LEADERSHIP DYNAMICS IN PARKS & RECREATION IN THE 21ST CENTURY.Lessons We Have Learned From Great Leaders, Writers, And History Secretary of State Colin Powell Noun 1. Colin Powell - United States general who was the first African American to serve as chief of staff; later served as Secretary of State under President George W. Bush (born 1937) Colin luther Powell, Powell said, "Leadership is the art of accomplishing more than the science of management says is possible." Parks and recreation professionals are increasingly asked to reach for higher product standards. Leaders in our field are in the fishbowl of public scrutiny. What makes one person a better leader than another? A few theorists state that some people are `natural born leaders'. That's not so. Every person has the potential to be a strong leader. I have compiled several quotes from recognized persons that describe what, in my mind, makes a productive leader: desire, communication, vision, decisiveness, and ethics. DESIRE "To win, you have to have the talent and desire - but desire is first." Sam Snead, Legendary Golfer "The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will." Vince Lombardi, NFL NFL abbr. National Football League NFL (US) n abbr (= National Football League) → Fußball-Nationalliga Coach "Opportunity dances with those who are ready on the dance floor." H. Jackson Brown, Jr., Author "Many years ago I did research for the Army on leadership and tried to define what were the favorable attributes that make up a good leader. The main thing we need to know is that few leaders are `born a leader'. Most intelligent people who have an ability to learn the basic tenets of leadership can become a leader in a given professional field." R. Dean Tice, NRPA NRPA National Recreation and Park Association NRPA Natural Resources Protective Association (Staten Island, NY) NRPA Niagara Regional Police Association (Canada) NRPA National Rifle and Pistol Association Executive Director The first leadership dynamic is having the desire to lead. Being a successful leader takes desire. One must be passionate about attaining success. Success is based upon goals. Without goals there is nothing. Whatever motivates a person to do something, to be something, and to achieve, is what creates desire. The motivation could be money, peer pressure, altruism altruism (ăl`tr  ĭz`əm), concept in philosophy and psychology that holds that the interests of others, rather than of the self, can motivate an individual. , or other personal factors. Once a person has the
desire or motivation to accomplish his or her goal, there is a need to
gain experience. One cannot wait for the experience to just come along.
One must seek experience. Look for opportunities to lead. Watching,
listening to, and reading about great leaders also can provide insight
and experience. The flow of skill development requires patience and
practice.
COMMUNICATION "It is not fair to ask of others what you are not willing to do yourself." Eleanor Roosevelt "You get the best out of others when you give the best of yourself." Harvey Firestone fire·stone n. 1. A flint or pyrite used to strike a fire. 2. A fire-resistant stone, such as certain sandstones. Noun 1. , American Businessman "Successful people use their strength by recognizing, developing, and utilizing the talents of others." Zig Zigler, Motivational Speaker A motivational speaker is a professional speaker, facilitator or trainer who speaks to audiences, usually for a fee. The keynote speech generally takes place either at the beginning of the event, or the close of the event. "Help others solve their problems; standing farther away, you can often see matters more clearly than they do. The greatest service you can render someone else is he]ping (1) See also PNG and ping service. (2) See blog ping. (3) (Packet INternet Groper) An Internet utility used to determine whether a particular IP address is reachable online by sending out a packet and waiting for a response. him help himself... If you see an opportunity in his path, point it out, but let your hand guide, not push, him. Remember that the risk is his, and that he who takes it must make the decision." Baltasar Gracain, Spanish Philosopher Communication is the second important leadership dynamic for us in parks and recreation. The essence of communication in leadership not only embraces the ability to write, listen, and speak but the whole concept of being the best leader that you can be, choosing the best followers followers see dairy herd. , staff, or team members that you can find, and then validating and developing them. Success starts with the leader setting a good example. In addition to setting a good example, the leader needs to be accessible and practice `hands on' participation. If you don't have talented and bright players, staff or followers to delegate and communicate to, it will be harder to be successful. Just as important as setting an example and choosing those who follow the leader, is the manner in which the leader validates those people. We who are leaders have a responsibility to mentor future leaders Future Leaders is a UK schools-led charitable organisation that aims to widen the pool of talented leaders especially for urban challenging secondary schools. It was founded in March 2006 by Nat Wei, a former founder of Teach First. . Our parks and recreation profession has embraced mentoring at many levels. Don't underestimate the importance of a leader having the skills to speak well, listen carefully, and write coherently. VISION "If you want to succeed you should strike out on new paths rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success." John D. Rockerfeller, American Businessman "The principle goal of education is to create men who are capable of doing new things, not simply of repeating what other generations have done -- men who are creative, and inventive." Jean Piaget Noun 1. Jean Piaget - Swiss psychologist remembered for his studies of cognitive development in children (1896-1980) Piaget , Psychologist "Twenty years TWENTY YEARS. The lapse of twenty years raises a presumption of certain facts, and after such a time, the party against whom the presumption has been raised, will be required to prove a negative to establish his rights. 