Isn't it interesting how some idea can touch you once, ever so briefly-often unexpectedly-and it affects you and sticks in you mind and makes you pounder it, and it's just there for you and it enhances and thus changes your course and thinking for the rest of your life.

Little golden gems of though. Glimpses of Goodness. Quips. Mottos. Short stories. A Scoutmasters Minute, perhaps. A "sound byte" in life that surfaces in your psyche-certainly when the topic promts its use-but even out of the cold. "Impromptu." To nurse and nurture and uplift and offer hope or motivation. It is as though some Supreme Mentor overseeing your daily learning, placed it there-designed it to be there-right at that pivotal time in your experience. As if for some reason, that particular thought was important to your unique curriculum, and it recurs again and again to further drive it's earth shattering truth or wisdom home to you. For some reason, it seems destined to indelibleize itself even more as a part of you, such that whatever advantage it offers, will more strongly become on of your automatic skills.

I think of a sales team whose wise leader fostered the appropriate thought: "Whatever the excuse, it never changes performance." The product they sold was of a nature that anyone who bought it would greatly benefit. Knowing this, the spirit in which that leader taught that phrase, enhanced its intrinsic truth.

I think of Larry "Problem-solved, Got-another?" Bohne, LL Issue #17. Somewhere in life, he made up his mind, it would be satisfying to become a get-the-job-done person. An "attack" person. To acquire an edge-of-the-chair "I eat challenges for breakfast" mindset. "The difficult part is already almost done. The impossible might take a titch longer."

I recall one leader early in my adult Scouting career say of someone else, "Yes! Let's have him do it. He is a 'follow-through expert.' A detail man. If you assign it to him, it will get done!"

I took to that. It stuck with me.

Nelson R. Block, long time contributor and friend of , shares his 2-page treatise on B-P's initial Brownsea "Experiment." Nelson publishes The Journal of Scouting History, which gave this piece away at Brownsea Island last summer at the BSA National Jamboree.

The BRIEFS Department has a game, a recognition idea and quotes from Sherlock Holmes On observing, learning, deducting - the Wood Badge Way. Here are a few:

Generally speaking, when short of ideas don't impose on your Scouts activities which you think they ought to like; but find out from them by listening or by questioning which activities appeal most to them, and then see how far you can get these going - that is, if they are likely to be beneficial to the boys.

Topping off every issue of Leader Lore is the INSPIRATION Department. It has poems, thoughts and stories. Issue #81 has a poem called "To Be A Hero."

Numerous thoughts on leadership finish off the reading for this trip. Ideas that you can use in a lesson or presentation such as:

"An army of deer led by a lion would defeat an army of lions led by deer" -Phillip II of Macedon

Twenty statements answer the question: What are the actions and attributes of a leader? What is it that makes a leader different from others?

The Six Myths about Leadership are:

1. Leadership is a rare skill.
2. Leaders are born.
3. Leaders are created by dramatic events.
4. Leaders control.
5. Leaders are charismatic.
6. Power is bad.

Edited from Leader Lore. Doug Brewer goes on to give more examples of this subtle yet surprisingly vivid concept. Learn about his suggestions for application, or to read the other articles and features, consider subscribing today!