Leadership remains one of the most discussed but elusive concepts across all sectors of life. We all desire to be better leaders; however, because there is no ultimate set of skills or dispositions that totally define effective leadership, it is a continuous process of development we all desire. The skills and dispositions employed will vary based on the circumstances we are presented with, including the formal or informal philosophy and desired outcomes of the agency or setting in which we are working. Every setting is different and it may require a different set of skills.
The above discussion notwithstanding, we believe there is a basic set of skills and dispositions that define effective leadership in the public park and recreation field. As a service profession dedicated to the betterment of the community and our constituent groups, we embrace the concept of servant leadership where the focus is on the growth and well-being of the people and communities we serve.
According to Joanne Ciulla, a leading scholar in leadership studies, “Leadership is not a person or a position; it is a complex moral relationship between people, based on trust, obligation, commitment, emotion and a shared vision of the good.” Josh Kuehler, president of Internal Consistency, defines leadership as the “ability to inspire motivation in others to move toward a desirable vision.” And, many years ago, American businessman and founder of Firestone Tires, Harvey S. Firestone stated: “The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership.” All of these definitions have similar themes and fit well with the philosophy and goals of our profession.
While, as Kuehler points out, “management is focused on tasks,” leadership is about building relationships, motivating and inspiring, empowering and building people. These are core skills of servant leadership, and they help us more effectively work with our constituent groups in public parks and recreation.
These are not “soft skills” as some might believe. They are easy to say and promote but hard to achieve. Microsoft’s co-founder, Bill Gates, stated it best: “As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.” We have broken down this discussion of leadership into four primary constituent groups:
- Consumers who use our facilities and parks and/or enroll and participate in our programs
- Employees and volunteers at all levels of the organization
- Partners including other government agencies, not-for-profit organizations and private businesses
- Legal authorities, including boards, commissions and elected officials
Other groups could be established, but these are four major groups we all encounter in public recreation and park systems. To effectively work with each of them, we must possess the technical knowledge and skills associated with our job responsibilities. However, technical competence does not determine effective leadership. The “hard skills” identified herein are the more critical skills for promoting effective leadership in our profession. So, how do we effectively work with these constituent groups?
Effectively Working with Our Consumers
Whether they are children, youth, young adults or seniors, working with our consumers is all about relationship building and establishing a true sense of understanding and empathy. If you cannot understand where someone is coming from, then you have no idea what they truly want and need. Taking the time to listen, building a consumer-friendly atmosphere, being responsive to their needs, and not focusing on procedures and rules, but rather on addressing consumer concerns, are the mechanisms for creating positive consumer relationships.
We need to move beyond only offering technically well-developed programs, expecting that people will participate and be satisfied. By focusing more on the needs of the individual, family and group, we move away from the “usual and traditional” program and service ideas, and focus more on the special, niche areas that will impact lives. What’s needed is more prescriptive programming that directly addresses consumer needs. This not only will create a better sense of understanding of what we really do, but also will enhance our relationship with and the overall support of our consumers.
When community members better understand that parks and recreation directly impact the quality of their lives and community (addresses and supports health and a healthy lifestyle, supports a healthy environment, focuses on critical social issues and advocates for social equity), then it is hard for them not to support all that we stand for. Community members want to know that we hear them. They want to be engaged. They desire that we build programs and services with them and not just for them.
To engage our consumers and the broader community is a time-consuming process, but the overall outcome is worth it. If we can create a community of consumer partners that feels engaged and supported, then we will fulfill our mission and will have much more support for what we do. Listen, learn and then plan!
Effectively Working with Our Employees and Volunteers
Our employees and volunteers are our most valuable asset, and they need to know we care about them as individuals, not just as employees. Building their leadership capacity through continuous training and opportunities to be involved in the decision-making process will create a positive work environment and a greater sense of loyalty. Training needs to be focused on their individual assets, which will help to promote their success at work as well as with their families and communities. It is important that we stress the seven Cs — compassion, creativity, collaboration, communication, conflict resolution, compromise and critical thinking — in supporting and enhancing our workforce. Again, the more we listen and learn, the more we will encourage their leadership development.
Providing more opportunities for them to expand and share their creativity will also enhance morale and a positive work environment. Many employees and volunteers have great insights and ideas, and we need to encourage them to share those thoughts and pursue their ideas within the context of their work responsibilities.
