It goes without saying that being involved in Scouting as a youth played an important role in my upbringing. I learned the Scout Motto “Be Prepared”, the Scout Law, the Scout Oath and many other important life doctrines. I went on to earn the Eagle Scout rank, earned by less than 4% of all who enter Scouting. I point this out because even to this day the rules and lessons I learned then still apply.

I was explaining our philosophy over the Thanksgiving Holiday for property management and I found myself extolling the Scout Motto. Essentially, we are supposed to be prepared for when things go wrong. Unexpected work orders, a tree falling, dealing with vacancies, working on payment arrangements, etc. We develop plans for dealing with the unexpected before the emergency hits. Then we can be more effective because we have a plan already.

When we used to camp out, the rule was “Leave noTrace Behind”. In other words, leave the camp site not only like you found it but better. Pick up the trash that others left behind. Look for ways to make the experience better for the next person.

We apply that principle now when one tenant moves out and before the next tenant moves in. We try to address simple maintenance items so that we avoid more costly issues later. How? We clear a/c condensate drain lines, we make sure smoke alarms are current, we change out aerators on faucets, we add caulking to better insulate the home, we trim bushes and trees and more. And because we can do these things in house, we generally can accomplish these items at minimal costs.

As I work with my son who has earned the Life Rank and is just a few requirements shy of his Eagle Scout rank, I see he is also internalizing these lessons. I look forward to seeing how he will put those lessons to work as an adult. You never know how what we learn as kids will help guide us as adults.