Taking the lead
The new Camp Director, Kate Metz, leads by example effectively. For example, Goldenbaum-Yang stated that, “Kate prioritizes time and tasks. Other camp directors did everything in a more scattered manner.: For example, instead of asking another staff member to sweep the floor, he would just sweep the floor himself. He wanted to communicate that, as a leader, he did not hold a higher status than other staff members. In contrast, Mrs. Metz approaches a task like sweeping the floor differently. According to Goldenbaum-Yang, Metz “would say that, ‘I have other stuff to do that no one else can do when someone else could sweep that floor.” Kate has issues like fundraising and communication that only she can do.” Effective leaders triage a situation and enable other staff members to provide leadership and complete tasks without interference or micromanaging.
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At the staff retreat in the spring, she helps the staff articulate the vision using their own words. According to Goldenbaum-Yang, Director Metz “elicits key values of Camp Don Lee from the
staff members as they discuss expectations for staff and do team building.” For example, during training this summer Metz had staff discuss what the campers consider the best part of camp, inviting them to put themselves in the shoes of the campers. As part of the discussion, she also clearly stated that we do not have “camp so that you can relive your camp experience.” She gets their buy in so that when staff members have to make decisions at camp “and be bigger supports of camp expectations, policy, and procedure in the moment because they help create and articulate