Rancis finds Boy Scouts to have good ROI
BOULDER — Like most businessmen, Art Rancis wants a good return on his investment. This is a big reason for his involvement with the Boy Scouts of America in Boulder.
Boy Scouts don’t sell stocks, or cookies for that matter — which is unfortunate because those Peanut Butter Patties are a GREAT return on investment, whether you are buying or selling — but they do offer leadership, Rancis said.
Leadership, in a way, is what Rancis does for a living. He is, essentially, CEO or CFO for hire who fills those roles when companies need someone to step in when those people leave, either expectingly or otherwise. Sony, for instance, hires him every couple of years to fill an important space in the company.
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“There’s very few of us around,” Rancis said of his hired-gun profession, something he’s done since 2011. “But succession planning doesn’t always happen automatically.”
He’s led companies, temporarily, from all traits, as diverse as start-ups to huge corporations such as Samsung. He credits his flexibility to the Boy Scouts, which taught him trades as he worked to earn enough merit badges to make Eagle Scout, the organization’s highest honor. When he recently needed some plumbing done, he saved $300 by doing it himself, something he learned many years ago through earning a badge.
He got involved because his father was a scout leader. That’s where he got his philosophy of giving to charity. Rancis doesn’t expect an ROI on all his giving. He will donate money. But he prefers to donate time because of how it pays forward, he said. The Scouts, for instance, rely on the time of other trade workers and business leaders to teach skills to the kids to earn badges. Those kids later will volunteer hours of their time to become an Eagle Scout and even complete a major community project as one of the final requirements.
“You collect all these little experiences in life,” Rancis said.
These experiences help turn scouts into leaders. Rancis is especially proud that several hundred girls also obtained Eagle Scout status this year: He’d like to see more leadership opportunities for young girls.
He would also like to see more parents involved.
“Parents mistakenly leave it to their child’s first employer to provide leadership education,” he said. “While some do, this can’t be depended on, and this results in a low (return on investment).”
Rancis leads the annual Longs Peak Council fundraiser, the Boulder Distinguished Citizen Award Dinner, which was virtual in July thanks to COVID-19. He also prefers to volunteer his time and work as a mentor. He’s judged car shows and many other community tasks, and he is a longtime board member (since 2010) for the University of Colorado Leeds School of Business
“Time is almost more valuable than money,” he said. “Leading by example causes more people to get involved. Other people start to catch on.”
