This was a great find. About two years ago I got involved with Troop 1, a BSA Troop in Hong Kong and they were trying to use the patrol method but were having difficulty. After several committee meetings and a variety of frustrations expressed, I suggested we use the patrol method. I began to explain the idea but needed a resource to refer to and to ensure continuity of philosophy.
Working the Patrol Method was exactly what we needed. I purchased 9 copies and handed them out to parents and boys alike. We all agree this book will be used as our gospel.
In particular, the idea of making the patrol leaders the center of the troops focus. This has solved 80% of our problems and the boys are now striving to become PLs. Everyone wants the job. The transformation has begun and we have a guiding book to help us through.
Thank you to the authors.

A few minor suggestions about your book.

"It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit."

This quote has been attributed to others before Ronald Reagan. Wilderness Wisdom (a nice source of quotes, handy for Scoutmaster minutes) attributes it to Harry S Truman as do many other sources.

The earliest version of a form of that advice seems to be this:

"The way to get things done is not to mind who gets the credit."

Benjamin Jowett, 1817-1893 English Clergyman, Educator & Classicist Quoted in John Gross, The Oxford Book of Aphorisms

The list of Scout Methods might confuse people because of the quote at the top. It is true that Scouting is a game with a purpose, but that isn't one of the eight methods. The scouting.org website used to have some really useful expansions of the methods. My favorite is describing advancement as a series of surmountable obstacles. It isn't about Eagle, it is about persistance. That is still on the site as part of a (bilingual) PDF:

http://ww w.scouting.org/filestore/hispanic/pdf/521-042.pdf

There is one other list that is part of Scouting, the promises that Scouting makes to the boy. These aren't as central, but I like them because they are from the viewpoint of the boy. These are on page 1 of the 11th edition Handbook. In the 12th edition, they've been shortened, turned into questions, and moved to page 13. Still, a great list. I've used these for the Scoutmaster Minute at an Eagle Court of Honor.

Also, I am a "librarian" on the goodreads.com site. I recently updated the listing for your book, and I'd appreciate any corrections.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9634895-working-the-patrol-method

I'm still reading it, so I'll hold off on a review.

Walter Underwood
Venture ASM, Troop 14, Palo Alto, CA

[Author's Reply: Walter - Thanks for your comments. We're honored that a Librarian is taking the time to go through our book. We're sure you're right that Ronald Reagan was not the first to come up with "There's no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn't mind who gets the credit." However, it was one of Reagan's favorite quotes and he had a plaque on his desk that said this! - The Four Eagles]

This is an excellent book for those involved in the Boy Scout program. I wish I could convince every adult in our troop to read it. We have struggled with improving the patrol method in the troop for a couple of years now, and I think the ideas presented in this book will really help us move forward.

The leadership yarns in the book are especially helpful. My husband has been using them as Scoutmaster minutes at troop meetings to illustrate to our youth what our goal is. They seem to really like listening to the stories of other Scouts who are facing the same issues they are and I think are picking up many ideas.

For more details about about all of the great information in this book and how it applies to our particular troop, you can see my (rather lengthy) five part review.

Amazing! The author's mention in the forward that "this guide is just a starting point" and urges the readers to move forward to get training to eventually get their Wood Badge beads. As someone who has been through Wood Badge, this book should be required reading for anyone who wants or currently wears the Trained strip. (Aww...heck required reading for all leaders both youth and adult.) I would even suggest that this book should be a prerequisite for attending Wood Badge.

The "yarns" are right on target and could easily stand along side B-P's. I sure if "Green Bar" Bill would even approve of the training delivered here.

I really hope the four Eagles consider a follow-up book because I will be first in line to get it.

I just finished reading this book as part of my Wood Badge ticket. I have to hand it to the authors that they nailed it. I was inspired to know I'm doing some things right, but I also learned a ton of things that will help my unit.

As a new Scoutmaster I'm constantly trying to learn everything I can to help my Scouts. This book is a must read for any Scouter, but especially for those of us just starting out. You get the proper foundation built to run a top notch program.

My most humble thanks to the authors that put so much time into making this book. Your format and words of wisdom were truly inspiring. You have given so much back to Scouting and everyone that reads this will benefit from your hard work.

