One of the paramount characteristics of a leader is his readiness to act in a novel situation. Unexpected tasks that require efficient group organization provides realistic and valuable practice. The Patrol Method Lord Robert Baden-Powell intuited the dynamic power of the patrol method long before sociologists could prove it worked in youth or adult groups. This, he felt, was Scouting's most essential contribution to education. While it used to be that one man could hollow out a tree and make a canoe, or perhaps cut the wood and forge the steel required to build a stagecoach, today's society is a maze of complex tasks that create tremendous specialization.
Civilization is a group effort.
The patrol method is covered in considerable detail in Resources for Leadership , Applying The Patrol Method . The Outdoor Approach In White Stag, the outdoor program is the situational context in which leadership competencies are learned. To put the youth in a special environment and serve them notice that something different is going on here. To put stress on them, to challenge each to get along with those whom they have never met. One person can learn it from another who is competent in the skill.