Articles
Take The Helm
I had been at my previous parks and rec position for more than a decade when I landed a great job in central Ohio for a Gold Medal-winning agency, with more responsibility and many more employees to lead. It was tough saying goodbye.
Dynamic Storytelling
At a parks and recreation conference, I watched a speaker begin his presentation by saying, “Soooooo, I want to tell you a story.” He then went on to relate how his daughter had all the latest toys, games, and age-appropriate video games.
Appreciative Inquiry
Research across industries suggests that negativity often leads to negative outcomes, and costs money in the long term. In an effort to improve operational efficiencies, perhaps traditional problem-solving approaches may not be the best method.
Streamline Instructor Training
Among the many responsibilities of parks and recreation administrators is recruiting, hiring, onboarding, and training instructors who will manage recreation programs. These tasks can be overwhelming.
Growing Pains
In a recent meeting with a city whose personnel were only in the beginning stages of developing a recreation program, I was asked what I thought the biggest challenge would be for new staff members. As I’m sure is the case with most professionals post-conversation, I realized on the drive home that I had a better response to that question than the one I gave.
Mastering The Five Ps
Continuous evaluation may be the single-most important aspect of operating a successful leisure-service agency. The worldwide onset of the pandemic has caused every profession and industry to evaluate all aspects of daily operations and adjust how programs are delivered and services are maintained.
Intersectional Efforts
When people have access to the outdoors, they thrive. From improving mental health to increasing physical activity, the outdoors has much to offer anyone privileged to live close to a park or an open space.
Up Your Game
The term “21st-century skills” has been commonplace for a couple decades. The idea is that opportunities, challenges, and events that have not yet occurred in the industry may become prevalent in the future, so workers need to possess the skills to be able to adapt, overcome, and succeed.
The Basics In Social Media
Particularly after 2020, parks and recreation professionals are busier than ever. Increased traffic during quarantine and a long-standing funding deficit have caused professionals to focus on a park’s physical presence and ignore any attempts at a digital presence.
Seeking Talent
Every organization has four types of assets: 1. Physical 2. Financial 3. Intangible 4. Human.
Enter The Entrepreneur
Among the many definitions of an “entrepreneur,” two words--business and risk—often are found. Traditionally, an entrepreneur was a gutsy visionary who gambled everything in the hope of a big payoff.
Strike An (Optic) Nerve
From the beginning, the intent of this column has been to help managers think about and explain agency issues from a ТvisualУ perspective. In the spirit of empowerment, this monthХs column follows the
"List"ing The Essentials
In life, there are “to-do” lists, bucket lists, holiday gift lists, and the ever-popular “honey-do” list, to note a few well-known examples. As the working environment of a manager sometimes becomes
Get Staff Involved!
Everyone involved in managing or operating a parks and recreation agency has a stake in the employee performance-appraisal process. And, with existing research indicating that pay-increase decisions account for more than 80 percent of appraisal uses, employees are eager not only to receive formal performance feedback but also to learn its impact on their future pay levels.
Industry Insight
“If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.”--Abraham Maslow Just as conceptual tools presented in university textbooks and classrooms sometimes are not integrated
"Model" Behavior
Transforming concepts into reality is very much like combining music and words: one method of communication helps get the idea across. So, although the ТtoolboxingУ technique featured in this column i
Getting “Green”horns Started
In the profession of parks, recreation and leisure services, creating, implementing and evaluating programs are the primary tasks. The scope of work is ever-changing, and now includes many non-
The Art Of Interpretation
The field of parks and recreation has many facets that contribute to quality recreational and educational experiences for visitors. Many park systems include nature centers, farm centers, and/or educational programming to teach and engage visitors on nature, science, and historical topics.
Connect The Dots
Many organizations--including parks and recreation agencies--will soon face a major shift in staffing due to the “Baby Boomer effect” and the “Generation X and Generation Y effect” The baby boomers h