Being a leader in crisis is necessary, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. The CampHacker team is here to help.

This is a test of our leadership.

COVID-19 is likely one of the biggest threats to your camp that you, as a director has faced in your camping career.

In times like this, it’s easy to look inward. It’s natural to worry about the money, about the uncertainty of viability if you miss a summer, disappointing children…sorry, we don’t have to remind you of all that you’re worrying about right now.

When things are hard, the sign of a great leader is the one that shows compassion, empathy and care for their staff team. Think about your high school and college-aged staff right now. The prospect of summer without camp is emotionally devastating and they need your help.

Don’t get us wrong, we’re not suggesting that you need to sugar-coat things and tell them that everything’s going to be alright. What they need, is for you to walk beside them in their feelings. That may look like being honest with them, to coach them through their feelings, or maybe even simply to take the time to listen to them.

If you want to be strategic about it, think about your staff team in 2021. Do you want to start from scratch, or do you want to have a team of people who loved camp, felt heard, and stayed connected through an emotionally difficult time for you, and them.

This is your time to show them, that no matter what, you, camp, and the community of their peers are here for them.

What are you doing to intentionally foster community and empathy with your team? Let us know in the comments!