Jack's Camp Friends Newsletter |
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I met Henry DeHart at a bar in Dallas during the CODA conference last year.
He was then the American Camp Association (ACA y’all!) interim CEO at the time, and honestly, he didn’t need to be there walking around late at night in a crowded spot.
Could’ve stayed in his hotel room, answered emails, prepped for the next day’s sessions.
Instead, he showed up.
Drinking a beer (I think?), making jokes, moving between groups. Asking questions. Actually listening to the answers.
Watched him work that room for a while before we talked. And when we did talk, he asked me a million questions about what I thought about the camping industry.
The possible leadership vacuum.
The fragmentation across private camps and nonprofits.
Why younger people keep leaving camp work even though they love it.
He might not have done or have no plans to do anything with that info, those opinions. I don’t know. But he asked. And, to me, he listened. Really listened.
A few days later, he followed up with an email. Remembered specific things I’d mentioned. Subscribed to our newsletter.
Was reminded of it all this week when ACA announced him as the new CEO.
What the CEO actually does (I think?)
Quick context for those wondering what the ACA CEO job even is.
ACA serves more than 20,000 camps across the country - day camps, overnight camps, YMCAs, JCCs, private operations, nonprofits, you name it. That’s like 25+ million campers every year.
The CEO oversees membership, accreditation, professional development, research, business development.
They’re basically responsible for supporting every flavor of camp that exists while keeping everyone focused on quality and safety.
It’s coalition-building work. Big tent stuff.
And right now, with ACA managing a $45 million grant for their Character at Camp initiative, they need someone who understands the landscape and can deploy those resources in a way that drumroll please… gets kids to camp.
That’s a lot of kids, a lot of numbers with commas and zeroes, a ton of staff. It’s a massive gig. TBH it sounds like herding cats and I am incredibly grateful to not be doing it.
You can’t fake listening
Something obvious from Henry that night in Dallas, and every time I’ve talked with him since, and it applies to everyone here (again, I think).
You can def fake like you care.
Politicians do it all the time. Show up, shake hands, say the right things, move on.
But it’s really hard to fake like you’re listening.
Henry gets this.
He wasn’t just collecting soundbites or checking boxes. He was trying to understand. Asking follow-up questions. Hanging in conversations even when they got complicated or uncomfortable.
And I’m not the only person he’s doing this with. That’s the whole point.
When you lead ACA or any other hella big org, you can’t possibly know what every camp needs or what every region is dealing with. The industry is too big, too diverse, too messy.
But if you gather perspectives from a thousand different angles, you might not get all the answers, but you at least get a clear view of the landscape.
Not just the old guard voices. Not just the loudest voices. All the voices - the quiet ones too.
What this means for the rest of us
That evening in Dallas stands out to me months later.
Because the same principle applies whether you’re leading a national organization or running camp staff training.
Are we listening to understand, or just listening to respond?
When a head counselor pushes back on a policy, can we hear their concern or just defend a decision?
When that anxious parent email about drop-off comes through, do we dial in on what they’re actually worried about or just send the standard Command+C/Command+V response (I’m a Mac guy).
When support staff mentions something is all messed up, do we investigate or think it’s run-of-the-mill complaining?
Awesome leaders gather perspectives before making moves. They loop for understanding. They tune in.
It doesn’t mean you do everything people suggest. You can’t. I threw a bunch of things at Henry, most probably never see the light of day after that convo. All good.
But people know the difference between being heard and being handled.
Coalition building (overseeing 20K camps or across a 50-person staff team) starts with listening to people who think differently than you do.
Putting together the organic tissue of all those individual perspectives into something that actually works.
It’s slower than just making decisions and moving on.
But it’s also what builds trust. And trust is what makes everything else possible.
Congrats, Henry (if you see this). Looking forward to what comes next for ACA, and thanks for following up that night in Dallas. From the looks of it, there were a ton of other people who could say the same thing.
ACA has a big, important job of getting more kids to camp and supporting us in the work we do.
IDK what that will look like, but I am hopeful Henry will crush it.
For me, it made me it all me made me think…
Who haven’t we really listened to lately?
Who should we follow up with?
You got this,
Jack
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