Camp doesn’t work without teamwork.
In fact, camp may be one of the most team-dependent environments there is. As counselors and activities staff, you must rely on one another constantly — during transitions, challenging camper moments, long days, emotionally charged situations, and every moment in between. When teams function well, campers feel safe, supported, and connected. When teams struggle, stress spreads quickly.
Many of the team challenges you will experience this summer aren’t unique to camp. They mirror a framework that identifies common breakdowns in group dynamics, which author Patrick Lencioni describes in The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. The common team dysfunctions he identifies are:
- Absence of trust. If you are afraid to be vulnerable with your teammates, trust won’t grow.
- Fear of conflict. Trying too hard to keep the peace can stifle difficult but productive discussions.
- Lack of commitment. Without clarity and alignment, decisions tend to fall apart.
- Avoidance of accountability. Avoiding uncomfortable conversations makes it difficult to hold team members accountable for their actions.
- Inattention to results. Too much focus on personal goals and wins can divert attention from your team’s collective success (Lencioni, 2002).
While Lencioni’s long-respected model is often applied in corporate or leadership settings, its principles translate clearly to the important work you’re doing as part of a frontline camp team.
Adapted from Lencioni’s framework, the following are five camp-specific practices that can help you and your fellow counselors work together effectively to create positive and transformative experiences for your campers.
1. Trust Begins When You Ask for Help
At camp, trust isn’t built through titles or experience; it’s built through honesty.
Trust shows up when you and your fellow counselors feel safe enough to say:
- “I need support right now.”
- “I’m unsure how to handle this camper.”
- “Can you take the lead while I reset?”
When you hide stress or struggle silently, mistakes increase and burnout follows. Teams with trust share responsibility, support one another, and model healthy behavior for campers.
Camp practice: Normalize help-seeking by building quick check-ins into transitions and communication routines with fellow staff.
For example, while walking campers to the next activity, take a moment to connect with your co-counselor: “I’m feeling a little overwhelmed. Can you take the lead at swim?” or “I’ve got this group. Can you keep an eye on this camper?”
You can also build in a quick 30-second check-in before campers arrive or between activities: “How are you doing? Anything you need support with during this next activity?”
2. Healthy Teams Address Issues Instead of Avoiding Them
Conflict at camp is unavoidable. And avoidance is the real problem.
Strong counselor teams talk through small issues before they become big ones. This might include clarifying tone, expectations, or decision-making. Healthy conflict at camp isn’t about confrontation; it’s about communication rooted in mutual respect.
When you and your fellow teammates feel safe speaking up, you function more smoothly as a unit, and campers experience greater consistency.
Camp practice: Use short end-of-day reflections: “What worked well today?” and “What do we need to adjust tomorrow?”
For instance, your team might share, “Transitions to swimming went really smoothly, because we split responsibilities and prepped campers ahead of time.”
A necessary adjustment might be, “Free play felt a little chaotic. We may need clearer boundaries or one counselor leading while the other supports specific campers.”
3. Clarity Creates Team Confidence
Many team challenges stem from unclear expectations rather than personal conflict. As a camp counselor, you need clarity around:
- Roles and responsibilities
- Behavior expectations for campers
- How decisions are made within the team
When teams are aligned, you will feel more confident and less frustrated, and campers benefit from the consistent structure as well.
Camp practice: If you are paired up with one or more co-counselors this summer, make sure you meet to clearly define responsibilities at the start of the week and revisit them as needed.
For example, one of you might take the lead on group management and transitions — getting campers organized, explaining directions, and keeping the schedule on track — while the other focuses on individual camper needs, such as supporting a camper who may need extra help, managing behaviors, or handling sunscreen, water breaks, and check-ins.
4. Accountability Works Best When It’s Shared
On strong camp teams, accountability isn’t about policing behavior; it’s about protecting the camper experience.
It’s important that you and your co-counselors kindly hold one another accountable, because you care about safety, fairness, and group well-being. Supportive accountability should feel like an act of collaboration rather than correction.
Camp practice: Frame accountability around your campers: “How does this choice support safety, inclusion, or emotional well-being?”
For example, if you notice your co-counselor repeatedly distracted on their phone during supervision, avoiding a conversation about it may feel easier, but it is against policy and can impact camper safety. A gentle approach to addressing the issue might be, “Hey, I’ve noticed we’ve both been pulled in different directions during free play. Can we stay more engaged so we’re making sure all campers are safe and included?”
Or, if you feel comfortable, you could take a more direct approach: “Hey, I see you’ve been on your phone a bit. I just want to look out for you because it’s against policy and impacts supervision. If you need to step away, just let someone from leadership know so they can cover your group.”
Framing the conversation around camper experience helps make accountability feel shared and purposeful, rather than personal.
5. Purpose Keeps Teams Grounded During Hard Moments
At camp, for you and fellow staff, “results” aren’t numbers; they’re moments of growth, connection, and belonging.
When you stay connected to the purpose of camp, you’ll find it easier to remain resilient during long days and challenging situations. Shared purpose helps teams move beyond individual stress and focus on collective impact.
Camp practice: Close meetings by naming moments of growth, courage, or connection observed that day.
For instance, “I saw a lot of courage from one of our campers today. He was really nervous to join the group at first, but with some encouragement, he jumped into the activity and ended up laughing and connecting with others.” Or “I noticed how our team supported each other during a tough moment this afternoon. We stayed calm, communicated, and made sure every camper felt included.”
Teamwork Is a Skill Camps Are Uniquely Positioned to Teach
Camps are powerful training grounds for teamwork, communication, and emotional intelligence. Take advantage of that. When your team intentionally practices trust, communication, clarity, accountability, and purpose, you don’t just function better, you grow stronger together.
These are life skills you will carry far beyond camp, reinforcing camps’ role in helping you become the kind of capable, connected leader you want to be for campers and beyond.
Discussion Questions
- Which of the common team dysfunctions do you wrestle with most and why?
- You and your teammate don’t agree on how to handle a camper’s behavior in the dining hall. What would be a healthy way to resolve your conflict?
- What is one way practicing teamwork at camp will help you achieve your goals when you head home after the summer?
Photo courtesy of Liberty Lake Day Camp, Mansfield Township, NJ.
References
American Camp Association. (2023). National Camp Impact Study: Staff Impact Report. ACAcamps.org/resources/national-camp-impact-study
Lencioni, P. M. (2002). The five dysfunctions of a team: A leadership fable. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Brianne Feinour is the youth and camp director of Camp NAC in Newtown, Pennsylvania, a multimillion-dollar program serving more than 1,200 campers each summer. She serves as ACA, Keystone Regional's membership and EPIC chair and focuses on cultivating emotionally intelligent, connected, and resilient camp teams.
