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Three Days of Intensive Learning
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February 16-19, 2025 Florida Elks Youth Camp Umatilla, FL |
The FRPA Leadership School is designed to further develop managers that are leading from the middle of their organization. Participants must have been in a leadership role for a minimum of five years, and have a desire to move into a higher level in the field of parks and recreation. As much of the content teaches to staff relations, it is required that participants have experience with or currently supervise staff or volunteers. The FRPA Leadership School is about the PEOPLE and the PLANS you are involved with in your work. It will be a little about you, but more about others you will be leading, and how the variety of plans in place help you manage and monitor, helping achieve success as a team. This program is intended to be the next step in gearing you up for management of your assets to build a sense of culture and progress. After completion of the Leadership School and continued employment in the field, participants should explore FRPA Abrahams Jones Leadership Academy as a part of their professional development journey to further prepare them as an executive level leader in the parks and recreation field.
Ideal Candidates for the School have:
- Individuals who have been in their supervisory role for more than five years and;
- Individuals who have a decision making and leadership role in their organization’s administration; and
- Individuals desiring an opportunity to further develop their leadership abilities, and learn about ways to improve.
Curriculum includes but is not limited to:
- Organizational Culture
- People Management
- Communication
- Decision Making and Critical Thinking
- Budgeting
- Planning
- Vision
- Advocacy
Sun, Feb 16 12:30 pm Check In 2:00 pm Welcome 3:30 pm Sessions 6:45 pm Dinner 7:30 pm Evening Activity
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Mon, Feb 17 7:30 am Breakfast 8:15 am Sessions 12:15 pm Lunch 1:45 pm Sessions 6:15 pm Dinner 7:30 pm Evening Activity
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Wed, Feb 18
7:15 am Breakfast 8:15 am Sessions 12:00 pm Lunch
1:00 pm Sessions
6:30 pm Dinner
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Thur, Feb 19 7:30 am Breakfast
8:30 am Sessions 11:00 am Wrap Up
*meals listed in schedule are provided and participants are expected to eat as a group. No guests allowed.
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Sessions include:
History of Parks and Recreation
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. You will be encouraged to also explore your own agency’s unique history so bring some information with you!
Strengths Based Leadership
This interactive session will guide participants through an exploration of the strengths they have to offer and how to put those to work building teams, coaching others, and mentoring new professionals. Using results from the personal assessments as a jumping off point, you will learn more about your strengths and how to access them to the fullest potential to build and manage your best team.
Building Organizational Culture
A good organizational culture is critical to the success of an organization and its employees. Although it is important to have the right people, it is just as important to have the right structures and systems. This workshop is designed to help participants better understand the steps that can be taken to build a great organizational culture. We will navigate expectations and best practices with regards to organization culture. Taking a look at Mission, Vision, and Values, we will look at how to break down the silos between departments/divisions/sections, and learn how organizational culture influences hiring, performance and employee retention.
People Management - Creating and Managing the Team
How do we create a cohesive team? Beginning with hiring the right people for the right positions, or utilizing the 'coaching up or coaching ‘out' theory, you can create your team from the ground up. We will discuss recruiting, selecting, hiring, and coaching in the first part of this session. Nurturing and developing your team is a must. In the second part of this session we will discuss effectively using training to develop preferred behaviors to achieve team success.. This session will also touch on management tasks such as: performance evaluations and making them work for all; progressive discipline and performance improvement plans; employee recognition, delegation; and meeting management.
Communication
As leaders, it is critical to understand the power of connecting to people through effective communication. Connecting is the ability to identify with people and relate to them in such a way that it increases our influence with them. Building your skills in this important leadership area, will position you for greater success. Using John C. Maxwell’s 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication we will explore the laws of Credibility, Conviction, Preparation, Storytelling, and the Thermostadt. Understanding these laws will help you also understand: Who you are as a communicator, and what the people you are communicating with want from you?
Decision Making, Critical Thinking and Change Management
Thinking critically ensures that you are leaning upon tried and true practices for making well rounded decisions for your organization. Critical thinkers ask necessary questions, assess possible outcomes, explore alternatives, and communicate effectively. Critical thinking leads into successful decision making. Even with the best critical thinking and most adept decision making skills, change exists and will factor into our future. Often we are dealing with change imposed by others or occurring organically, but there is also a benefit to knowing how to be an effective change agent.
Politics, External Relations, and Advocacy—Your Partners are Your Best Advocates
Identify who your partners are (Friends Groups, Boards, Partners, Sponsors, Parents). Learn how to engage your partners as your best advocates and evaluate whether what they're saying aligns with your MVV. In this session we will talk about the 'It Starts in Parks' message and how it reaches each group you work with, potentially turning them into your fiercest advocates.
Planning
Leaders in every profession must utilize and prioritize planning principles, tools, and techniques in order to achieve desired results, and Parks and Recreation leaders are no different. By taking a look at the different types of plans professionals use- strategic plans, needs assessments, business plans, job duty analyses, process improvement analyses, master plans, etc.- we will explore their role in our profession. We will also take a look at the execution of such plans; how do you actually make vision/strategic plans a reality? We will explore the prioritization of plans and tasks and understand what it means to predict change (forecasting) and disrupt for positive impact (change management). We will also touch on the use of technology in engagement and tracking for planning of any kind.
Budget 2.0
Budgeting is prevalent throughout each step of your career. In this mid-level course, we will take a look at gathering and analyzing operating data and how that translates to organizing your budget as well as justifying your budget to others. This session will touch on capital and project planning vs. operational budgets.
Bringing It All Together - Crafting a Collective Vision: Building a Strong Team Together
Aligning personal vision with organizational vision allows you and your organization to achieve goals. In this session we will revisit your personal leadership vision and explore its relationship to your organization vision then discuss how this all relates to your team’s culture.
Open Discussion Time
Throughout your time at the Leadership School, you will have an opportunity to ask your burning question of your fellow professionals or faculty. Whatever your challenge, share it in this discreet environment, and receive ideas that are solution minded. These are the golden nuggets that allow you to bring valuable information back home, showing the benefit of your agency investing in your attendance at the Leadership School.
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