Park Leaders Show

Valerie Naylor is the recipient of the 2013 Stephen T. Mather Award for her steadfast leadership and persistent dedication to National Parks. Her persistent dedication has been put to the test against industrial pressure from the Bakken Oil Boom on the borders of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

For the past four years, managing this beautiful national park has been an exercise in relentless dedication to monitor the intrusion of industry towards the border of the park. Ranger Naylor has negotiated with oil companies to minimize intrusion on the border and view from within the park.

After building a reputation for being relentless, respectful, and tenacious in protecting the park, Valerie is retiring from the National Park Service on October 31st.

Ranger Naylor shares a story about the time Theodore Roosevelt spent in the Badlands of North Dakota, within what is now the National Park which holds his name. This story reminds us that every park is to someone what the Badlands were to Theodore Roosevelt. Each park has the potential to change someone's life. Knowing that, how can you not put all you have into making your park the best it can be?

Valeria Naylor gets that. And that is why, come November 1st, it is going to feel like something is missing from the National Park Service.

Personal accountability is the foundation of leadership. If you don't get personal accountability right, nothing else in leadership works as well as it should.

This is why QBQ by John G. Miller is one of the most important leadership books I have read. I read this book at lease once each year and have given more copies of this book away than any other book.

QBQ stands for the Question Behind the Question. Asking the right questions will change your outlook and give you personal accountability for any situation.

In this episode, John explains how asking the right questions can lead us to greater personal accountability and better leadership. Practicing QBQ principles will have a ripple effect in your leadership, productivity, and even your family life.

If you have not read QBQ, consider doing so. You can buy it here. It will change your view on your job and the role you play.

Jason Harrod provided the music for the Park Leaders Show.

Naomi Torres is included on Richard Rojas' short list of All Star Champions of change. When someone makes it onto a list like that, I know I want to talk to her.

Naomi is the Superintendent of the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail. She began her career as in interpreter at Alcatraz and has spent her career with the National Park Service in the Bay Area of California.

As the Superintendent of a trail which passes through property and jurisdictions outside of National Park Service property, Naomi has developed and maintained many healthy partnerships.

Naomi also discusses the need for Parks to reach out to communities of color. If we don't reach out the communities, the faces seen working or recreating in our parks will not become more diverse.

As I talk to leaders and managers from parks, Disney came up more than once as a source parks could look to for best practices and new ideas on how to operate a park.

I took the hint and brought Disney to the Park Leaders Show.

Lee Cockerell is the former Executive Vice President of Operations for Walt Disney World. Lee was responsible for training 7,000 leaders at Walt Disney World. Imagine the challenge of training 7,000 leaders to carry the same mission and values out into the work force.

Although retired, Lee still teaches at the Disney Institute and gives presentations all over the world. He is the author of Creating Magic and The Customer Rules. These books give a look at leadership and customer service from inside Disney.

If you are serious about leadership and improving your culture, this is an important episode of the The Park Leaders Show. Lee discusses hiring, how the values of Disney are lived by thousands employees, and what it takes to be successful.

If you are reading this in email click here to listen to the episode.

Lee Cockerell, Leadership Speaker - Demo Video (click to watch on YouTube)

Sarah Milbourne recently became the Park Manager of Rocky Gap State Park in Maryland. Sarah is the product of a Park System which invests in employees.

She bursts with enthusiasm for her agency, her park, and her new role as Manager.

Sarah discusses the transition of becoming a Park Manager at a park where she already worked as a Park Ranger. She explains her desire and push to become a Park Manager and what she learned along the way. Sarah offers great insight to anyone who aspires to become a Park Manager. We also discuss how Maryland State Parks works to build employees early in their career so they can reach their potential.

Maryland State Parks also has assists their employees recognize and embrace diversity in park visitors. Through training and a deliberate culture built by Maryland State Parks, Sarah views her role, and her park, as a piece of a whole agency working towards the same goal.

If you are reading this in email click here to listen to the episode.

If you use iTunes, you can find the Park Leaders Show here.

I have been a lifelong fan of Smokey Bear. This month, August 2014, Smokey Bear celebrates his 70th birthday. Imagine that. Smokey has been with us since the Second World War.

Seventy years of grandfatherly advice about wildfires. Seventy years of raising awareness of the impact of fire. Seventy years of standing on the roadside alerting you of the fire hazard. Seventy years of watching over us and protecting our natural resources.

As a child I looked up to Smokey. As a Park Ranger I bonded with Smokey as we were both stewards of the forest. As a wildland firefighter I appreciate the hard work Smokey put towards fighting the same battle.

Fred Hernandez, Acting National Fire Prevention Coordinator for the US Forest Service, joins me to talk about Smokey and his lifelong mission to raise awareness about wildfires.

You may be surprised to learn some of the history behind Smokey Bear. Fred talks about why Smokey was created, where his name came from, the story of Smokey Bear who lived in the National Zoo, and why Smokey's tag line changed to "Only you can prevent Wildfires.

