Leading with Purpose and Values in Recreation and Parks

This afternoon I’ll be presenting to the Minnesota Recreation and Parks Association Conference 2011, entitles “Back to our Future.”  This is a fascinating group: people who are in essence dedicated to providing services that enhance lives and communities.  At the same time, most members are public employees and all are feeling the obvious economic stresses of our times…

I anticipate a very lively discussion, focused on helping team members to find energy from the unique power of their purpose as park and recs professionals.  I will discuss ELA’s three values for public service:

• Excellent Service
• Sound Stewardship
• Fairness

And work with the assembled participants to adapt that general framework to the specific leadership challenges they face.  I’ll close by discussing employee engagement, adapting the wisdom of Gallup’s Q12 research and program to small, dynamic (and often very frugal) organizations.  The key is to drive engagement – to bring out the best in all members of our teams – in service to our communities.

The old adage (and song) bears truth: The Best Things in Life are Free.  In our workplaces, arguably the most powerful tool we have, our ability to motivate and engage one another in pursuit of a worthy purpose, likewise comes at no cost.  Living up to that standard is not always easy, but I believe that it is nearly always worth the effort.

Please feel free to download or view the presentation slides here: