Staff motivation - Vision Realization

Camps usually have a stable of stories ready to serve these and other purposes (Part II includes
several examples). The stories may include the tales of past staff, the influence of the experience on
campers, letters from parents, or the stories of people who are present at the camp now. By all means,
have campers, staff, and parents tell their own stories whenever possible. Tell your story as well. These
stories usually reinforce the way things are done, the outcomes of the experience, and the importance of
those outcomes for the people who receive them. Such tales should be sprinkled generously throughout
the summer. Training should be replete with them, but they should also be used anytime a group of
staff are together. Open and close meetings with a story.
Ultimately, in terms of motivating staff, understand that stories and speeches call forth what was
already burning or smoldering inside of staff. They fan the flames of our passion about the vision and
mission of the camp. In such a role, they are invaluable. Where camps sometimes go awry is in using
stories and speeches as a primary motivational tool in the absence of the whole motivational system that
allows them not only to take root, but also to grow. In other words, keep stories and speeches in their
revered place, but recognize their interdependence with the system that allows them to be truly powerful
in a lasting way. Within such a system, you will be able to get more from your staff without even
asking.
Camp culture
The better you walk your talk about being trusting, caring, and inclusive, for example, the more
motivated your staff will be. In a word, the culture of a motivated staff is “we,” instead of some degree
of “us” and “them.”
Culture is a nebulous and fuzzy concept for most people. For the purpose at hand, culture
means the shared norms, values, beliefs, assumptions, and patterns of behavior alive at your camp. It’s
the “way things are done around here.” Think how different it would be and feel to work for Southwest
Airlines, Disney, IBM, or the IRS! Between camps, culture varies as widely as it does between those
organizations. Practically speaking, the culture of the camp is the degree to which its desired values
(e.g., teamwork, caring, inclusiveness, trust, integrity, quality, performance) are really held by all the
various people at camp, as well as represented in the physical artifacts (e.g., through play things that
invite engagement around camp). I have addressed camp culture in the “Organizational culture at
camps” book, but I include a few values here to illustrate the importance of culture to motivation.
Values that promote motivation
As you well know, values can be so much lip service, or they can describe the actions, hearts,
and minds of the humans at a camp. Caring about staff development can be an espoused value, but
where the rubber meets the road is what matters, which I describe in the “Providing value to your staff”
section of this resource – page 27. Below, some examples are given which foster a motivated staff, but
they are just illustrative, and do not reflect the breadth or depth of the value. Notice that the values are
more interdependent than independent, for example caring is not independent of teamwork. Hopefully
the separation helps you think more broadly.
In assessing how well these are true of your camp, it is crucial to get more than your own
perspective. The counselors, supervisors, and others need to be asked in order to gain a fuller
understanding of how well or poorly these potentially motivating values are enacted.
Trust is a sweeping concept that encompasses several positive qualities/values of healthy
interaction. It has proven to be a critical cultural variable responsible for creating a motivating work
environment. Due to that evidence, trust has been given special, separate attention.
© 2004 Randall Grayson, Ph.D. 14