Ryan Stemen, MBA

Ryan’s Sunday Night Leadership Lessons 🔑 #2 – January 22, 2023

The Eagle Scout award is the highest honor that can be achieved in the Boy Scouts of America. It is a testament of a young person’s dedication, perseverance, and leadership skills. But the lessons and impact of being an Eagle Scout go far beyond just earning the award. Here are my reflection on being awarded the highest award in Scouting and the lessons that resonate years later.

1. The path to becoming an Eagle Scout teaches valuable life lessons that we carry with us forever. The Scout Oath and Law, which all Scouts must live by, instill values such as honesty, integrity, and responsibility in their lives. The rigorous requirements for the award, including earning multiple merit badges and completing a service project for the community, also teach the importance of hard work, perseverance, and dedication that we carry into the school and careers.
2. Being an Eagle Scout provides valuable leadership experience. The Boy Scouts of America is built around a system of advancement through leadership positions, and earning the Eagle Scout award is the culmination of this process. The skills and experience gained through this process, such as communication, organization, and problem-solving, are valuable in any career or leadership role.
3. The community engagement aspect of the Eagle Scout award is also a significant impact of Scouting. The service project required for the Eagle Scout award gives Scouts the opportunity to give back to their community and make a positive impact. This experience instills a sense of civic responsibility and encourages a lifelong commitment to serving others. For my Eagle Scout project I had to manage, take ownership of and control a project related to cleaning up a local cemetery. I had help from numerous parents and fellow scouts, but the bulk of the project management work fell squarely on my shoulders. This gave me a huge lesson as a high schooler on how to be an effective leader and project manager. Lessons of which I use today in my own career.

In short, the Eagle Scout award is much more than just a badge on a uniform. It represents a lifetime of valuable lessons, leadership experience, and community engagement. The impact on the scout’s life as well as the positive impact on their community is a long lasting positive ripple effect. For any young person who earns the award, the impact will be felt for the rest of their lives.

#Leadership #EagleScout