Effective Relationships with Teams
Fostering Safety, Support, Connection and Contribution
Jason Colvin
My first camp job was at a camp in the hill country of Texas. I applied on a whim after a friend suggested I try something different after college. “Go out and get some life experience by doing something wild!” she encouraged me. I was hired as an outdoor educator, teaching youth about environmental education through hands-on experiences. This was completely outside my intended path of becoming an artist, and it was indeed a wild adventure.
I quickly fell in love with the experience. Working in this field was far more rewarding than I had imagined. The first couple of weeks were dedicated to staff training, where I joined 20 other individuals from all walks of life. Together, we learned how to educate groups of youth, helping them understand the world around them and, in turn, learn more about themselves. I was amazed at how quickly the camp directors transformed a group of twenty-something college kids into a cohesive team that served the camp's greater mission. I saw tremendous personal growth. I also saw an immediate connection between my artistic pursuits and the lessons I taught small groups I led. I was hooked.
At the end of the season, the director gathered us and said, “If you want to come back for another season, that’s great! But you can only work here for three seasons. By that time, you will have learned everything you need to do this job well. After that, you must go out and share it with the world. Because by then, you’ll have learned how to do my job—but you can’t have my job. So, I’m kicking you from the nest to do it someplace else.”
Ready for Leadership in a New Role
By the time I finished my third season, I was ready to take on the world. I knew I wanted to share what I had learned with others. I went on to work at a camp in Minnesota that served youth and adults with disabilities. I was part of a hiring team responsible for onboarding nearly 200 staff members each summer, filling roles ranging from direct support professionals (cabin counselors) to program staff (activity counselors) and leadership positions. Each staff member played a vital role in providing direct support to the campers.
My personal goal at camp was to empower others to realize their potential and make a meaningful impact on the world around them. I started as a facilitator for the camp’s team building and leadership development program and later managed one of the organization’s four summer camps. As a manager, I applied the leadership principles I learned in Texas. I focused on developing staff I guide and support to recognize their strengths and harness their abilities to serve our clientele effectively. I structured staff training around four key principles: safety, support, connection, and contribution.
I made it a priority to share the organization’s goals and understand new staff members’ personal and professional aspirations. By recognizing each person’s unique strengths and motivations, I built rapport and trust, establishing a safe and collaborative working environment.
From the beginning of the hiring process, I emphasized psychological safety by providing clear expectations for the position. If I believed they were a good fit for our organization and hired a candidate, I deliberately aligned them with our mission during onboarding. I made it a priority to share the organization’s goals and understand new staff members’ personal and professional aspirations. By recognizing each person’s unique strengths and motivations, I built rapport and trust, establishing a safe and collaborative working environment.
Once a staff member felt safe, the next step was to build a support system rooted in compassionate accountability. As a leader, I viewed employees I supervise through a lens of compassion. I wanted to communicate that I understood that, like all of us, they were balancing work and personal life. I encouraged open communication, telling my staff, “If there is something you need, please tell me. If you don’t share your needs, I may not know how to provide the resources to support you.”
Compassionate leadership, however, must be balanced with accountability. This means supporting employees by giving them the resources to overcome challenges without doing the work for them. Too much compassion can make a leader seem like a pushover, while too much accountability can come across as rigid and controlling. Success lies in striking the right balance—creating a space where employees feel safe, providing resources to support them, and following up with accountability to show their growth and success matter.
I want my staff to feel comfortable communicating their needs, and I seek to understand what motivates and inspires them. I want to know their “why.” By intentionally building connections, we can work toward goals aligning with the employee’s growth and the organization’s mission.
The principles of safety and support are introduced from day one. I am open about my leadership philosophy and expectations. From there, I work on building strong connections that foster trust and rapport. I want the staff I supervise to feel comfortable communicating their needs, and I seek to understand what motivates and inspires them. I want to know their “why.” By intentionally building connections, we can work toward goals aligning with the employee’s growth and the organization’s mission. A strong connection creates a growth mindset, allowing individuals and teams to excel. When psychological and motivational needs are met, performance increases, and employees feel validated, driving them to take on bigger challenges.
When employees feel safe, supported, and connected, they are ready to contribute. This is when they truly believe in their capabilities and are willing to step outside their comfort zones without fear of failure. They take healthy risks to solve problems rather than relying on others to solve them. They become proactive contributors, working to exceed goals and create meaningful impacts within the organization and beyond.
Fostering Safety, Support, Connection, and Contribution
By fostering safety, support, connection, and contribution, leaders can create an environment where individuals thrive, teams collaborate effectively, and organizations achieve lasting success.
My goal, like my start at camp in Texas, is not just to train employees to do a job but to cultivate leaders who create a legacy that grows their potential so they can have a greater impact on the world around them.