Summer Camp – Oregon Coast 2004
Who was the last person that you empowered to do something they otherwise might not have? I was talking to a friend the other day and he told me that he had just come from helping out one of the local Boy Scouts working on his Eagle Project. Honestly, the scouting experience has probably produced some of my fondest memories of watching my boys grow up.
Both Scott and Spencer did very well in scouts and I am of the opinion that the skills they learned were very instrumental in who they have become today. All told it was about eight years from the time they started until a few years ago when Spencer earned his Eagle Award, turned eighteen and our official scouting adventure had come to an end.
I love what President Theodore Roosevelt said about allowing people to learn by doing:
“The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.”
Scott at summit – Mt. Jefferson, Oregon 2005
I don’t know how other troops operate but in ours, the boys were encouraged to figure it out on their own with the least amount of “help” as possible. The other leaders and I believed that this would allow the young men to become more self confident in themselves and more determined to push themselves beyond what they believed were their limits. It is really not much different for all the people around us. When we empower them to do something, we are building up a person’s self worth.
Believing in another person maybe the best gift you could ever give to them. Too many people go through life never feeling valued by anyone at all. John Maxwell in his The 21 Irrefutable Laws Of Leadership sums it up quite nicely saying:
“If you believe in others, they will believe in themselves”
Spencer receiving his Eagle Award 2010
I hiked hundreds of miles with the boys over that time and spent countless nights sleeping in the wilderness. I think this is where I saw the Law of Empowerment at it’s finest. Both my boys and their fellow scouts were challenged time and time again. And with each new challenge, a new way to succeed would be found. When they were very young I remember not only their effort to succeed, but my effort to encourage them along the way. Towards the end, they were encouraging me.
I was not aware of Maxwell’s Law of Empowerment during my tenure as a scout leader, but looking back I can see how allowing these boys to find it with themselves to excel through adversity and overcome challenging obstacles allowed them to grow into productive confident young men.
It’s a proud moment for a father to know that his children have been not only been empowered to become successful and self confident but also have developed the skills to empower those around them.
You don’t need to look very far for the opportunity to empower someone so change your thinking a little bit and encourage someone today so they can make a difference tomorrow.
Next Up: Law # 13 – The Law of The Picture
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Barry Smith www.buildingwhatmatters.com 8/1/12 photos by author
