Photo Courtesy Word of Life Fellowship

Where will employers find tomorrow’s leaders?

Paul Hemp, senior editor of Harvard Business Review and Linda Hill, Harvard Business School professor, tried to answer this question several years ago. They recognized that employers are searching for the kind of next gen leaders who will emphasize collaboration and create contexts that allow others to flourish. Employers are seeking employees who have experience leading rather than learning about leadership from the sidelines. Hemp and Hill concluded that volunteering and serving can be great ways for people to get practical experience leading.

Serving at camp is an incredible setting for forging tomorrow’s leaders. Guiding campers through weekly activities, pointing kids to Jesus, organizing games, planning meals and speaking in front of groups of people are all practical ways that camp offers a unique leadership training ground. Summer staffers serve within a mix of working relationships, or what Linda Hill calls a “web of interdependencies.” It’s at camp where true collaboration and a spirit of teamwork are fostered—which is a big part of leadership. No man is an island, and knowing how to work well with others, listen to feedback and humbly serve are all aspects of learning to lead.

The variety of situations camp staff will encounter requires leadership on the spot. Camp staff will learn to wise make decisions quickly, take responsibility and live out their values. Camp is where leadership is learned not through a lecture, but through practice.

If you’re looking to get firsthand leadership experience that will prepare you for the next step of your career, apply at FindACampJob.com.