Park and recreation leaders confront daunting challenges at a time when leisure and recreational resources are highly valued community assets, yet securing adequate funding for staff and services can be a difficult juggling act.

Creating community prevails as an integrative theme for CPRS and its members. Several critical leadership competencies are required to achieve this goal. They include:

• Assessing community priorities for Park and recreation asset utilization
• Engaging various constituents within the community in support of the park and recreation mission and its plan
• Communicating with appropriate political stakeholders who provide critical support for the park and recreation mission
• Developing coalitions between professional organizations whose interests coincide
• Influencing decision-makers to become advocates for the park and recreation mission.

• Collect Feedback from colleagues to validate your self-assessment
• Generate systematic evaluative data from your colleagues about the Workgroup Culture.
• Specify development goals in the Planning section.

Individuals decide to become a park and recreation professional with different goals in mind. They approach new challenges with a range of different attitudes. Some relish new challenges and a test of skills that requires them to stretch their current portfolio of management and problem solving talent. Others tend to be content doing the things that they have done for many years.

Park and recreation leadership presents a consistent diet of new challenges. At times, the experience can feel like a force-feeding scenario. Your attitude toward dealing with new challenges will influence your success and likely, the future path of your career, depending upon the goals you seek to attain. Do you take a conscious and deliberate approach to how you confront new challenges, or is it more of an unconscious product of habit?

You approach new challenges very cautiously. This may reflect a decided preference for solving familiar problems vs. novel ones. It also may indicate a history of unrewarding experiences when confronted with new opportunities. For park and recreation professionals who emply this approach as an intentional strategy and succeed, there may be no reason to change. If you believe however that this attribute does not support your long term goals, you may want consider the acquisition of coping mechanisms for dealing the with “excitement” ( anxiety?) and uncertainty associated with new challenges.

Your conservative attitude toward new challenges does not, apparently, stem from perfectionist tendencies. Some individuals get anxious when they don’t have complete knowledge of the factors that may influence the outcome of a new problem.

Your conservative attitude toward tackling a new challenge is fueled by a clear dislike for risk taking. This combination of attributes tends to rule out many possibilities. Can you define why you are averse to taking risks? Is this an intentional strategy or more of an intuitive style? If it’s more intuitive, you should consciously assess whether you want to maintain this approach.

Goal Clarity

Well-defined goals focus energy and attention. Research has consistently demonstrated that clearly defined goals provide coherent direction to behavior and actually create incentives for achievement. Park and recreation leaders typically have programmatic and budgetary goals reasonably well defined. Goals related to building coalitions, communicating with political decision makers and influencing key stakeholders may be less well defined. Prioritizing goals clearly can be essential for preventing confusion among colleagues. Further, maintaining a system to track goal progress can be critical in order to identify points where senior management attention is called for to overcome obstacles that threaten progress. A well focused and systematic approach to the definition and communication of goals constitutes the foundation for an effective problem solving process.

Your practices with regard to the identification and articulation of goals lack a systematic focus. When colleagues lack clarity about what needs to be accomplished, the prospect of achieving a goal deteriorates significantly. This attribute of your management style may likely create problems that you have yet to recognize. Improving the clarity with which you define goals for yourself and for others should be a clear priority. We recommend that you collect data from colleagues both inside your workgroup and outside it, to confirm that others have the same targets in mind that you have with regard to goal achievement.

Your casual approach to the definition of goals is further characterized by the lack of specific and consistent attention to the definition of measurable outcomes to use as indicators of goal achievement. Different people hold surprisingly wide variations in their interpretation of what successful goal achievement actually looks like. When you fail to specify the tangible form that successful achievement will take, colleagues can often concentrate on accomplishing different things. Ask various colleagues what they would consider to be tangible evidence of a successful outcome. Work toward understanding how they think about goal priorities.

The lack of a systematic approach to the definition of goals is likely a casualty of lax habits regarding organizational practices. Typically, people with these attributes assume that their colleagues know what goals to work on. Usually they’re wrong.

You recognize that you have significant room for improvement in the way that you communicate plans and goals. You should make a direct and concerted effort to articulate and / or clarify the goals of your workgroup with your colleagues.

You recognize that the written expression of your thoughts and ideas needs improvement. Start with a concise and focused effort to clarify the goals of your individual colleagues and your team.

Consider the following qualities when clarifying goals:

• Is it clear how an individual's goals are designed to complement the group’s goals ?
• Are goals for colleagues sufficiently challenging ? Appreciate that there are a wide range of individual variations with regard to what represents a 'challenging' goal. You should be able to describe how different colleagues vary with regard to their readiness for different challenges.
• Are the goals realistic and attainable ? Individual colleagues and work groups should have an excellent chance of achieving goals they set.
• Do individual colleagues have a solid plan for how to achieve their goals?
• Does the group have goals that change over time? Do organizational or contextual forces change priorities or the form that a successful outcome should take?

