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Welcome back to The Bend!
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The Bend follows a simple rhythm each week. The Eddy Line opens with a one-line thought or
observation, something short enough to remember but worth thinking
about. What the Current Pulled Toward dives a
little deeper into where the previous week’s energy went, whether that’s
a project, a partnership, or a personal lesson learned. Signal Fire highlights a person, place, or initiative
that deserves some attention. From the
Field, shares a small anecdote about the broader outdoor
recreation economy from Oxbow’s non-profit arm, the VA
MTNS Outdoor Collective. And One Thought Worth
Sitting With closes things out with a brief reflection or quote
that will hopefully help guide you through whatever you may be dealing
with.
It’s part journal, part field note, and hopefully
something that makes you pause for a moment before diving back into the
current.
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“You don’t outgrow leadership, you grow into
it.”
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What the Current Pulled Toward
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This week the current pulled toward
leadership.
I spent last week at the Leadership Training
Institute, facilitated through the Virginia Recreation and Park Society
(VRPS). It’s been around for as long as I can remember, certainly since
I started in this field. It’s one of those things I always meant to get
to, but never quite found the right window for.
At one point during the event, someone asked me why I
was there. Fair question, I reckon. I’ve been in the field for quite a
while. Their follow-up was more direct: what could I
possibly learn that I haven’t already? I
didn’t have to think long about the answer.
I’m a firm believer in continuing education. Not as a check
the box kind of thing, but as a mindset. There’s always something to
refine or something to see differently or something to simply get better
at.
They asked what that was for me
and I was quick to answer: presence.
It sounds simple but it’s not. Being fully in the
moment, whether that’s in a meeting, a conversation, or just at home, is
something I continue to struggle with. I’ve said as much in a previous
issue of this newsletter. There’s always a next thing, a distraction, a
place my mind drifts to.
Leadership in general tends to expose shortcomings like
that. Because at its core, leadership is about being present enough to
ask the right questions. To listen. To notice what’s not being said. To
give people your attention in a way that lets them know they
matter.
That’s what I walked away
with. I didn’t get a new framework or a new
strategy or anything like that. I just got the affirmation that growth
doesn’t stop because you’ve been doing something for a long
time.
I’m so incredibly grateful to
the team at VRPS for continuing to invest in something like
this.
-
Mike.
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The Foundation for the Virginia
Recreation and Park Society plays a very
important role in our profession: supporting scholarships, professional
development, and leadership opportunities for parks and recreation
professionals across the state.
The Foundation is focused on access and
growth. Its work includes creating
opportunities for emerging professionals; supporting those looking to
expand their skills; and investing in people, not just
programs.
It’s easy to overlook
the infrastructure behind professional development. But organizations
like this are what help to make it possible.
And in a field that depends on strong leadership at every
level, that investment pays off in ways that extend far beyond a single
event.
To learn more about the Foundation and to donate, click
here.
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Leadership in this space has always looked a little
different than traditional industries.
Take Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia. He built a company around the idea
that business could serve a larger purpose by putting environmental
stewardship and long-term responsibility ahead of short-term
gain.
That’s intentional
leadership showing up in decisions that aren’t always easy.
The outdoor industry, at its best, reflects that
same mindset. Less about growth, more about direction.
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One Thought Worth Sitting With
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This week’s theme: Leadership.
“Leadership is not about
being in charge.
It is about taking care of those in your
charge.“
-Simon Sinek
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