Photo Credit: © Yuri Arcurs | Dreamstime.com
Editor’s Note: This column, “LBWA” (Leadership By Wandering Around), is based on the premise that, in order to find out what’s going on in the field, a parks and rec leader has to leave his or her desk and “wander around” the area of operations, talk to people, ask questions, and kick around ideas with the individuals in the thick of delivering services to the public. So the author will bring up issues and ask the leaders among the readership to share their knowledge and experiences.
Apparently my December column in PRB struck a nerve because I received quite a few e-mails commiserating on the subject. Entitled “Man vs. Machine: Draw the Line before Heading for the Sand,” it discussed modern man’s becoming a slave to “The Machine” (phones, computers, iPods, Blackberries, etc.). I lamented humans’ inability to go anywhere or do anything without being “plugged in” to some form of communication device.
Swapping Stories
One letter especially illustrated the dark side of this all-too-common phenomenon, and it included some prescient words of advice that I thought needed to be shared. Wes Barton, Director of Parks and Recreation in Ruston, La., wrote:
“I just got around to reading my December issue of Parks & Rec Business magazine, and wanted to let you know that I enjoyed your article about cutting the electronic cord. In support of that, I thought you might enjoy the following story.