Candid · Career-Building · Honest

How to Get Fired or Get What You Want

A candid look at the unwritten rules of professional life at camp.

At a Glance

This training pulls back the curtain on how organizations work, what gets people fired, and how to advocate for yourself in a way that gets results. It covers the professional judgment that staff often have to learn through expensive mistakes, and gives them a framework for understanding what leadership is looking at when it decides who to trust with more responsibility.

Staff leave with a clearer picture of how to show up, how to push back, and how to pitch an idea in a way that lands.

THE PROBLEM

The unwritten rules of professional life aren’t secret. They’re just usually left for staff to figure out on their own.

Camp is often one of the first real professional environments young staff navigate. The unwritten rules of that environment, how decisions get made, what gets people fired, how to advocate without burning bridges, are almost never explained directly. Staff figure them out through trial and error, through watching colleagues make expensive mistakes, or through a supervisor who takes the time to be unusually transparent. This training is that transparency, built into the curriculum.

WHAT’S INSIDE

2 Core Modules

How to Get Fired

A direct look at the two categories of fireable behavior: single explosive events and the slow consistent burn. Staff learn to recognize the patterns that put jobs at risk before those patterns do damage, and understand what the experience of being let go looks like from both sides.

Clarity on where the actual professional risks are.

How to Get What You Want

The other half of the training. Staff learn what leadership is looking for when deciding who to trust with more responsibility, how to advocate for themselves effectively, and how to pitch an idea using the 3S and a B framework: safe, good stewardship of resources, serving the community, and building rather than breaking a sense of belonging.

A practical framework for self-advocacy and idea-pitching

WHO IT’S FOR

Built for
Newer Staff

NEW COUNSELORS

RETURNING COUNSELORS IN FIRST FEW YEARS

Designed for staff who are early in their professional lives and building habits that will follow them beyond camp. Particularly effective when leadership staff participate alongside line staff, since the conversation is more honest when everyone is in the room together.

FORMAT & LOGISTICS

What to Expect

DURATION

1 Hour

1 hour, maybe more with discussion.

DELIVERY

In-Person or Remote

Available on-site at your camp or virtually.

TIMING

Orientation

Works well during orientation before patterns are established.

WHAT PARTICIPANTS WALK AWAY WITH

  • A clear picture of the behaviors that put jobs at risk

  • The 3S and a B framework for pitching ideas effectively

  • Practical language for advocating without burning bridges

  • A clearer picture of how decisions get made at the organizational level

PAIRS WELL WITH

Build a Full Training Track

STAFF TRAINING · TEAM DYNAMICS

Stop the Drama

Together these cover the full arc of professional behavior and team dynamics.

DIRECTOR LEVEL · ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN

“We All Jump In” Doens’t Work

How to Get Fired explains how organizations work from the individual perspective. This training shows what that looks like from the organizational design side.

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT · STAFF CULTURE

Coaching as a System

The leadership-level follow-up for managers who want to develop their team’s professional skills.

LET’S WORK TOGETHER

Bring This To Your Camp

Tell us a little about your organization and what you're looking for. We'll get back to you within 48 hours to talk through the details, customize the content for your context, and figure out what works for your budget and timeline.

Prefer to reach out directly?
jarod@thrivepointstudio.com