“A leader’s job is not to do the work for others, it’s to help others figure out how to do it themselves, to get things done, and to succeed beyond what they thought possible” (Agarwal, 2024). — Simon Sinek

As a camp professional, you’ve got a lot on your plate. And if you’re a camp owner, director, or team leader in any capacity, this statement might ring even truer.

It’s an honor to be in a leadership position — something many of us have aspired to throughout our careers. You have the ability to make decisions, build your dream team, and make an impact on the lives of the staff, campers, and families you serve.

But it can also mean a lot — and I mean a lot — of responsibility. At times, maybe more than you might think you can handle.

This can put you in a tricky position — but it doesn’t have to.

Maybe you want to prove yourself as a leader and handle it all yourself.

Perhaps you don’t want to (or don’t know how to) ask for help without risking being viewed as weak or incapable.

Or you don’t fully trust your staff to step up and sufficiently complete the work.

I get it. These are all credible reasons why you might keep the work to yourself. But I also know that this approach is not sustainable. It leads to burnout. It leads to shorter tempers. And it leads to frustration — with both yourself and your team.

What makes a strong leader is having the confidence to step out of the spotlight to support and uplift the team around you.

It’s about humility — admitting when you’re wrong or when you don’t know the answer, then having the courage to ask for forgiveness, help, understanding, or (fill in the blank based on your own experience).

It’s also about delegating tasks to the rest of your team and trusting the process.

What exactly is delegation?

According to Jason Hreha, cofounder and CEO of the recruiting agency Persona (2024), “Delegation refers to the act of entrusting tasks, responsibilities, and authority to others. It allows managers and leaders to focus on high-priority tasks and strategic initiatives while empowering team members to contribute to the organization’s success.”

Picture a basketball team. The head coach is the leader. He has a staff of assistant coaches, and he has a roster of players. There’s also a chance that the team, school, or organization has some supportive donors and fans who have high expectations for how the season will go.

Now, what if the head coach felt that, as the leader, it was up to him and him alone to win the game? What if he didn’t trust his staff or his athletes to get the job done? Would he check himself into the game and go up against the other team all by himself? First, this is not allowed, for obvious reasons. Second, that would be ridiculous. He’d exhaust himself trying to play one-on-five. He’d probably feel extremely frustrated with both himself and the rest of the team. And he’d likely burn out from pride, stubbornness, and self-inflicted overwhelm.

This is a silly analogy, sure, but it gets the point across. The head coach automatically delegates the tasks that need to happen to get the job done. He teaches, leads, supports, and uplifts his staff and players, and beyond that, he trusts them to follow his guidance. He’s still got the biggest job, but he demonstrates leadership by stepping out of the spotlight and letting the team around him show just how good they can be when given the chance.

While you might not be a head basketball coach, you can still delegate your work in a way that lets your team shine and your camp thrive. But before you just start handing out tasks like free candy, let’s try to work smarter, not harder. Enter, SMART delegation.

If you’ve done any work around goal setting, you may be familiar with the SMART acronym, which stands for: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (Hreha, 2023).

When we view assignments and responsibilities through this lens, we’re able to approach them knowing exactly what we’re asking, why we’re asking it, and when it needs to be complete.

Let’s look at each one more closely and see how you might apply them to your own work.

Specific

Before you toss any task off your plate, it helps to know exactly what you’d like to assign to someone else and why.

Maybe there’s a repetitive task you’ve handled for years that could provide another staff member with valuable skills.

Perhaps you can ask for assistance with staff recruiting techniques and attending events such as job fairs and conferences.

Maybe you can outsource areas where you could benefit from someone with more experience and expertise, such as with digital marketing or developing new staff training materials.

Getting specific about what you’re handing to others — and what you’re choosing to keep on your own list of tasks — not only provides them with clear direction and a sense of greater responsibility, but also gives you space to devote more attention to tasks that may require more of your time.

Measurable

As with any goal, it’s important to measure the results. If you set a goal to increase brand awareness, for example, you need to understand how to analyze whether your efforts are successful.

Instead of just posting more regularly on social media and hoping for the best, you may choose to see what your analytics look like when it comes to followers, engagements, shares, website visits, form submissions, and more.

Keeping track of your progress offers real-time feedback and informs you if you should keep doing exactly what you’re doing or if you might want to revisit the drawing board.

The same idea applies when you delegate tasks to your team. This may come in the form of weekly check-ins and annual reviews. And maybe you request data reports from outsourced companies.

Whatever it looks like for you and your staff, having metrics in place provides a roadmap to success, allowing your team to stay on track and know exactly what results to work toward.

