What is a Unit Commissioner?

Summary

Commissioners are district and council leaders who help Scout units succeed. They coach and consult with adult leaders of Cub Scout packs, Boy Scout troops, and Venturing crews. Commissioners help maintain the standards of the Boy Scouts of America. They also oversee the unit charter renewal plan so that each unit reregisters on time with an optimum number of youth and adult members.

Specific Responsibilities

• Commissioners make sure all their unit leaders are adequately trained - Basic Leader Training as a minimum.
• Commissioners coach unit adults in planning a good unit program: an overall annual program plan, complete monthly plans, and a weekly meeting plan with all the details.
• Commissioners observe unit operation and program. They provide positive friendly guidance as needed.
• Commissioners are good diplomats who handle new and sometimes difficult situations in a way that maintains harmony with unit adults. They help people work as a team.
• Commissioners provide prompt, intensive, and often persistent care when major unit problems occur. That helps continue a great Scouting program for kids.

Specific Roles

• The commissioner is a friend of the unit. It springs from the attitude, "I care, I am here to help, what can I do for you?" Caring makes commissioner service successful. He or she is an advocate of unit needs. A commissioner who makes himself known and accepted now will be called on in future times of trouble.
• The commissioner is a representative. The average unit leader is totally occupied in working with kids. Some have little if any contact with the Boy Scouts of America other than a commissioner's visit to their meeting.
• The commissioner helps represent the ideals, the principles, and the policies of the Scouting movement.
• The commissioner is a unit "doctor." In their role as "doctor," they know that prevention is better than a cure, so they try to see units make good "health practices" a way of life. When problems arise, and they will even in the best unit, they act quickly. They observe symptoms, diagnose the real ailment, prescribe a remedy, and follow up on the patient.
• The commissioner is a teacher. As a commissioner, they have an opportunity to participate in the growth of unit leaders by sharing knowledge with them. They teach where it counts most—as an immediate response to a need to know. That is the best adult learning situation since the lesson is instantly reinforced by practical application of the new knowledge.
• The commissioner is a counselor. As a Scouting counselor, they help units solve their own problems. Counseling is best when unit leaders don't recognize a problem and where solutions are not clear-cut. Everyone needs counseling from time to time, even experienced leaders.

Necessary Skills

• Excellent people skills
• Have a Scouting background or be fast-track learners
• Know and practice Scouting ideals