Results Orientation

Gauging results in the world of park and recreation can be a challenging task. Many of the beneficial outcomes from the use of park and recreation facilities can be difficult to measure. The specified outcome, be it benefits related to health of seniors, lower crime rates, stronger real estate markets, etc. are likely influenced by other factors or occur over a long term period. Consequently, it’s not easy to point to a direct casual relationship between factor ‘A’ and outcome ‘B.’

This situation solidifies the case for an activist strategy with regard to improving communication with constituents, building alliances and exerting influence. Where results are not always obvious to key decision makers, park and recreation professionals need to direct the attention of relevant “others” to the specific place where benefits are visible.

Enlisting advocates for park and recreation programming can be a successful path to showcase results. Recruit business executives whose employees treasure recreational facilities. Ask them to advocate for park and recreation assets in the appropriate forum. Collaborate with seniors’ groups in a coalition of mutual interest to highlight the importance of park facilities and recreational programming. Find ways to bring allies to bear when it counts. How strong is your focus on results?

You are significantly less consistent about tracking results than most park and recreation professionals. You probably make assumptions about why various results were or were not achieved. Are you comfortable having your team make implicit and untested assumptions about their effectiveness?

Park and recreation professionals inspire and motivate colleagues in a variety of ways. Feedback is critical part of this process. People appreciate knowing what they have accomplished and where they need to focus future efforts. Performance feedback should focus, to a large extent, on achievements. Appropriate recognition for those achievements is an essential component for motivating colleagues. You could improve your effectiveness in this area by asking colleagues to evaluate their performance. Then, provide objective feedback to team members and the group as a whole. Use a supportive form of guidance to help them understand what they need to do differently.

Soliciting feedback from external constituents can be a critical component in the organizational learning process. How is the organization perceived in the community? Where feedback does not match your expectations, you should formulate plans for individual and organizational action to impact respective “targets of influence.” Your leadership in forging new initiatives can be a crucial factor in succeeding.

Your casual and unsystematic approach to gauging results is partially a function of your aversion to seeking direct feedback from colleagues about your own performance. Set an example for your colleagues. Ask colleagues and your colleagues for feedback about your impact. How could you employ a structured evaluation process to gain insight into priority project goals?

The challenges you confront in organizing the work environment likely contribute to your inconsistent approach to gauging results. Work on developing a more formal structure to measuring outcomes. Get help from a mentor if necessary.

Effective leadership involves making decisions on a regular basis. Sometimes decisions should be made following a careful analysis of the various factors involved. At other times, decisions have to be made on the spot. An individual’s tendency to consult with others vs. rely on his or her own judgment has a strong influence on how such decisions get made.

Decisiveness

Park and recreation professionals make important decisions every day. Some people are very intuitive about making decisions and rely on their “gut feel” to determine which direction to go. Others are much more methodical. They prefer to analyze all relevant issues and consider the implications of the decision before "pulling the trigger". Where do you fall on this scale?

You have a clear tendency to employ a careful and analytical style in the process of decision making. You don’t appreciate getting surprised by unexpected consequences that could have been anticipated prior to committing yourself to action. Careful analysis has its place in many problem solving situations. However, it’s also possible that your colleagues get frustrated at times by the slow pace with which you make decisions. Find out.

The extent of your conservatism may be a real issue. Be sure to get direct feedback from colleagues to confirm that your analytical tendencies are not perceived as the cause of delays in making progress.

Communications

Effective communication is an essential skill for park and recreation professionals. Developing strong connections to colleagues and working collaboratively with partners require highly developed communication skills. Be sure to assess the effectiveness of your communication practices. Getting direct feedback is the best way to accomplish that.

You have significant concerns about the effectiveness of your communication skills. There is no doubt that communication is an extremely important leadership quality. Let’s try to pinpoint where you should concentrate.

Your verbal expression skills appear to need improvement.

Your written expression skills need work.

Your ability to listen could be improved. This should rate high as a priority.

Independence in the Problem Solving Context

Independence in the problem solving domain pertains to preferences for collaboration vs. planning and acting alone. Individuals who are capable of working without substantial direction and those who prefer to work alone can be considered relatively independent. People who prefer the collaborative process will tend to score lower on this scale, an attribute that may be very adaptive, particularly in organizations that value consensus.

Park and recreation professionals need to collaborate frequently. Yet, there are certainly times, especially in light of recent staff reductions, when individuals have to “make it happen” on their own. Knowing when to pursue which tactic can be an essential ingredient in leadership success.

