Leadership Myth #5 (of 5) - You have to be a charismatic, extrovert to lead.

(this is the fifth of 5 daily posts expanding on the recent blog post by John Erdman)

Myth #5 - You have to be a charismatic, extrovert to lead.
Reality #5 - Leadership comes in many styles, all of which have the potential to be effective.
Just look at the diversity of summer camp. Everyone is different, and to the kids... everyone is a rock star!

Leadership Myth #4 (of 5) - Your staff is here to support you.

(this is the fourth of 5 daily posts expanding on the recent blog post by John Erdman)
Myth #4 - Your staff is here to support you.
In corporate america, many of my supervisors lived this message. Many of us were at their beck-and-call, and it was not seen as an appropriate use of their time to train, answer questions, or be interrupted with things...

Reality #4 - Leadership is about being a servant, supporting your staff and helping them succeed.
What a great example of servant leadership I now have in Dave Wright and the other leaders of Camp Tecumseh. I can't tell you the number of times I've seen these great Camp Directors bend over to pick up a piece of trash as they walk the grounds... this is one of the things we encourage campers to do, and the example to follow comes straight from the top. Living out servant leadership is one of the best parts of this organization. Just last night I watched (and joined in) as staff served the board of directors. Anything imaginable from running to the kitchen for a missing utensil, to managing and preparing their binders (and lugging the boxes of them back to the office)... everything was done with a focus on our guests in camp.

Leadership Myth #3 (of 5) - As a a leader you should have all the answers

(this is the third of 5 daily posts expanding on the recent blog post by John Erdman)


Myth #3 - As a a leader you should have all the answers

Reality #3 - Leaders know their limits, admit what they don't know and aren't afraid to ask for help.

Leadership Myth #2 (of 5) - Leadership can't be taught, it's a personality trait.

(this is the second of 5 daily posts expanding on the recent blog post by John Erdman)

Myth #2 - Leadership can't be taught, it's a personality trait.
There are all sorts of Camp Leaders. Some are quiet and strong, others are loud and crazy. Each is important. There is no one personality trait that defines "a good leader".

Reality #2 - Leadership is a set of skills and behaviors that can be learned.
What are some of the skills and behaviors that make someone the best camp leader? I recently took a poll on facebook, and here are some of the responsibilities from the greatest camp counselors in the world:

• Get campers to wake up
• Set expectations for camper behavior (then handle inappropriate behavior)
• Recognize positive behavior
• Dry homesick tears
• Love unconditionally
• Kill any unwanted spiders (or at least get someone else to do it...)
• Figure out a way to make everything fun
• Make every kid feel special
• Show 15 year olds that they are in fact "not too cool"
• Answer upwards of around 100 questions a day
• Teach and show campers that there is no such thing as "can't" only "won't"

How many of these things are something you have done already? How many were abilities you born with and were able to do at age 4, 12, or 17? You can learn to do these, and so many more. Given the right support from your peers and other camp leadership... you can be a leader and make a great impact on kids this summer!

Leadership Myth #1 (of 5) - Your position as camp director makes you a leader.

(this is the first of 5 daily posts expanding on the recent blog post by John Erdman)
Myth #1 - Your position as camp director makes you a leader.

I am quickly coming up on my 1-year anniversary as the Director of Camper Support at Camp Tecumseh YMCA. When I start to tell people my position and what I do, most will say "Oh, so you are the camp director? What a great position for you and your family!"

Reality #1 - You become a leader by developing the trust, confidence and commitment of your staff.

The truth is that I don't run programming and I don't manage a staff. My commitment right now is to the amazing family of Camp Tecumseh supporters (donors) and by extension through their blessings and generosity the campers who receive "Camperships".

How do I develop trust, confidence, and commitment in this group of people? Some times it is difficult to remember that the daily actions I take are the ones building these values. There is no "end state" where I define success... but rather an ongoing commitment to take steps each and every day.

Trust is built over time through accountability. There are two factors that immediately come to mind with this: Acknowledgement of gifts, and Ongoing Reporting. Thank-you letters and acknowledgement of gifts needs to be automatic. For me, there isn't a question at this point of "whether" I will handle this for each gift... but rather "when". My commitment is to get a heart-felt thank you and acknowledgement into the mail within 24-48 hours of each gift being received. Period.

For repeat gifts (monthly, etc) a system is in place to make sure each gift is acknowledged but a year-end mailing is developed to give the donor a "one page" view of their annual support for tax deduction purposes.

Confidence through continued success.
Camp has a long history of success in fundraising. My goal is to continue to expand upon that in the Annual Fund in 2012 through new events like Brackets for Good and Project 441. Our Annual Making a Difference Fund will continue to make sure that camp experiences are available to some of the kids who need them most.

Commitment through relationships.
Developing commitment is a new experience for me. In my previous roles as a financial analyst, my relationships were mostly predetermined. A manager in my area of purview would use my support services to help them with budgeting and forecasting. Now, it is left to my discretion which relationships to pursue and where to devote my time.

Photo Data Fun

I set up my trail camera again the other day, and captured this great series of sunrise shots:
1 - Dawn (with my arm on the right)


2 - Sun just coming into frame


3 - Sun just before it leaves the trees


4 - Beautiful Blue Sky


5 - Kids out playing (tripped the motion sensor)


What do you think... these are unedited shots. Could I make them better with some quick color or cropping adjustments?

Third try's the charm?

So, it's April 3rd. Have you ever tried waking yourself up on a certain day of each month with a specific thought? I've made different attempts at this over the years, with varying success.

First I tried "good luck on the first of the month", and I'd try to wake up and say to myself "white rabbit" three times. Apparently there is an old superstition about this, and the most common modern version states that a person should say “white rabbits” upon waking on the first day of each new month, and on doing so will receive good luck for the duration of that month. I'd often wake up and stumble through the getting ready process, not remembering it was officially a new month until well after my first couple cups of coffee.



The next was to wake up and note the day of my birth (the 10th) each month in an attempt to mark time for myself. I would review my goals, hold myself accountable to some level of progress, and push myself for continuous improvement.

Today I set up a new reminder system, so that on the 3rd of every month I wake up and the first thing I think is "I'm Third". While I make every attempt to live out this motto every day, I want to put this stake in the ground each month. I want to remember to wake up to this thought more often and a monthly reminder will be my way of developing this habit.