Administratium.

I have always felt that our calendars were all messed up, at least from my standpoint. September has always seemed like the start of a new year. I suppose that it could seem that way because I spent so many years starting a new school year in September. My first job after I graduated from college also started its fiscal year on September 1st, so my perception of September as the start of a new year was reinforced for the first 14 years of my working career. Besides all of that, fall is my favorite season by far (summer is my least favorite), so I am usually eagerly anticipating the start of the fall.

Since I am writing this at the beginning of my least favorite time of the year, summer, I might as well tackle a topic that is probably one of the least favorite of a lot of people - staff administration. First, I want to quote a short article about administration that came across my desk several years ago. I do not know its original source. The article is titled "Heaviest Element Discovered."

The heaviest element known to science was recently discovered at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The element, tentatively named Administratium (Ad) has no protons or electrons, thus it has an atomic number 0. It does, however, have one neutron, 75 associate neutrons, 125 deputy associate neutrons, and 111 assistant deputy associate neutrons. This gives it an atomic mass of 312. The 312 particles are held together in the nucleus by a force that involves the continuous exchange of meson-like particles called memo.ns.

Since it has no electrons, Administratium is inert. Nevertheless, it can be detected chemically because it seems to impede every reaction in which it takes part. According to Dr. M. Langour, one of the discoverers of the element, a very small amount of Administratium made one reaction that normally takes less than a second take over four days to go to completion.

Administratium has a half-life of approximately three years, at which time it does not actually decay. Instead, it undergoes an internal reorganization in which associates to the neutron, deputy associates to the neutron, and assistant deputy associate neutrons all exchange places. Some studies have indicated that the atomic mass actually increases after each reorganization.

As this article exemplifies, the term administration has very negative connotations. Because much of my career has been directly involved in administering organizations and because a big part of your career involves the administration of your camp and its staff, perhaps we should ask ourselves, "Why does administration have such negative connotations?"

I think that perhaps we become caught up in administration for administration's sake. Administration is first and foremost a method to accomplish a mission. When we get caught up in the latest management trends, which some would call fads, we tend to lose sight of this central fact: camps were established to accomplish a mission, developing our youth, not to experiment with the latest management systems.

The management of staff should have two goals and only two. First, management of staff should be focused on accomplishing the camp's mission in the most effective manner possible. Second, management of staff should be focused on giving each staff member the opportunity to best utilize his or her talents and abilities to help the camp accomplish its mission. The mission of the organization should always be paramount.

There are many different types of management systems, including Management by Objectives (MBO), Total Quality Management (TQM), Quality Circles, Matrix Management, and Cross Functional Teaming. However, when you take the time to analyze these systems, you will find that each requires that the people in the system understand what is expected of them and that they are given the responsibility and authority to carry out their jobs. I have heard several management consultants say that the key to management success is to hire good people and let them do their jobs. I believe that is true. All management systems fail when people are not matched properly with jobs, or they are not given the responsibility and authority to accomplish what is expected of them.

You cannot accomplish all your camp's goals by yourself. This means you must hire staff, both year-round and summer, to help you. The administration of your staff is critical to accomplishing your mission, and therefore a critical part of your job. There are employment laws that must be understood and obeyed. There are documentation requirements that must be met to protect the camp. Staff must have the expertise and commitment to accomplish the tasks assigned to them.

As you read the articles in this issue, keep in mind the mission you have set for your camp, and the fact that your camp's success depends on the effectiveness of your entire staff. If you do this, staff administration does not have to become the equivalent of Administratium.

John A. Miller is the executive vice president of the American Camping Association, headquartered in Martinsville, Ind.