You seem to prefer a collaborative approach to planning and implementation. Getting the benefit of others’ opinions can be a valuable use of time, as colleagues typically have useful insights and helpful recommendations. In some cases, people who prefer a collaborative style may rely heavily on others for direction and / or support. To the extent that individuals hesitate to take initiative without group support, this style could create problems.

You apparently recognize that you perform better when you have guidance, direction and support from colleagues. Individuals who prefer clear directions may lack confidence to some degree in their own instincts and skills. Others just like to be sure that they are on the right track. Be sure that your colleagues are not frustrated by waiting for you to act on your own. Collect some feedback on the issue.

Power, Influence and Initiative

Park and recreation professionals face a range of new challenges in their effort to strengthen resources and satisfy customer expectations. Recent interviews with leaders in the field highlight the critical importance of building coalitions and influencing key decision makers in the effort to build support for park assets and recreational services.

Individuals bring a wide range of differences in motivation and skill to this challenge. Some people love to step up to opportunities that carry responsibility for changing minds and shaping new behavior. Others would prefer to have someone else take the leadership role. Beyond the motivational drive to function in those roles, people demonstrate a dazzling array of skills in the actual process of leading others to achieve new goals.

To accomplish ambitious programmatic goals, park and recreation staff need to become closely attuned to political forces that have a strong impact on resource inputs. Since the bottom line benefits of park and recreational programming is often difficult to quantify, professional staff need to spell out the pay off and communicate the value of park and recreation services to key decision makers.

You seem to have rather modest ambitions with regard to the exercise of authority and influence. To be successful, park and recreation professionals are not required to demonstrate a messianic sense of mission. They can be very successful by demonstrating astute analytical judgment and consistent commitment to program goals. You should, however, check to see if the leaders of your organization would like you to “step up” to positions of greater influence.

There is some indication that you may be inclined to defer to others when decisive action is required. Ask colleagues if they ever perceive you as hesitant to step forward when there is a need for resolute leadership that is not being met.

Some park and recreation professionals are more conservative than others, which can result in an understated personal style. The data indicate that you are distinctly inclined to lean in a more conservative direction with regard to risk taking. What would be involved in taking risks in the realm of dynamic leadership? The best approach to answering this question may be to think of park and recreation professionals that you have admired for their inspirational energy. How would they respond?

Influence

To complement the motivation to exert influence, the actual behaviors associated with shaping the minds and behavior of others represent another critical competency for successful park and recreation leaders. Park and recreation professionals often find themselves in a situation where they need to persuade or motivate colleagues to accomplish specific tasks. Influencing skills are essential where collaboration and partnerships play a critical role in accomplishing organizational goals.

Apparently you employ a subtle and understated style in contrast to others who show dynamic, vigorous behaviors in leadership situations. The question raised here focuses on the impact you have on colleagues. Are you effective at getting their attention and shaping their behavior? You express considerable doubt.

Ask yourself and then a colleague about the possibility that your ability to influence individual and team behaviors needs work. Direct feedback can be extremely helpful.

Pursue an in-depth understanding of what your colleagues need in order to improve their performance. Observe their behavior. What does it say about what they understand vs. what they don’t? Listen carefully to their words and their actions. Do the behaviors of your colleagues support priority organizational goals? Where feasible, help them by providing the information or other resources they need. Give them consistent feedback about improvement in their performance. Make sure you recognize accomplishments, even little ones.

Initiative

Initiative is an essential leadership behavior for park and recreation professionals. Planning and goal setting represent critical blueprints for action, but initiative makes a vital contribution to translating those plans into goal directed behavior. Taking initiative incites action on the part of others. Park and recreation professionals model positive problem solving techniques by taking initiative to improve work processes designed to achieve priority organizational goals.

You seem considerably less inclined to initiate action than most. Can you clarify the conditions under which you are willing to take initiative and those where you are less likely to do so? It’s possible that your reticence may be related to conservatism about venturing beyond the familiar. If your job or your future career requires you to demonstrate leadership, you may well have to practice taking initiative more frequently.

You seem very likely to feel most comfortable in familiar surroundings. However, park and recreation professionals sometimes need to blaze a trail in unfamiliar territory. Evaluate the extent to which this variable impacts your willingness to take initiative. If the observation seems valid, what can you do to prepare yourself to take initiative in new situations?

Teamwork, Delegation and Conflict Resolution Style

Successful leaders are gifted at mobilizing the energy of colleagues to work toward the achievement of common goals. Park and recreation professionals constantly find themselves in situations where teambuilding is a critical factor for successful organizational performance. Building teams within the park and recreation organization has always been important. Increasingly, building alliances and coalitions with people outside the organization has become an essential skill.

