Emerging Leaders

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February 19-21, 2025, Umatilla, FL

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Program Intent:  This is an intensive learning journey and requires focused attention to the curriculum.  This is not intended to be a series of educational sessions, but a learning journey where content is connected and builds. Content areas are those aligned with the national certification plan and national accreditation program for parks and recreation agencies. The content areas identified will be continued through to the anticipated Mid Level Manager's School the Abrahams-Jones Academy.

Delivery Format and Attendance Requirements:  This program will be delivered IN PERSON at the Elks Loge Youth Camp in Umatilla FL.  You'll be expected to stay the entire time from February 19-21, 2025.

Target Audience:  Professionals new to supervisory positions, or those ready to assume a supervisory role within their organization.  Applicants should have been identified as a skilled and capable professional ready to assume the first time leadership role in their organization.  Must minimally be at the level of comprehension and understanding identified in the pre-requisite content areas of the program. 

*Please note: class topics/speakers are subject to change.

SESSION DESCRIPTIONS

History and Talk Soup 
Knowing from where we came is integral to planning the future for ourselves and the profession. The very foundations of the parks and recreation field have not changed, but expectations of those we serve have. This “get warmed up” session will be fast paced, presented in an entertaining way, and allow you to better understand the foundation of our profession.

Strengths Based Leadership
This interactive workshop will guide participants through an exploration of the strengths you have to offer and how to put those to work.  Using results from your personal assessment as a jumping off point, you will learn more about your competitive edge, create plans to use and develop their strengths to achieve professional goals, and also see others that you work with in a new light. Not only will this help you better understand yourself individually, but also through group activities, you will discover techniques for your own teams within your agency.

Government Budgeting 101
Government budgeting is a bit different than home finance. Participants will learn a general overview of government budgeting. During this session we will dive into learning about direct vs indirect cost, cost analysis, and price strategy. We will also explore why data and the evaluation of programs are important to the budget.

Productive Decision Making and Critical Thinking
Leaders are asked to make many decisions in their daily work. Some allow the luxury of time to prepare and analyze; others must be made quickly. Effective leaders understand the need to think quickly and inclusively of everything necessary to make sound decisions and recommendations. Our own implicit bias will inevitably creep decision making processes; by understanding those biases, we can incorporate critical thinking about how to solve challenges and take advantage of opportunities.

Change Management

In·san·i·ty /in’sanƏdē/ - Doing the same thing you’ve always done and expecting different results. The only constant in our world is change, and as the environment around us changes, so must our operations, services, and processes.  But leading change can be just as uncomfortable as the change itself. This session will give insight to understanding change, how to strategically plan for it, how to successfully implement it, and the skills needed to be an effective change agent. 

Building Powerful External Relationships that Develop Advocates

This session will prepare you to identify potential advocates within your internal and external audiences.  The primary focus of this session is on managing and maximizing relationships internal to one's agency, and external with other city/county departments and the general public.  Pitching a new program or initiative requires one to gain support internally first.  Whether that is to one's supervisor or to the agency head, an emerging leader must master the skill of selling the benefits of your ideas.  You are the best advocate for things you believe in and are committed to.  Other city/county departments may also be your advocate if you can demonstrate value for them being involved.  Unlock the potential of powerful external relationships and enhance your influence.

Communication 
Ninety percent of what you are saying isn’t coming out of your mouth! As leaders, it is critical that we understand the power of clear, concise, and professional communication, and that the burden lies on us as the communicator to be understood.  As we engage with peers, leadership, stakeholders, and the community, it is critical to be the best connectors and communicators we can be.

People Management: From Greetings to Goodbyes
How to find the right people and keep the right people.  In today’s war for talent, we need to be sure we are RIGHT. Are we recruiting the RIGHT people and ensuring they are doing the RIGHT things at the RIGHT time and for the RIGHT reason. It is also critical that we are prepared to have the difficult conversations needed when the people who are not RIGHT need to be coached up or transitioned out to a more appropriate role within or outside of your agency. 

Building Your Network

This open discussion time will allow you to take the information you have heard thus far in the Institute and apply that to your every day work life.  Discover how challenges and opportunities that you face mirror those of your fellow Institute classmates, and talk through potential solutions.  This is your time to ask questions and receive responses from classmates and seasoned faculty members.

Time Management and Delegation 
The largest resource you have available for any program you're planning or project you're managing is time. During this session we will talk about time management for yourself and others and the importance of prioritizing and delegating. Identify techniques for

delegating tasks and monitoring progress without micromanaging your team members.

Building Organizational Culture
As an emerging leader, understanding the culture of your agency is critical.  Culture is not just about your mission statement, it is about the values that you as a leader instill in your team and how those values are integrated into all facets of what you do, how you do it, and why you do it.  Culture not communicated and not visible in an organization's workforce is a recipe for lack of team commitment and often contributes to confusion and lack of performance.

 

 


SCHEDULE

Wednesday, February 19, 2025
12:30 pm Check In
1:45 pm Welcome/Introduction
2:45 pm Sessions
6:30 pm Dinner with Group
7:30 pm Evening Activity
Thursday, February 20, 2025
7:00 am Breakfast with Group
8:00 am Sessions
12:30 pm Lunch/Group work
1:45 pm Sessions
6:30 pm Dinner with Group
7:30 pm Evening Activity
Friday, February 21, 2025
7:30 am Breakfast with Group
9:00 am Sessions
12:00 pm Lunch

12:45-2:30 pm Sessions
2:30-3:00 p.m. Wrap Up & Depart