how Robots became "Human" and took over the world. Great Show[/quote:1n9pk0m8] Ahh... sounds cool. And not that far fetched when you think about how much technology has changed and how we rely on robots to do so many different functions these days. This reminds me of the movie Eagle Eye and how the security software just took over and started killing off people because it got too "smart."
Exclusive: Interview with Results - Hi Forum Members, I'm helping start up a Business Coaching and Consulting company here in Toronto, Ontario, Canada (a Subsidiary of RSC Business in Los Angeles). As a Research and Development Intern I am required to practice my listening and interview skills by surveying Small and Medium Businesses on thier Business. This Survey is designed by RSC Business to also assist the Business being interviewed more insight into their own business. I am looking to interview about 30 businesses across North America over the span of 3 months. At the end of these interviews I will be publishing a report of the results and they will be made available for free to the Interviewees. The Report data will include responses from a minimum of 100 interviews. I would like to extend this opportunity to members of the Forum. If you would like to have this short 20-30 minute interview conducted on your Business and you reside in North America please send me an email or PM. Please contact me at andy[at]jvprosperity[dot]com to arrange our interview and to get free access to the results when they are published.
Re: HOw to market a B2B consulting company - [quote="zohahunt77":428owzbi]Hi, I was wondering if anyone can tell me the difference between B2B and B2C. I don’t know about b2b marketing but I have done marketing so know things about it. I will suggest you to take online services which will spread your business all over web network. Online marketing is the best way to market any business.[/quote:428owzbi] B2B = Business to Business - You are marketing to other businesses. B2C = Business to Consumer - You are marketing to consumers.
English teachers learn Japanese as Interns - Yasunori, what about the many students that leave N. America to teach English in Japan. They may want to learn Japanese (maybe Business Japanese is a bit different) and the Japanese Business Culture.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Building a Business From 30,000 Feet

9 tips to increase ROI in PPC Campaigns

How to choose your executive coach -1

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.