There are many ways to get in touch with Smokey. You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and of course Smokey has his own website. Smokey is so popular he even has his own zip code. You can send a letter directly to Smokey at; Smokey Bear Washington, DC 20252

If you are reading this in email, click here to listen to the episode.

This episode features a special song performed by The Wild Ponies.

Smokey Bear - Bearhug (click to watch on YouTube)

For this episode, I invited a guest to return and we took questions from park rangers in the field.

So far, the most listened to episode has been Don't Let the Park Define You with Commander Bill Overby. I invited Bill back because you like him, and because he has a heart for both State and National Parks. As Commander of the Parks Law Enforcement Academy in Mount Vernon, WA, he is connected to the young rangers as they begin their career.

He has been the commander for over a decade and spent over thirty years as a Park Ranger with Washington State Parks. If something could happen to a Park Ranger, he has seen it, done it, or dealt with the consequences of someone else doing it. To tap into his wisdom, we took a couple of questions from Park Rangers and answered them on the Park Leaders Show. We also dug in deep and talked about the topic beyond the questions.

We explore the idea of having fun while working at a park. Can you have fun and still be professional?

We also discuss integrity when filling out applications for park service jobs. Commander Overby feels strongly about this and he will explain why.

You may not know this, but I hold a record at the Law Enforcement Academy. Ten years after I was a cadet no one has matched what I did. Commander Overby discusses my accomplishment and why he thinks no one else will be able to match it.

If you are reading this in email click here to hear the episode.

Each year, the National Park Service asks Rangers to single out one ranger who epitomizes the Ranger ethic. Believe me, there are so many rangers who could be help up as an example of excellence on the job. So when one ranger is selected to receive the Harry Yount Award for Excellence, you know this is someone special.

My guest today, Tom Betts, is the most recent recent recipient Harry Yount Award. Tom Betts is the Chief Ranger at Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico. If I were to exaggerate everything you think of a Park Ranger, I would almost be able to describe Tom.

Tom has protected park visitors and resources during volcano eruptions, wild land fires, earthquakes, floods, snowstorms, wildlife encounters, and search and rescue missions. He has conducted patrols via foot, truck, boat, helicopter, raft, ATV, skis, snowmobile, horseback, and airplane.

Stephen Mather, the first director of the National Park Service, said this about park rangers,

"They are a fine, earnest, intelligent, and public spirited body of men, these rangers. Though small in number, their influence is large. Many and long are the duties heaped upon their shoulders. If a trail is to be blazed, it is 'send a ranger.' If an animal is floundering in the snow, a ranger is sent to pull him out; if a bear is in the hotel, if a fire threatens a forest, if someone is to be saved, it is 'send a ranger.' If a Dude wants to know the why, if a Sagebrusher is puzzled about a road, it is 'ask the ranger.' Everything the ranger knows, he will tell you, except about himself."

I am convinced he was talking about Tom Betts. Now, I know Tom would not want me saying this about him. When I first asked him to be on the Park Leaders Show, he told me he has spent the last 32 years trying to stay out of the spot light. He was gracious enough to be a guest on the Park Leaders Show and now his secret is out.

Tom talks about his career with the National Park Service, the story of meeting his wife at the Grand Canyon, and offers advice to up and coming leaders in the park system.

If you are reading this in email click here to listen to the episode.

When you want to talk about youth involved in parks and recreation, the best place to start is with the Corps Network. I have become fond of the Corps Network and they work they do. Not just the work for parks and conservation, but the work they do in the lives of young people.

One of those young people who made the most of her time with the Corps is Ruby Simonian. Ruby glows with excitement about her time with the California Conservation Corps. She gives the Corps credit for building her confidence, skills, and experience. Prior to becoming involved in the CCC, Ruby was not motivated to do much with her future. When she left the Corps, she felt she could have an impact on the world.

Ruby's hard work with the Corps did not go unnoticed. She was awarded 2014 Corpsmember of the Year.

Ruby offers advice to leaders on how to connect with youth working in their parks. She also talks about John Griffith, and the impact he had on her time with the Corps. She holds John up as an example of how leaders can work with youth.

If you are reading this in email, click here to listen to the podcast.

Marty Huseman is the Chief Ranger at Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area. Her career with the National Park Service has taken her all over the country.

As she began her career, she was advised to take a job at a park most people have not heard of. She followed that advice and became a Park Ranger at Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.

Marty's interest in developing the next generation of Park Ranger's led her to become involved in the Park's Law Enforcement Academy with Bill Overby. Marty was a founding member of the National Park Service Honor Guard.

In this interview Marty talks about her career and path to becoming a Chief Ranger. She also outlines the structure of National Park and the roles of different staff. We also discuss whether parks is a man's world and the challenges Marty has faced being a female Park Ranger.

Resources

• OPM Leadership Competencies