Crew Chief (Crew Leader) Selection
The Crew Chief (Crew Leader) selection is the responsibility of the youth members of the crew. And what an important responsibility it is! They need time to see all their crew mates in action before making their choice. Every youth member of the crew should get a chance to lead. During your crew training you will find that very new criteria come into play in the selection of the right person to be your Philmont Crew Chief. So even if all your crew members come from the same troop, it will not be clear who should lead until all are given a chance. Often the Scout that looked to be the best selection in January is not seen as having the right stuff in May.
So go slow with this Crew Chief selection process. It is very important. Let all the Scouts, young and old, try their hand at leading the crew. All, especially the advisors, will be surprised at the leadership qualities that surface, or don't surface. Selecting the right Crew Chief will be your crew's most important decision. And that decision will be with you and your crew, for good or not so good, the entire trek.
A successful Philmont experience is absolutely dependent on finding the right youth leader. We strongly recommend your crew hold off on final selection until just before the Watchu Mountain Adventure in May. As crew advisor you should provide coaching as the crew works to find their leader. However, in the end it is the youth members of the crew, not the advisors, who select the Crew Chief.