The February issue of Parks & Recreation magazine is out now, and we recently had the opportunity to chat with Jamie Sabbach about her article, “Leading With Courage,” for this month’s bonus episode. Jamie is the president and CEO of 110% Inc. and Amilia Consulting USA, and she joined us to talk about true courageous leadership, as well as explain why it is so important to the field of parks and recreation.

On this episode, Jamie expands on the idea that the term “leadership” is often confused with other words like “management,” and that there is a misrepresentation of authority figures as leaders simply because of the seats they occupy and the titles they hold. We talk about the idea that a person is sometimes seen as a leader based on their title, not necessarily their “leadership” qualities. And while this is true in many cases, it can also be said that someone doesn’t have to wait to be in a certain “position” to be a great leader.

We also chat about why good leadership is essential to the smart growth and sustainability of a park and recreation agency. In her article, Jamie says that leadership requires the ability to say things that are not necessarily the easiest or most popular. She mentions maintenance backlogs and deteriorating infrastructure being a concern for many park and recreation professionals across the country, and that it’s easier to appeal to those who are attracted to the novelty of growth and new development than to have the less popular and more difficult conversation telling people that they simply cannot have the bright, shiny object without contributing to its ongoing care and maintenance.

Jamie also shares some things that park and recreation professionals can do to make sure their voices are heard in the bigger conversations about some of the major challenges in the world today, such as homelessness, obesity and the opioid crisis.

What are your thoughts on how park and recreation professionals can be courageous leaders in their communities? Email us and let us know!