The summer season for me ended last week when the week of my final camp ended. Last week I put together my third annual Harry Potter Camp. In all the years that I have worked in recreation and camping I have never gotten the kind of praise from campers and parents that I have received from this particular camp, all three summers. This year I worked on this camp for weeks prior to the camp, and the preparation for each day took most of the afternoon and evening of the previous day. In fact, on Thursday I pulled an all-nighter to make sure everything was ready for the final day. Last week I put in 84 hours. I don’t tell you this to impress you but to impress upon you the power of passion.
When a co-worker of mine said to me, “You’re working another weekend? You’re camp is going to be amazing. You’re making the rest of us look bad”, I thought to myself, “Why aren’t you doing the same with for your camp.” The problem is not that his camp was sub-par, the kids at his camp loved it. It’s that his camp was a typical city recreation camp. That’s not a bad thing, but it’s not necessarily a good thing either.
Some of us are willing to go that extra mile to create a magical, unforgettable experience. Most of these type of people work in a for-profit company (private camps, creating haunted houses, in the design department of Disney, the film industry, special events companies, hotels, resorts, etc.) making a lot more money than I do. I am a salaried employee, so I don’t get paid extra if I work additional hours, if I get more campers then last year, if the campers and parents love it rather than just like it. In other words I don’t work harder than others because of the paycheck, I do it because it’s who I am – a people pleasing, creative person that has a career he absolutely LOVES!
Parks and Recreation Programs – Are they substandard?
Did you participate in city recreation programs as a kid, teen or even as an adult? If you were to ask a random person which organization has better youth programs, YMCAs, local parks and recreation departments, for-profit organizations or schools, how do you think parks and recreation departments would fair? The general public see local recreation programs as a low-cost alternative to better programs. Why? Because they usually are. I am trying to change that perception in our area. Are you?
The Right Staff
Having the right staff is key. Okay, it’s one of the keys. Management, culture, budget and facilities can also make or break your programming.
This week we are hiring some new recreation leaders/specialists and I began thinking about what it is that we should be looking for in an employee. Personally, I want someone who will go that extra mile. Of course, most applicants will tell you that they will, but the sad truth is they won’t. It’s not that they don’t have good intentions, it’s that they are one or more of the following; lazy, shy, in the wrong job, intimidated, unsure, bitter, resentful, unhappy, not aligned with your mission, inexperienced, in need of guidance, direction or assistance, unmotivated, indifferent, a slow starter, uncreative, etc. None of these traits make them bad people and usually it’s not their fault if they possess them, but the fact remains that this career is not for everyone.
Therefore, I decided that I should look for people who are:
- Passionate about the work we do.
- Passionate about creating new programs and improving current programs.
- Dedicated to making the happiness of the kids and parents their priority.
- Experienced (or at least highly motivated to learn)
- Happy
- Confident
- Open to Guidance (ready to be a good apprentice)
- Creative
Current Staff
When my co-worker, in so many words, said that my passion and dedication was making him look bad it stayed with me for a while. Why didn’t he have the same passion. I realized that he was in the wrong place, doing the wrong job. He has skills in certain areas that are not being utilized properly. He should be creating and running sports programs, not cooking camps and after school art classes. He should be working with young adults, not tots and elementary ages.
- Are you meeting the needs of your staff?
- Is there passion being stifled because of the needs of the department?
- Is there some restructuring that needs to happen?
Restructuring
When I first got into recreation I monitored facilities for rental groups. I was able to do my homework and the job suited my needs very well. Since then I have been a camp counselor, ropes course director, camp director, trainer, teen specialist, taught magic, drama and a number of other classes, done a host of marketing jobs for camps and recreation departments, worked with all ages from 4-90 and much much more. As recreation professionals we wear many hats.
The thing is that our interests change. I don’t want to monitor facilities or work with tots. I currently enjoy designing and running summer camps, public speaking, writing, marketing and training. These are the things I am passionate about and for the good of our organization these are the things I should be doing. Of course, to change my duties would take some restructuring of the department. That may or may not happen.
What I am trying to say is that if your department has talented staff that are bored, unchallenged and disinterested think about what they are good at, what their skill set is and what they are interested in. Then take into account the needs of the other staff, the department and the community and see if a little restructuring can improve things.
