One of the achievements that I am proudest of from my childhood is achieving the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America. From the time that a young boy enters Scouting, the goal of becoming an Eagle Scout is set and everything that is done is, in some way, designed to help a boy get to Eagle.

The path to Eagle essentially begins at the Tenderfoot rank. I remember when the requirements for Tenderfoot seemed so daunting! It started with learning how to tie a square knot, and as simple as the knot is, I had to remind myself “right over left-left over right” to avoid tying a “granny knot” which is not nearly as useful as a square knot.

Then I learned more knots like the bowline, taut-line hitch, two-half hitches and the sheet bend. We’d practice the knots a ton during meetings then we would use what we learned in real-world situations, like securing our own tents, or to put up a flagpole, or in a first aid situation. Often times we’d get it right and sometimes we’d get it wrong!Off by "Miles"-But Still OkayOne of the things we did a lot was orienteering with a map and compass. We’d start at a certain spot and the goal was to end up at a specific location, following a set of instructions and compass coordinates. One time my partner and I went through the course and finished at our spot-we thought we nailed it! Our Scoutmaster came by, informed us that we ended up in the wrong spot and if we were in a real-life situation, we would have been off by miles! We laughed about it-we were also glad we weren’t in a situation where we had to rely on our compass skills. Then we set out to figure out where we went wrong, so that the next time we would do a little better ... which we did. We were allowed to apply what we had learned-given the opportunity to test our mettle-given permission to fail and encouraged to try and try again until we succeeded-all while being guided by someone else who already walked where we wanted to go. When I started as a brand new Boy Scout I couldn’t even tie one knot and becoming an Eagle Scout seemed so far away. With the guidance of many and a path to be able to follow, by the time I became an Eagle Scout, I felt confident that I could set up a good campsite, cook a great meal, use an ax properly, survive in the wilderness if I got stranded or save someone’s life and tie all of those knots! Freedom to ExplorePerhaps one of the most important things I realized, in looking back is this:I was taught well and then given the freedom to explore and discover what I could do, with what I was taught. To develop a leadership culture you need to:

Teach your people well

Create a development plan for your people: As a Scout we were given specific requirements we had to meet to be able to qualify for the next rank-that way we knew exactly where we stood on the journey to Eagle. Your people would benefit from the same thing.

Provide opportunities for your people to live out what they’ve been taught: Start small-you obviously don’t want your leasing consultant who has been on the job for two months working on budgets, and then build more responsibilities and challenges that build upon each other.

Give your people the freedom to spread their wings and discover what they can do! There comes a time when you have to relinquish control of a project or a responsibility, to enable your people to step up.

Believe in your people until they believe in themselves...and then believe in them more!

I could never have become an Eagle Scout on my own-I needed a whole troop running with me, teaching me, motivating me and (sometimes) kicking me to get me there. The same is true for you and your people on your professional journey! So grab a pocketknife and do some work! Read the other articles in this series!Part OnePart Two "Apples"Part Four-Passing the Torch

I totally agree with Eagle and I would like to thank Rommel for sharing such an informative blog with us. I hope these above points will definitely help to develop a culture that enriches the leadership. I think developing a leadership culture is the key constituent in the organizations' potentiality to develop year over year. Yup, it is not something which can be executed, rather it is developed by taking the indispensable steps and plunging in the time and riches that are needed to produce leaders not only at the peak level but also throughout the establishment.

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Rommel Anacan

I am a national speaker, trainer, and strategic consultant to companies and organizations. I'm alsothe president and founder of The Relationship Difference a professional and personal development company in Orange County, California.

My passion is helping people succeed by helping them connect, communicate and engage with the people around them more effectively.

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