The Contented Cow Blog

Building Workplaces That Work

I’m spending this week with my son’s Boy Scout troop on a camping trip in the beautiful hills of Coker Creek, Tennessee. Our merry crew of 18 scouts and various family members – more than 40 of us in total, arrived at the camp last evening, to discover that, owing to an administrative snafu, dinner would be about an hour late. No big deal for us, but perhaps it was for the dining room staff that thought they were going home at 5.

Later, while our group was enjoying a remarkably good meal in the camp’s dining hall (we were the only group in the hall at the time), the senior scout on the trip, a 17-year-old Eagle Scout whom we call “Little Otto” (to distinguish him from his dad, “Big Otto”) stood and asked for everyone’s attention. I should tell you that Little Otto is a 235 pound football player, and when he speaks, most people listen.

There was one fellow in our group who kept talking after Little Otto claimed the floor. It was Big Otto. The son asserted, respectfully, “Sir, I’ve asked everyone to stop talking for a minute so I can ask the group to do something.” Big Otto complied.

Little Otto then pointed out to our group that the kitchen staff, because of a miscommunication on someone else’s part, had stayed past quitting time to make sure that the 40+ of us didn’t go to bed (as it were) hungry. He then led the group in a big round of applause for those who had gone above and beyond to make sure we all got fed.

Two lessons on leadership:

1. Leadership often transcends age, size, rank, and traditional organizational (and family) hierarchies. And when it does, it is asserted with respect.
2. Good leaders are kind, gracious, and appreciative, especially when people go the extra mile. And they model those behaviors for those they lead.

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