Eppley Leads the Way in Parks and Public Lands Leader Training

New online micro-credential program ready in September

The Eppley Center for Parks and Public Lands is known for its leadership development programs building on the concept of leadership development as a journey across a career and lifetime.  Having delivered the highly effective Facility Manager Leaders Program cooperatively with the National Park Service from 2006 through 2023, Eppley offerings at various workshops and events including the Great Lakes Park Training Institute. As Eppley works to roll out an online initial leadership in parks online micro credential and a Women’s Leadership in Parks badge at the Great Lakes Park Training Institute in February 2025, Eppley staff has reviewed the key components of any effective leadership training program. Here are some essential elements that are critical in the development of strong leaders, based on Eppley staff’s experience, expertise and best practices research.

1. Core Leadership Principles: These foundational principles form the bedrock of leadership training. These include basic understanding of the concept of leadership practices and theories including leading from inside out, leadership mastery, leading others, and leading systems as well as leading others and are core to a leader’s knowledge base and therefore effectiveness.
2. Effective Communication Skills: Communication is crucial for leaders. Training to grasp conversational leadership, communicating as a leader and communication style are key components to master. 
3. Team Building and Management: Leaders do need to understand and use management focused skills, and team building to navigate the complicated nature of organizations. The critical skill set seems to focus on the complex, building teams, leading people, leading change, and motivating followers to exceed capabilities.
4. Incorporating Health and Wellness: Leaders have to take care of themselves and make sure their followers are taking care of themselves. This critical leadership skill focus is on a self-care holistic approach including physical and mental well-being. This approach shows followers that you care and are inherently interested in if they are doing well, getting enough rest, and that you will show understanding and compassion as life happens.
5. Strategic Thinking and Vision: Leaders utilize shared vision and strategies to achieve organizational goals in a continuously changing environment that is reflective of the interconnected, complex systems that frame parks, facilities, and public lands. This long term yet agile approach means that leading people and leading change are essential for leaders strategic thinking.
6. Emotional Intelligence: Understanding and managing emotions is critical for a leader. A focus on self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management provides the foundation for creating a collaborative and inclusive environment, while finding constructive resolution pathways for conflicts among stakeholders and followers.
7. Continuous Learning and Development: The most effective leaders are always learning and view leadership as a developmental process. To these leaders, leadership is an ongoing, continuous journey. Staying curious, focusing on growth and learning is an essential competency. Why? Great leaders are not born, they are developed through practice and growth.

Eppley’s leadership focus on growing leaders for the complex and complicated park, recreation, and public lands management field is genuine with over 30 years’ experience in this focused training area. Eppley learning programs recognize that informed learning, practical application, practice, developmental steps in the leadership maturity journey and intentionality are all parts of a successful leadership development program.

This coming Fall, Eppley will initiate its first online training in leadership micro-credential for parks and public lands managers focusing on how online training can provide foundational knowledge, enhance curiosity and learning, and lead to next level training where real-world scenarios, dynamic environments and an emphasis on adaptable, agile and intentional leadership learning begins. Look for an update and more information on the micro-credential in foundational leadership for parks professionals in September.