TLT Toolkit

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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.

The Three Sessions:

Introduction to Troop Leadership— should be conducted within a week of a Scout assuming a new leadership role and focuses on what every new leader must know.

Session One – Introduction to Leadership (Know):

A - The Boy-Led Troop and Living the Scout Oath and Law
Scoutmaster or designee discusses Chapter 3 of the Scoutmaster Handbook – “The Boy Led Troop”.

B - Discussion of the Boy-Led Patrol
Senior Patrol Leader discusses the power of a youth-led patrol from Chapter 4 of the Scoutmaster Handbook – “The Boy-Led Patrol.”

C - Review of the Troop Organization Chart
Scoutmaster or designee reviews the optimum organization charts for both a small troop and a large troop from the Scoutmaster Handbook.

D - Position Overview
Scoutmaster and Senior Patrol Leader go over each of the positions in detail and introduce the position positions.

E - National Honor Patrol Award Requirements
Senior Patrol Leader or experienced Patrol Leader concludes with a description of the National Honor Patrol Award requirements

Session Two – How To Do Your Job (Be):

A - Scoutmaster’s Vision of Success
Review of the Scoutmaster’s written vision of success.  The SPL also shares his written vision of success.

B - Teaching EDGE Discussion
Scoutmaster or designee explains the principles of EDGE (explain, demonstrate, guide, enable) as a process for training.

C - Troop Progress Discussion
The Scoutmaster or designee leads a discussion of “How is the Troop doing?”

D - Assignment
The Scoutmaster or designee leads a discussion to get to know the Scouts that he is responsible for leading.  What do they need to succeed?

Session Three – What is Expected of Me? (Do):  

A - Position Descriptions and Expectations
Senior Patrol Leader or Assistant Senior Patrol Leader reviews the position descriptions and expectations that were a part of “Session One – Introduction to Leadership.”

B - Servant Leadership
Scoutmaster or designee leads a discussion of why Scouts should choose to be leaders.

C - Defining Success in Your Position
Scoutmaster or designee leads this thinking/writing session for new leaders.  He guides each patrol leader to write the definition of what success looks like in his patrol.

D - Scoutmaster Conference
Personal coaching from the Scoutmaster helps patrol leaders set their goals and achieve success.

Baden-Powell Quotes 

To Help Other People

"I often think, when the sun goes down, the world is hidden by a big blanket from the light of heaven, but the starts are little holes pierced in that blanket by those who have done good deeds in this world. The stars are not all the same size: some are big, some are little, and some men have done small deeds but they have made their hole in the blanket by doing good before they go to heaven. Try to make your hole in the blanket by good work while you are on earth. It is something to be good, but it is far better to do good."

The Patrol

"First and foremost: The Patrol is the character school for the individual. To the Patrol Leader it gives practice in Responsibility and in the qualities of Leadership. To the Scouts it gives subordination of self to the interests of the whole, the elements of selfdenial and self-control involved in the team spirit of cooperation and good comradeship. But to get first-class results from this system you have to give the boy leaders real freehanded responsibility-if you only give partial responsibility you will only get partial results. The main object is not so much saving the Scoutmaster trouble as to give responsibility to the boy, since this is the very best of all means for developing character. The Scoutmaster who hopes for success must not only study what is written about the Patrol System and its methods, but must put into practice the suggestions he reads. It is the doing of things that is so important, and only by constant trial can experience be gained by his Patrol Leaders and Scouts. The more he gives them to do, the more will they respond, the more strength and character will they achieve."

Explain The Reason Why

“A boy carries out suggestions more wholeheartedly when he understands their aim.”

Educate Rather Than Instruct

“In Scouting, a boy is encouraged to educate himself instead of being instructed.”

Give Responsibility

“The more responsibility the Scoutmaster gives his patrol leaders, the more they will respond.”

Lead by "Do"

“The boy is not governed by don't, but is led by do.”

Be Prepared

“Be Prepared... the meaning of the motto is that a scout must prepare himself by previous thinking out and practicing how to act on any accident or emergency so that he is never taken by surprise.”

The Uniform

“The uniform makes for brotherhood, since when universally adopted it covers up all differences of class and country.”

Do Your Duty

“We never fail when we try to do our duty, we always fail when we neglect to do it.”