(And Why It Matters)
I’ve been paying close attention lately. Not just to what camps are saying, but to what’s actually showing up in staff, in kids, and in parents.
And if I had to sum up this past week in one sentence, it’s this:
We’re still running camp like people haven’t changed. But they have. A lot.
And it’s starting to show.
1) Staff Aren’t Breaking (They are bending Faster)
This isn’t about “kids these days.” That’s lazy.
What I’m seeing is a group of young leaders who care and don’t have the same emotional reps they used to.
They haven’t had to:
- navigate real conflict face-to-face
- sit in discomfort
- recover and go again
So when pressure hits at camp they hesitate. Or they avoid.
Servant Leader Lens
A servant leader doesn’t say, “They need to toughen up.”
They ask, “Where have I actually trained them to handle pressure?”
Because if we expect resilience… but never build it…
That’s not on them.
2) We’re Overtraining Information (and Undertraining Formation)
Staff week looks great on paper. Week two will tell the truth.
Because knowing what to do isn’t the same as knowing how to handle yourself when things get messy.
We’re training tasks. We need to form people, MORE.
Servant Leader Lens
Servant leadership isn’t about covering content. It’s about who people are becoming under your care.
If your staff leave training knowing more and not growing stronger, you didn’t serve them as well as you could have.
3) Returning Staff Aren’t Automatically Leaders
This one’s a quiet trap. Experience feels like leadership. It isn’t.
There are the returners who are leading. Others are just repeating. Your new staff will follow whatever they see. It's the law of the thirds. One third of your staff can influence the other two thirds. Where your attention goes is where the third that has the greatest impact will thrive.
Servant Leader Lens
A servant leader doesn’t assume. They call people up.
They say: “You’ve been given influence here, now use it to lift someone else.”
Don't get caught in the leadership is tenure. Leadership is when they show responsibility for others.
4) Avoidance Is Becoming the Default
Staff see something small and let it go. Not because they don’t care.
Because they don’t want to make it worse. So they wait. And then it grows.
Servant Leader Lens
Avoidance feels kind in the moment. But it’s not. Servant leadership steps in early, calmly, and with great care.
It says: “I’m willing to be uncomfortable so this doesn’t become something bigger for later.”
That is service.
5) Kids Are Deciding Faster If They Belong
This one matters more than we think. Campers are deciding in the first 24 hours (probably in the first few hours): “Do I matter here?” And when they don’t feel it? They can either disappear or act out.
Servant Leader Lens
Serving kids isn’t about running a great program. It’s about seeing them before they have to ask to be seen.
- That takes intention.
- That takes presence.
- That takes staff who are paying attention.
So What Do We Do With All That?
We don’t lower expectations. That’s not service. That’s avoidance.
We raise support.
We:
- train recovery, not just performance
- give language for hard moments
- create pressure reps in safe spaces
- make early connection non-negotiable
Servant Leader Lens
This is the tension: Hold the standard. Increase the support.
This is where real leadership lives.
The Question I Keep Coming Back To
If I dropped into your camp for a day what would I see:
- staff being developed
- or staff just surviving the schedule?
Because one builds leaders.
The other just fills positions.
Final Thought
Servant leadership at camp isn’t soft. There is a demanding part to it.
Because it requires you to:
- notice more
- step in sooner
- and take responsibility for what others are still learning
And right now? That’s exactly what this generation of staff and kids needs.
Come back next week for more insights.
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