Big Changes at BSA National Office
The Chief Scout Executive (CSE) is making his mark on the Movement with a complete overhaul of the National Office.
New BSA Organizational Changes 2008
and here’s the new Org. Chart:
I find this INCREDIBLY POSITIVE. It needs to be part of every council’s Board discussion. The mention of building the BSA brand is powerful. The trimming of Corporate structure is very powerful. Forgetting “business as usual” is very powerful. These are terms that ALL business leaders are confronting on a regular basis. It probably needs to be spread in the community leadership as well because it shows that our leaders are taking bold actions.
I was on the phone with a Scout leader in N.J. when this came in. I related two small anecdotes from the past week. I replaced my air conditioner unit here at my warehouse. The guy doing the install is an Eagle Scout out of Blissfield, MI. He was amazed at some of the patches around my office. The UPS delivery guy came in just now. He was a Boy Scout out of TN (did not earn Eagle but still fond memories. Was in the Marines. Was interested in getting back involved/helping out with Scouts…). An effective BSA marketing campaign could bring these folks back into the fold.
When Council President, I kicked off the strategic plan update in the council to try and get our structure right. We’re doing that locally. One strength that we’ll need to factor in going forward is our alumni and senior members. Scouting is a place where retirees can get reconnected and re-contribute to the youth of this country.
As I hear more or as others get more insight into these changes, please post.
P.S. In re-reading it – the CSE needs to state in this letter what are the core objectives of Scouting. We, you and I, need to re-state these so often that we’re sick of hearing them. Only then might there be a chance of having gotten them into fabric of the organization. I think also, rather than a “new era of growth” it needs to be “a new era of service to the youth of our country”. I think this is a truer statement of our purpose than growth. Growth will be the outcome of providing quality, funded program that serves youth and their families and thus our communities.