Achievable

This may go without saying. But when assigning any responsibility, or even before taking on one for yourself, it’s important to know if it’s something you or your staff member can actually achieve.

Of course, if you’re new to delegating, perhaps you find yourself more familiar with experiences of overwhelm and biting off more than you can chew. It’s in these moments, when we’re deep in the weeds of an assignment, that we realize we’re in way over our heads and might have to ask for help.

For many in this situation, this is easier said than done, but not to worry! You’re on your way to becoming a SMART delegator.

In the same way that a task should be measurable, when assigning something new to a team member, it helps to discuss how they will accomplish it. Perhaps you’re introducing a project that requires knowing a new software program. Maybe they’ll need to adjust their schedule to allow for travel.

Very little kills confidence more than handing someone a new project when they have no idea what to do or how to do it. When delegating, take time on the front end to explain how you’d like them to work on the project or what resources might be helpful. Doing so will give your staff autonomy over their work, helping them develop their professional skills while feeling valued and seen.

Relevant

In many versions of the SMART acronym, the R stands for “realistic.” Just how realistic is the goal or the task? Makes sense. But it’s also very similar to “achievable,” so for the purposes of this article, our R will stand for “relevant.”

When analyzing your to-do lists and job descriptions, it may also be helpful to have on hand your camp or organization’s mission, your overarching goals for the year, and upcoming events or deadlines. Based on these criteria, you can sort through tasks, choosing which to keep on your plate, which to delegate, and which to remove altogether.

If you’ve been operating with the same systems since your camp was founded, it may be time to reconsider and update. Sure, it’s easy to keep doing things the way they’ve always been done, but this is an instance where it’s important to think about where your camp is today and where you want it to go. As such, it may be necessary — and extremely helpful — to adjust or let go of old to-dos that are no longer relevant.

Similarly, when looking at your own tasks and what you can entrust to your staff, consider whether they support the big picture and the overall vision of your camp.

Additionally, is the project relevant to your or your team’s position within the camp? Does it help you or your staff grow in a positive direction or pick up a worthwhile skill? Think critically about how it might — or might not — align with where you and your staff are today, along with where you all would like to go.

Time-bound

The beauty of a camp calendar is that it doesn’t change very often. Sure, session start dates might vary here and there, but for the most part, camp professionals know what to expect at any given moment in the year.

This makes setting time-sensitive or time-bound assignments all the more doable. You’ve already got deadlines in place for early registrations, for scholarships, for hiring staff, and booking vendors.

When passing along responsibilities and tasks to your team, keeping the same approach in mind can create more structure and expectations regarding what you’re entrusting them with. It can also help them — and you — avoid procrastination and provide another reason for regular updates and check-ins.

Along with clear expectations and measurements of progress, time restraints offer a supportive framework within which your team can operate and succeed.

Now Is the Time to Start Delegating

Believe it or not, people like to be asked for help. No, it’s not a bother. No, you don’t look incompetent. What you are doing, though, is showing that you trust your team members. You value what they have to offer and are looking to learn from them. You’re letting them know that they belong and that they matter.

As the countdown toward summer starts to move a little faster, now is the time to practice SMART delegation. Implementing this approach now gives you the grace and the time to figure out who should take on which task, how projects might need to shift, and to make modifications where necessary.

While this might initially feel like more work on your already lengthy list, it’s a temporary learning curve, and you and your team will adjust. Odds are, you’ll come out on the other side better than ever with more efficiency, clearer communication, and higher morale.

As a leader, you naturally have a vision of exactly how you’d like your camp to operate. Loosening your grip on the reins and letting your team step up can be challenging. You may feel a sense of losing control, fear of being perceived as lazy, or concern about what could go wrong.

Effective delegation is not lazy. It’s proactive, and it’s indicative of a true leader who wants to see their staff grow professionally, to optimize business operations, and to create an environment where people feel seen, valued, and truly part of a team.

Sounds like a winning season to me.

Photo courtesy of Ramah in the Rockies, Denver, CO.

References

Agarwal, A. (2024, April 16). 25 Simon Sinek quotes on leadership that broke the internet. Medium. medium.com/@imanilagarwal/simon-sinek-quotes-246cf7e8616c

Hreha, J. (2024, January 8). It’s all about delegation: How to delegate tasks effectively. personatalent.com/leadership-management/how-to-delegate-tasks-effectively/

Hreha, J. (2023, May 1). SMART goals: How to determine and set goals you can achieve. personatalent.com/business/how-to-set-acheivable-smart-goals/

Lauren McMillin is the American Camp Association’s public relations and communications manager.