I bought the hardcopy version despite the high price because your book was highly recommended by a Scoutmaster I have great respect for. Please consider producing an ebook version: you could,I think, dramatically increase the number of Scouters and Scouts your ideas reach by reducing the price to well under $10. I make this recommendation on the assumption you are in this to improve Scouting by impacting as many of our youth and adult leaders as possible.

Thanks for all the time and effort you have invested in Scouting and the youth of America.

[Authors' Reply: Thank you Bill for the great insights. Our mission has always been to impact as many of our youth and adult leaders as possible. This is why we had Working the Patrol Method professionally typeset and printed: to give our readers the best possible quality book. We're looking into producing a Kindle edition which will require an additional investment on our part. - The Four Eagles]

It's about time!

Working the Patrol Method a Scout leader's guide to youth leaderhip training is the best work on the patrol method since 'Green Bar' Bill Hillcourt's Handbook for Patrol Leaders last published in 1965 or Baden Powell's Aids to Scoutmastership originally published in 1920.

Authors Rob Faris,Ted Knight and Harry Wimbrough have created an indispensable tool for understanding, implementing and maintaining Scouting's centrally important concept, the patrol, in the 21st century.

Central principles are llustrated by yarns (stories) that narrate the common challenges of leadership and explained using Baden-Powell's founding vision, Green-Bar Bill Hillcourt's writings and relevant thoughts from prominent leaders. Any scout leader is sure to gain immediale, practical knowledge for improving their application of the patrol method.

Applying the patrol method is a perrennial challenge for all of us, indeed it is the subject of much of the Scoutmaster blog and podcast. I cannot reccomend Working the Patrol Method strongly enough - an essential tool for every Scoutmaster and adult leader.

You can listen to an interview with Rob Faris and Harry Wimbrough in Scoutmaster Podcast 40.
http:// www.scoutmastercg.com/2010/10/scoutmaster-podcast-40/

Fantastic book: Well written, useful and right to the point. The authors have much wisdom to impart and they do it from a readable, useful perspective.

LEADERSHIP...there is nothing new under the sun to read about leadership, especially for Scouters. If you've read The Art of War, BPs Aids To Scoutmastership, anything by Reagan, Ike or Green Bar Bill then you know all there is to know about good leadership. Our Founder put it all out there in his simple book and Green Bar Bill spent thousands of pages refining it, and a good Scouter has read them all (or most of them). So why do we need yet another book on Scout Leadership? We don't, what we do need is a manual to help bring those leadership lessons and Scout values written so long ago to the 21st Century. That is exactly what WORKING THE PATROL METHOD does.

Four Eagle Scouts got together and took all the lessons they learned as Scouts and Scouters. Took Baden Powell's Patrol Method, added Green Bar Bill's Woods' Wisdom and presented it in a way that should speak to your current Boy Scout. Scouting is 100 years old, and it is amazing that the organization's base values have remained unchanged and the methods by which it is presented have as well. The Boy, however, has not. He is exposed to many things much earlier then we were, he knows much more than we did and his brain works in ways never thought of back in our day.

WORKING THE PATROL METHOD really takes the lessons we have all learned as Scouters and presents it in a way that should work well with your Boy Scouts. I just finished our TLT and have been wanting to update it for the past year and this is exactly what I was thinking about. Not so much a 'talking down' to the youth but a 'speaking in their language' what we want to teach them. The book could translate very well into a syllabus for a Training Weekend and even gives some example agendas at the end of the book. It breaks down big elements of leadership into easily taught, easily remembered smaller bites. It introduces some simple concepts we sometimes overlook: What To Write Down, or Being a Good Follower. I really love the concept of "The Why" and have already started incorporating it into the next PLC Meeting as part of my SM Minute. The "Leadership Yarns" are a nice touch and excellent working example of the lesson at hand. You can really see the 150+ years of Scouting experience it took to write this book.

This book should be a must read for any Scouter who works directly with the Scouts. You can learn a lot that you can apply to your dealings with them and get many lessons to pass long and seem a bit wiser then you really are :)

Run, don't walk to www.scoutleadership.com and purchase one for yourself. Then add another to give as a gift. While you are at it, you might want to get a few more copies for your Troop Committee. They're not getting mine, it's already dog-eared and marked up!