Further, promoting and encouraging collaboration is critical to our survival. Our performance evaluation system must encourage collaboration and direct communication among our workforce rather than competition. Many times, text or email messages are not the best form of communication, especially when trying to promote a collaborative effort. Conflict is inevitable, so we must prepare our workforce to deal with it. They must learn the art of compromise, finding the commonalities, not the differences.
Finally, promote working smarter, not harder. Critical thinking skills are most important in our world. Foster problem-solving behavior and teach employees how to analyze situations to identify their key elements and challenges. In addition, show staff how to lay out simple, yet comprehensive evidence-based plans that effectively address issues in a holistic manner and promote accountability through after-action reports with clear performance measures and touch points.
Encouraging a stronger relationship with your workforce, promoting individual growth and development, facilitating the development of the seven Cs and providing a supportive work environment will require continuous effort and resources, but the payoffs, in terms of productivity, morale and workforce retention, far outweigh any costs of time and money.
Effectively Working with Our Partners
Leadership with our partners is about creating a sense of community. Finding commonalities with other agencies, nonprofits, city departments, business community and citizenry is critical to the overall success of how we work. As park and recreation professionals, we must be more open to the idea of partnerships, focusing on what is best for the community as a whole and encouraging this philosophy among all our partners. If someone else can do it faster, better and at lower costs, then we should support them with open arms. It is critical that we seek out partnering opportunities so we not only open more doors to being more economically viable, but we also increase the number of voices sharing our success stories.
In order to achieve successful relationships with our partners, the following elements have been found to be very helpful:
- Gain buy-in by all partners. Listening, acknowledging and compromising are critical to gaining buy-in. So is identifying mutual benefits for all partners.
- Provide all partners a real sense of ownership. They need to know that you respect their involvement and see them as an equal partner.
- Provide clear and meaningful recognition of their involvement.
- Work to establish a deep sense of trust among all partners. This requires being completely honest and transparent and promoting mutual respect. Without trust none of the other keys to success can be accomplished.
Building partnerships and encouraging collaboration are so important in today’s work environment. As mentioned earlier, part of the performance evaluation system should address the workforce’s success and effectiveness in creating and utilizing partnerships and collaborative efforts. These performance criteria are possibly more important than other areas of performance that we traditionally focus on, such as the number of programs offered and how much money they make.
Effectively Working with Policymakers
For the most part, working in the policymaking environment is exciting, colorful and diverse, but you need to know your core values, be confident in your ability to articulate them and always have a backup plan to be successful in this arena. If as leaders we seem uncertain, indecisive and vague, policymakers will sense that and challenge us. Effective leaders speak in a calm, clear, focused and concise manner. No policymaker wants to hear us pontificate; that is their job!
It is important to always be professional, but this does not mean you have to always agree with or respond to a policymaker with what they want. It also does not mean compromising your standards or doing something you know will have lasting implications with regard to ethical issues. What it does mean is that you need to have your finger on the political pulse. You have to be able to help policymakers understand the implications, good or bad, of the decision(s) they may make. Once you have handled this in the most professional manner, then it is up to the policymakers to make their decisions. We may not always be able to make them take action on what we want and believe, but we can provide the best professional information for an informed decision.
The Effective Future
Being an effective leader in this “new normal” world requires us to be able to respond to the rapidly changing work, family, civic and societal environments in which we operate. All of our constituent groups desire connectedness; not just technologically but personally as well. Consumers, employees and volunteers, partners and policymakers all want meaningful relationships with their constituents and colleagues. Success, now, is highly dependent on building, facilitating and maintaining these relationships.
Our employees must have the tools necessary to meet the many complex issues we are facing: ever-growing environmental challenges, diverse and highly individualized groups, the ever-changing balance of power in organizations, demographic transformations, instant and continuous communication, energy challenges and many others we can’t even fathom today.
We need to be innovative and build a public recreation and parks system that foresees the future and successfully responds to it. In the words of the famous Canadian ice hockey player, Wayne Gretsky, we need to “skate to where the puck [i.e., challenge] is going to be, not where it has been.”
Sara Hensley is the Director of the Austin Parks and Recreation Department. Lawrence Allen is professor and Dean Emeritus in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management at Clemson University.