The basic Blue Knights Club is focused on a Dad and Son relationship. The purpose is very simple: To provide the opportunity for Fathers to evangelize their sons. At RCA Atlanta we Dads agreed to take this a step further, and provide the boys age and experience appropriate opportunities to practice leadership skills.
Our youngest Knights are the privates, just as they are in every army in the world. As privates they learn the ways of the organization, and develop the humility to follow other boys direction. In some cases this may mean a boy may accepts direction from a child younger than he, but in the program longer! This reflects the real world, where we work with people of all ages at various states of authority over us.
Last year I provided small tasks to various boys to complete as part of their leadership training. At the end of the year designated the two 7th Graders as Lieutenants and two fourth year 4th graders as Sergeants for the year. The LTs participated in planning the year, and run the game with our Teen Mentor. The Sergeants handle room set up, uniform inspection, and share in the ceremonial duties. Their biggest task will be coming up soon as I direct them to prepare for the scheduled school maintenance day with Mr. Zakis. This will help RCA Atlanta prior to our open house.
A key component of leadership with these Blue Knights to take the humility we learned as new knights and incorporate it into our leadership. Leaders know their capabilities, and look for people to help them. We are not expected to be experts on everything. Each of us has talents given to us by God. Yet we all know our talents are not equal in every task. A good leader knows how to maximize strengths and minimize weaknesses of himself and his team. In this way the team always has the best chance of success.
This understanding of leadership also plays into the understanding of personal temperaments taught at RCA. Just as individuals must learn to balance themselves to become more centered, so must a leader balance his team’s temperament and experience to make it stronger in the face of a challenge. This also means a leader will be expected to kindly help their team members grow where they are weak when needed through appropriate encouragement. This takes patience, kindness and toughness in appropriate measure.
We Dad’s are taking this one step at a time, but fulfilling our own intent of raising boys to men well versed in virtuous living and leadership for our fallen world.
-ehw
St Michael's Blue Knights 