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Who is your camp accountability partner?
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You wouldn’t think of summer camping as lonely work. After all, camp is where kids and staff are running around all summer with constant energy, smiles, laughter, all of it. But leaders in the big chair often don’t have anyone to talk to. At least about the things that actually matter for your camp. Executive directors, program heads, owners, board presidents. The higher you sit at your camp or program, the fewer honest conversations you might get. Sure, camp is generally a happy place, but there will always be filters around politics or hierarchy that make getting real answers really tough. So you end up carrying decisions alone because there’s no true peer inside your camp who fully understands the scope of what you’re responsible for. Which often times, is quite a lot. That isolation shows up in the work. Camp leaders often know what they should do. They know what they want to say or do. But the pressing urgency of camp only crowds out the most important. Then weeks turn into months and a good plan just sits there. A camp accountability partner keeps you focused week over week. They ask the questions you’re avoiding. They reflect back what actually matters versus what’s just making noise. They offer an outside perspective with no political fallout, no organizational baggage, no consequences for telling you the truth. Three Ways Camps Need AccountabilityCamper recruitment. It’s easy to get distracted. Camper numbers fluctuate, some idea pops up, a new channel gets suggested, and suddenly you’re chasing something shiny instead of doing the work you said you’d do. Strategic planning. These are the high-level initiatives where everything feels completely urgent, and yet at the same time, nothing feels urgent at all. Could you use someone to help figure out what matters this week versus what can wait until later (or ditched altogether)? Executive director recruitment. Boards get sentimental. They hire for who the last person was instead of who they actually need next. An accountability partner helps the search committee get honest about the future instead of recreating the past. Most camp leaders I talk to are looking for someone to keep them focused and ask the tough questions. Who challenges your thinking without consequences? Who keeps you on track when distractions pile up? Who helps you move from ideas to execution? If you have great answers, well, that’s great! If you don’t, that’s worth knowing. Camp leadership doesn’t need to be lonely. Sometimes you just need someone to talk to. Sincerely, Senior Consultant at Immersive1st Learn more about Immersive1st's Approach |
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