DRAFT: not yet reviewed or approved by Win. Remove this banner before publishing.

What an Eagle Scout Badge Taught Me About Leading a Business

By Win Jeanfreau

I've founded 12 companies over more than 30 years in manufacturing, technology, financial services, and education. People sometimes ask where I learned to lead. They expect me to name my MBA or a mentor in a corner office. The honest answer starts earlier, on a campout, as a Boy Scout working toward Eagle.

[NEEDS WIN: one short personal memory from your Scouting years or your Eagle project]

Lesson 1: Leadership is service you can see

An Eagle project isn't about the Scout. You plan it, you recruit the help, and you answer for the result, but someone else benefits. Every good company I've built has worked the same way. Kameleon International, my vending franchise company, grew into 10 states. What I'm proudest of is that we kept 100% franchisee longevity. We built the system so the franchisees could win, and when they won, we won.

Lesson 2: Teach, then step back

Later I served as a Scoutmaster in three different places and as a BSA council member. As a Scoutmaster you learn quickly that the boys don't need you to do it for them. They need you to teach the skill, trust them with it, and be there when it goes sideways.

That same instinct runs through the work I'm proudest of in economic development. At Utah Valley University's Business Resource Center, our job wasn't to run anyone's business. It was to give owners the tools. Over three years that work supported more than $20 million in capital for local businesses and helped create 143 jobs. The credit belongs to the owners who did the work.

Lesson 3: Be prepared means having a checklist

"Be Prepared" sounds simple until you're responsible for other people. I'm a private pilot with single-engine, high-performance, and complex ratings. I also serve as a Captain in the Civil Air Patrol's Utah Wing, Phantom Squadron. In aviation, preparation isn't a feeling. It's a checklist you run every time, even when you've flown the route a hundred times.

Businesses need the same discipline. As a certified Franklin Covey 4 Disciplines of Execution trainer, I teach leaders to pick the few goals that matter most. Then they track the leading measures every week and hold each other accountable on a regular cadence. It's the Scout checklist, scaled up.

Lesson 4: Character compounds

Scouting gave me a code before it gave me a career. Trustworthy comes first on that list for a reason. Deals, partnerships, and teams all run on it. Over three decades I've learned that skills get you in the door, but character decides whether anyone wants you back.

[NEEDS WIN: one or two sentences on how faith and family shape the way you lead today]

Passing it on

I still believe the best leadership training in America happens around a campfire with a patient adult and a handful of kids who are about to surprise themselves. If you're a business owner, go find your local troop, Civil Air Patrol squadron, or Junior Achievement chapter and volunteer. You'll give more than you expect, and you'll learn more than you give.