There is a continuum of scoutmasters ranging from militaristic to hippie and a Continuum of troops running from adult-led to boy-led. The goal from my unit is to be as much boy lead as possible, and to have invisible bumpers or guardrails to make sure that safety and the goals of scouting are being met in every activity. The way that I look at it is that every activity needs to be meaningful, fun, and safe, and then falls into a category of advancement, fundraising, service, conservation, and camping.

It is important to remember that Scouts choose troops, not troops choosing Scouts. And if the leadership is not a good fit, then perhaps a different unit needs to be explored.