Leaders in the park and recreation field know that they can’t do it all by themselves. Distributing responsibility to others is an important skill. However, delegating can be an art. Managers should know who, among the staff, is ready for what kind of assignment. People to whom you delegate must have the resources they need to succeed available to them. They may also need support.

Finally, in any organization facing resource constraints and consistent expectations for service delivery, conflicts arise. Resolving conflicts can be very challenging. Are conflicts addressed directly or are they avoided, in hopes that they will disappear? Putting issues “on the table” is typically necessary. Doing it positively and constructively is essential to a successful resolution of differences.

You seem to recognize the importance of building strong teams in most situations. You understand the critical importance of fostering trust among colleagues and supporting individual efforts to promote team objectives. Strong team players in the park and recreation field often have to initiate coalition building with groups and individuals outside the organization. Are you likely to take the initiative to build new bridges?

While your sensitivity to team-based concerns is a major asset, you may be inclined to wait for others to build bridges outside the organization. Don’t rely on familiar networks to accomplish important organizational goals that may necessitate creating coalitions with outside groups. Others may be expecting you to set the example. Create a model for others to follow.

You clearly prefer to stay close to the action in order to ensure that workgroup outcomes meet your expectations. People who maintain a strong sense of personal identification with the group output are often valued because standards of quality frequently achieve very high levels. Individuals with this predilection are likely to have difficulty handing off responsibility. This tradeoff often works in some organizational settings and can create misery in others. Determining how your style “fits” vis a vis your organizational needs is something that has to be reviewed with colleagues.

Not surprisingly, you have a hard time watching someone fail and confront the painful consequences of that failure. Under controlled conditions, failure can be a rich learning experience. You can “test” the capabilities of people by walking through the problem solving process and asking them to narrate their thoughts and plans. That way you learn how they think, conceptualize and prepare for success. You can help them make course corrections before they “crash and burn” in real time.

You don't believe that confrontation has much value. You prefer diplomatic means to the resolution of conflicts. You recognize that going "head to head" with others is a risky tactic. Unless the people involved have advanced skills, direct confrontation can produce a negative outcome. The danger commonly associated with this style however is the potential for conflict avoidance. When ignored, conflicts can create lingering mistrust leading to the construction of strong emotional and organizational walls. Consult the guidelines below to increase the chances for success.

You seem to prefer avoiding situations where conflicts may be found. No one wants to go looking for conflict. However, when conflicts stand in the way of progress, they should be dealt with. Are you confident in your ability to facilitate conflict resolution? Review the guidelines below. If necessary find a mentor to help you facilitate a resolution.

Consider the following in creating structure for resolving conflict.

• Do not suggest that serious conflicts be “hashed out” without a structured process to resolve differences. Find a skilled facilitator to help. Unstructured sessions designed to let it “all hang out” can turn into a “free for all.”
• Make sure that all parties really want to achieve a solution. If one party lacks the motivation to resolve the conflict, chances are good that progress will be slow and painstaking.
• Emphasize COMMON INTERESTS. In most cases, both parties have a stake in producing positive outcomes, some of which they likely share.
• Discourage blaming behavior and scapegoating. Encourage parties to consider what behavior of theirs has contributed to the conflict.
• Encourage parties to be candid and diplomatic. Brutal verbal assaults do not help the process of resolving conflicts.
• Encourage parties to move beyond global negative characterizations and describe specific behaviors that are problematic.
• Encourage parties to articulate how they interpreted the other person’s behavior. Frequently, someone’s interpretation does not match up with the other party’s intentions.
• Attempt to stay “in the present.” Dredging up ancient history rarely helps in making progress.
• Explore several different options as part of a resolution. Avoid having to choose one party’s “solution” OR the other.
• Try to incorporate suggestions from both sides in recommending a path forward. Give everyone something they wanted.
• Get each party to make an explicit verbal statement that they will positively support the proposed solution.
• Provide for follow up. Commit to re-visiting the issue to check on progress. In the mean time, catch both parties trying to work toward a constructive solution and compliment their effort.

The Plan Going Forward

The world is full of great leadership development experiences that have little or no impact. Don’t let this happen to you. Create a structured plan to improve your effectiveness.

PeopleAssets has on-line systems for helping you accomplish the following:

• Collect systematic feedback from colleagues. This can help validate your self-assessment profile results.
• Identify specific development goals. What can you work on improving?
• Identify the resources needed to help you make progress toward these goals. Find a mentor to help guide and support you.
• Document new behaviors you adopted as a means of achieving your development goals.
• Take a serious approach toward your own learning and development. It speak loudly about your commitment to improve your performance.

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