Are we doing more damage than good?

(The thoughts reflected here are based on the BB Malaysia context and not of the BB in other parts of world)

Recently several cases have caused me to ponder the overall direction of the BB and if we are truly making the impact we've set out to do.. or if we could in fact be paving the way for the demise of lives.

One of BB's greatest strength's - loyalty - is also turning out to be one of it's greatest flaws. I suppose it is good to cultivate a sense of loyalty which comes with values like commitment, sacrifice, interest and passion which are things good for them to have in their future workplaces, families and so on.. so by most counts, this strength on it's own is not a bad thing. But if our members overemphasis on loyalty, like say, giving up a life decision for BB - this becomes destructive. Surely we cannot be teaching our members to be more committed to BB rather than their work or family.. but in some instances, that appears to be the case.

There is a root cause to that - all companies aspire to be bigger. To do that, you need more officers to take up positions, manage programs, to give personal care to our members and so on. With this knowledge, we mastermind how to retain or create a higher pool of office. While in some cases we are able to recruit non-rank and file officers, the default mindset is to prepare our members and NCOs from the rank-and-file to become officers in the future. This is achieve through instilling a strong sense of loyalty. Though this itself is not wrong, there is a potential danger in what seeds we sow. If it has reached a level where our members think "BB is life!" or "I don't want to be anywhere else but here in BB", we as responsible officers should start being worried.

We do not want to train our members, or future officers to be fanatic BB drones - we want them to be effective leaders in their workplaces.. people who can bring a positive impact to society and most of all, shine the Light. Unfortunately, in some cases our hunger for more members and to retain officers at all cost has significantly hampered their lives. We have become too protective on our members, barring them from trying out other activities beside BB, where in companies where this problem persist, BB is not a once a week event, but probably 3-4 times (unofficially) a week. To enforce this further, we punish our members who are "irregular" by decreasing their chances for promotion and creating an environment where if one is to do well in BB, they truly need to give up everything.. or resign. There are even companies discouraging their members from thinking through round, after round of punishments (into the thousands).. and the end objective is to make them understand that "an officers word is final".

Shouldn't we be encouraging our members to get out there.. perhaps joins other societies, church/CF programs, go for their friends birthday parties and so on - rather than always locking them in on their BB parades. Perhaps the interest, skill or experience God wants them to gain is not in the BB? I'm sad to see that some of our members struggle with reality when they hit tertiary education and fare even worse in work (assuming they only have BB as part of their lives).. but that is hardly surprising when BB is all they have known, isn't it?

Here's a real-life situation of what typically happens:
There is this person who has graduated from a local university, but is not able to get a job (yet). He has spent most of his time in BB, serving diligently and is well love by his offices for his enthusiasm and participation in all BB activities. The problem is that in his career line, he should have done internships during his holidays. Internships are typically 2-3 months long in most industries but he has never done any because he has choose to spend his time in the BB.. and in some cases through the insistence of the officers/captain. Because he has nothing to show for, he can't get the job he wants. So who's fault is it? His officers for urging him to come back on Saturdays? Or himself for his unquestionable loyalty to the BB?

I had a chat with a friend years ago.. young officer and nice chap. He was a proud BB member - but that's all he knew about. He was sure that if one came from the BB and did well, many organisations will hire - especially as a BB members reputation for loyalty is well known. I was quick to drop the bombshell on him. If I were an interviewer and the person hiring, I will most likely not hire a BB member if that's all they've ever joined.. regardless if they're Sergeants or Staff Sergeants with a President's Badge. Not being exposed to how other organisatiosn function, no prior job experience.. not even casual/part-time experience.. probably no interpersonal skills (BB is very command and control. This is far worse in companies with both Boys and Girls, which then to behave superficially) and most of all - no life! Seriously, I would not want to hire a person with such limited personality.

(Having said all that, I have to note that BB members who are loyal and are also active in other activities do stunningly well in their careers and have a huge network of friends and contacts. Unfortunately, these are also those who normally receive hell from officers for "dividing their attention" between BB and anything else).

Though what I'm reflection on could only be the based of certain individuals (and surely a small percentage of members going through our ranks will not do too terrificly in life), there is still a responsible need to analyse if there was anything we could have done to prevent the worst from happening.. or discover if the current BB program has actually contributed to it. It also must be said that smaller companies seldom have a choice when it comes to the need to enforce this sense of loyalty - if the company only has 2-3 officers.. the situation is more desperate and their actions cannot be taken out of context.

This is something we need pondering upon.

The straightforward answer is that we need to allow our members some flexibility - let them do other things once in a while - let them take leave, not too often, but enough to at least try something different and to spend time with the non-BB peers. Perhaps when a member comes to a time closer to their careers, encourage them to do that all important internship and force him too if he doesn't.

The easiest to do is to remember what BB is about - building the leaders of tomorrow. Officers must remember the BB Object and readjust if there has been deviation. This must be dealt with some amount of importance as these are lives we are dealing with.