So They Put Me In Charge

My brother and I joined the boy scouts after moving to a new part of town. During our first camping trip with the troop, I decided to organize a game of "Capture the Flag."

I had previous experience in a different troop, and I knew what to expect from everyone. I knew if I didn't organize the game and set up the parameters, it would not have happened. Since I loved playing the game, I asserted myself.

This made an impression on the adults with us, specifically the scoutmaster. He saw my assertiveness and decided to make me Patrol Leader even though I was extremely green.

Looking back on that day, I remember giving orders and having the kids follow my orders. I also remember being mocked but having my orders carried out. Then we played the game, several times if I remember correctly, and then we were done.

Apparently, I made an impression on the adults. This impression lead to an ongoing role that I did not expect.

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I only had the rank of Second Class. They knew this was a little irregular. I never really felt comfortable in my formal role. I don't know why. I wasn't worried about lacking authority because that wasn't the issue. I guess I just didn't see the point in the ongoing role. I had duties that I didn't feel invested in.

The adults reminded me I could do it based on that one game of Capture the Flag. But it didn't help me, at the time.

I eventually got them to reassign me to Assistant Patrol Leader or something, and I was much happier.

Looking back, I'm glad I had that experience. Sometimes we can assume certain roles under certain circumstances. We say it's not a good idea to generalize. But we usually mean between multiple groups of people. Well, that's true even for the individual.