When you focus on building resilient camp leadership, you’re giving your team the confidence and skills to handle anything that comes their way next summer.
Why This Season Felt Different
Camp leadership in 2025 came with a unique set of pressures. Parent expectations increased, and staffing shortages haven’t magically disappeared. Add in the mental load of leading through ongoing uncertainty, and it’s no wonder so many of us felt like we were constantly putting out fires. (Looking to hire more stellar staff? Read this blog for tips.)
The hidden challenge? We often absorb our team’s stress, our campers’ needs, and parents’ anxieties without having anywhere to process it ourselves. That emotional toll doesn’t just disappear when the campers leave; it follows us home and can make next season feel daunting before it even begins.
But naming these pressures is the first step toward managing them better. The work you do now, while experiences are still fresh, will set the foundation for stronger leadership development next season.
Building Resilient Leadership
Resilience is more than bouncing back from tough moments. It’s about creating systems and skills that help your entire leadership team stay steady when the unexpected happens. And let’s be honest, in camp leadership, the unexpected is pretty much guaranteed.
The camps I’ve seen handle challenges most effectively don’t just hope their leaders will figure it out in the moment. They build resilience through intentional preparation:
Start with scenario training that feels real.
Remember that day when three staff members called out sick and you had a field trip scheduled? Turn moments like that into training opportunities. Walk your leadership team through role-playing responses to camper injuries, last-minute staffing changes, or surprise parent situations.
Create peer support systems that actually work.
Pair your newer leaders with seasoned mentors, not just for big decisions, but for daily reality checks that prevent small stresses from becoming overwhelming ones. The goal isn’t just knowledge transfer; it’s normalizing that camp leadership is challenging and you don’t have to figure it out alone.
Make “what if” planning a regular thing.
When your team has already thought through how they’d handle common crises, they respond with confidence instead of panic.
Why Emotional Intelligence Matters More Than Ever
The camp leaders who seem most effective aren’t necessarily the ones with the most experience. Effective leaders read their team and respond in ways that actually help.
I watched one program director turn around a potentially disastrous situation simply by noticing that her head counselor looked unusually quiet during evening cleanup. Instead of diving into the next day’s schedule, she asked, “You seem tired. What’s going on?” That five-minute conversation prevented what could have become a much bigger problem by midweek.
Building emotional intelligence isn’t about becoming everyone’s therapist. It’s about developing awareness and skills that help you lead more effectively.
Know your stress signals.
When you’re overwhelmed, it shows and it spreads. Maybe you get short with people when you’re behind on paperwork, or you micromanage when you’re worried about safety. Awareness is the first step toward better management.
Make daily check-ins your secret weapon.
Those quick “how are you doing?” conversations often reveal issues before they become emergencies. Your staff wants to tell you what’s going on they just need to know you actually want to hear it.
Treat conflicts as coaching opportunities.
When tensions arise, approach them as chances to build a resilient team rather than just problems to solve.
Succession Planning: Your Future Self Will Thank You
Leadership transitions are smoothest when they’re intentional. I know a program director who spent two summers shadowing her camp director, gradually taking on more responsibilities. When the handoff finally happened, she wasn’t just ready, she was excited.
Building strong succession planning means:
Identify potential leaders early and give them meaningful opportunities to grow. Look for staff who already demonstrate leadership naturally, then create stretch assignments that help them develop new skills.
Document your processes so institutional knowledge doesn’t walk out the door. Focus on the critical stuff like decisions that impact safety, culture, or operations if someone new had to figure them out from scratch. Your future leaders need solid holds, clear expectations, ongoing support, and gradual increases in responsibility.
Creating a Culture Where Learning Never Stops
The camps that consistently develop strong leaders treat growth as an ongoing process, not a one-and-done training event. When learning becomes routine, resilience becomes more natural.
Offer short, consistent development opportunities throughout the season. Even 15-minute team talks about handling specific situations can build confidence over time. Tap into outside resources that bring fresh perspectives. Celebrate growth publicly, you’re not just motivating that person, you’re reinforcing that growth is valued.
Your Action Plan
This week: Schedule individual reflection conversations with your key leaders. Ask what moments they’d like to handle differently next year and what support they need.
This month: Add one resilience scenario to your winter planning. Pick something that actually happened this season.
Before the holidays: Start one mentorship pairing between a seasoned leader and someone who showed potential.
By spring: Document one critical process that currently lives mostly in someone’s head.
Building resilient camp leadership is about creating a culture where challenges become opportunities for growth. Support your team in preparation for the tough moments.
Every part of your camp will benefit from the work you put in now. Build a resilient camp leadership team and you’ll find that next season might just start to feel more managable.