2. from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor Safe Harbor 1. A legal provision to reduce or eliminate liability as long as good faith is demonstrated. 2. A form of shark repellent implemented by a target company acquiring a business that is so poorly regulated that the target itself is less attractive. . Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream." Mark Twain The third dynamic of leadership is vision. A leader must have a clear perspective of his or her role and not just do something because it's the way it's always been done. Our society continues to change rapidly and today's leaders must reflect and keep pace with those changes. Leadership vision should incorporate an ability to be flexible and adaptable, to understand complex issues and interpret them simply to your followers, and courage to take initiative risks when no else can. An important component of vision is imagination. What it boils down to is that we in parks and recreation must have continuous learning attitude and willingness to gain knowledge and vision and to be optimistic op·ti·mist n. 1. One who usually expects a favorable outcome. 2. A believer in philosophical optimism. op and open-minded. DECISIVENESS "If I had to sum it up in one word what makes a good manager, I'd say decisiveness. You can use the fanciest computers to gather the numbers, but in the end you have to set a timetable and act." Lee Iacocca Lido Anthony "Lee" Iacocca (born October 15, 1924) is an American industrialist most commonly known for his revival of the Chrysler brand in the 1980s when he was the CEO. Among the most widely recognized businessmen in the world, he was a passionate advocate of U.S. , American Businessman "Leadership is in my opinion, based on results. If you have the right kind of people giving you advice, the odds are that you'll make good decisions. If you make good decisions, you'll get results. And leadership is the product of results." President Gerald Ford "Don't be discouraged by failure. It can be a positive experience. Failure is, in a sense, the highway to success, in as much as every discovery of what is false leads us to seek earnestly after what is true, and every fresh experience points out some form of error which we shall afterwards af·ter·ward also af·ter·wards adv. At a later time; subsequently. afterwards or afterward Adverb later [Old English æfterweard] Adv. 1. carefully avoid." John Keats, English Writer The fourth dynamic of leadership is the capability of being decisive. Parks and recreation leaders must have direction and goals. Along with goals the leader must set standards and expectations. Park and recreation leaders operate in a political atmosphere. It is not always easy to expect the most and make decisions without experiencing opposition. The leader must have great energy and not be afraid to take action. ETHICS "I hope I shall always possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable en·vi·a·ble adj. So desirable as to arouse envy: "the enviable English quality of being able to be mute without unrest" Henry James. of all titles, the character of an honest man." George Washington "I have found that being honest is the best technique I can use. Right up front, tell people what you're trying to accomplish and what you're willing to sacrifice to accomplish it." Lee Iacocca "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." Martin Luther King, Jr. "We make mistakes -- but they must never be mistakes which result from faintness of heart or abandonment of moral principle." Franklin D. Roosevelt The fifth dynamic of leadership is ethical behavior. Spirituality, honesty, compassion, and responsibility are the basic elements for ethical behavior. One cannot work for the common good without being ethical. Honesty is at the core of this dynamic. Ethical behavior is not always the easiest road to travel. Ethical behavior comes down to be attitude. Being a leader in parks and recreation is not easy but it is rewarding. Steering the ship is always more fun and rewarding than swabbing the deck. Leadership is an art that can be learned if there is a desire. Every leader must have the ability to communicate their objectives and goals with their staff. Leaders must establish plans for the future, keeping in mind what has worked and failed in the past. They must trust themselves and their instincts, and make decisions that reflect intelligent judgment and sound ethical treatment. Here is a bibliography of the sources that inspired this writing: Beasley, Angela (1997). Minutes From The Great Women's Coffee Club. Nashville, TN: Walnut Grove Walnut Grove is the name of many communities in the US and Canada, including:
Safire, William Safire, William (born Dec. 17, 1929, New York, N.Y., U.S.) U.S. journalist. Educated at Syracuse University, he worked as a newspaper reporter and at radio and television stations before entering the public-relations field, eventually founding his own firm. (2000). Leadership. New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , NY: Galahad Books. Gergen, David (2000). Eyewitness An individual who was present during an event and is called by a party in a lawsuit to testify as to what he or she observed. The state and Federal Rules of Evidence, which govern the admissibility of evidence in civil actions and criminal proceedings, impose requirements To Power. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster U.S. publishing company. It was founded in 1924 by Richard L. Simon (1899–1960) and M. Lincoln Schuster (1897–1970), whose initial project, the original crossword-puzzle book, was a best-seller. . Jamieson, L., Wolter, S. (1999) Chapter 1, "Management-What Is It?" Management of Park and Recreation Agencies. Ashburn, VA: National Recreation and Park Association. Powell, Colin Powell, Colin (Luther) (born April 5, 1937, New York, N.Y., U.S.) U.S. general and statesman. The son of Jamaican immigrants, he entered the U.S. Army after college and served in the Vietnam War (1962–63, 1968–69). (no date). A Leadership Primer. Received via email. |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion