Lord Baden Powell, the founder of our movement, believed that leadership was not a natural skill, but one that could be taught and mastered through practice. Accordingly, one of the main objectives of scouting is to train it's youth members as leaders. To advance in rank, all scouts need to actively serve in leadership positions. In Troop 480, boys are elected to key positions twice a year and serve for a period of six months. Some leadership positions (typically 'assistant' type posts) are obtained by appointment by elected youth, while other jobs are filled through volunteer efforts.