Meet Dave, and Dave, and Dave…. (it’s a video, click on the link)

Does your life as a camp director feel like this? If you work at a small camp this can be a reality and if you work at a larger camp, but have failed to master the magic of delegation this can also be your reality. I think this commercial for Staples gets across a great message that if you are tasked with getting everything done yourself because of a small staff (or no staff) it is okay to ask for help, in fact, Staples wants to help.

This same thing is true for the life of a camp director. It can be a lonely lifestyle. You happen to live at your work, you don’t have much of a staff team around you for months out of the year and you can get pulled into the world of “I have to do it all myself” syndrome (I like making up syndromes).

Here is my advice. Break the habit! Here are my tips to break the habit of doing it all yourself:

1. Utilize social media – I have made some great connections in the summer camp and business world through twitter, facebook and linkedin. Engage in conversations, ask questions, comment on blog post (leave your name). I don’t have to come up with the answer for everything when I am connected with hundreds (maybe thousands) of experts around the country and the world.
2. Visit with other camp directors – since moving to the Northwest I have met up with a local camp director on a few occasions and it has been a great time to talk about camp, sports, camp, life and camp. I find out often that other directors struggle with the same issues I have. It is also a great way to steal new ideas.
3. Attend conferences – make ongoing training a priority. Attend conferences, submit proposals to present at conferences and volunteer to be on planning committees.
4. Enlist volunteers – what is it that you are responsible for that could possibly be handled by a volunteer? I know the number one reason that volunteers don’t help us is because we do not ask them. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

I know that as camp directors we are asked to do many things (many things we might not have been trained to d0), but when we get caught up in the busyness of minutia it can take our time and efforts away from the important.

I leave you with my final thought: Don’t be like Dave (the dave in the video or this dave – two dave’s is way too many!).