one-day applied leadership training for national parks teams

mission effectiveness amid complexity

Leading a park today means navigating competing demands, limited capacity, and high expectations from key stakeholders. 

For many Superintendents, the challenge is not a lack of mission alignment on the team. It is creating the opportunity for managers and leaders across the park to step back together, talk about the challenges they navigate, build practical leadership skills, and align around how the work will move forward. 

This one-day applied leadership training brings you and up to 20 key managers and leaders at your park together for focused learning and practice around the leadership challenges you are navigating right now. 

Participants learn leadership tools and apply them directly to real situations facing the park. 

The purpose is simple: to strengthen the leadership capabilities your team relies on to move the mission forward with greater clarity, coordination, and momentum. 

How the Day Works

The day is structured as an applied leadership training workshop focused on the real challenges your park team is facing. 

Participants learn practical leadership tools and apply them directly to current work situations. 

Across the day, the session includes: 

  • Short teaching segments introducing practical leadership frameworks 

  • Guided application of those tools to real issues facing your park 

  • Structured exercises to practice leadership conversations and decision approaches 

  • Discussion time for your team to identify concrete initiatives and leadership commitments to carry forward 

The focus throughout the day is practical application — strengthening the leadership capabilities your team needs to navigate complexity and move important work forward. 

Choose a Theme for Your Session

Superintendents can select from one of the following workshop themes that best matches the current needs of their park. 

Doing More with Less | Team Effectiveness Under Constraint

When staffing is tight and expectations remain high, teams need clarity about priorities, roles, and where to focus limited capacity. This session introduces practical tools for prioritization, coordination, and decision-making so teams can work effectively even when resources are stretched. 

Balancing Stakeholder Demands | Leading Across Competing Expectations

Park leaders often navigate complex expectations from communities, partners, advocates, and agency leadership. This session introduces practical methods for understanding stakeholder priorities and strengthening how leaders frame decisions and communicate across differing perspectives. 

Keeping the Team Steady | Resilience and Leadership Under Pressure

Sustained pressure can strain even strong teams. This session introduces practical approaches for maintaining clarity, accountability, and steady leadership when demands are high and conditions are uncertain. 

Choosing What Matters | Prioritizing When Capacity Is Tight

When demands exceed available capacity, teams must make disciplined choices about where to focus their effort. This session introduces practical tools for clarifying priorities, identifying trade-offs, and aligning leadership attention around the work that matters most. 

Custom Training Option

Some parks face leadership challenges that do not fit neatly into a standard theme. 

Superintendents may also request a custom-designed training session focused on a specific leadership challenge facing their park. We begin with a short consultation to understand your situation and tailor the training accordingly. 

(Custom engagements are scoped separately.) 

What Your Team Will Leave With

By the end of the day, participants will leave with: 

  • practical leadership tools they can apply immediately 

  • clearer alignment around current priorities 

  • stronger coordination across managers and leaders 

  • concrete next steps your team commits to carrying forward 

Format

Participants
You and up to 20 key managers and leaders at your park

Length
A full eight-hour training day, including morning and afternoon breaks and a lunch break 

Delivery
Typically delivered in person at your park

Virtual formats are also available when needed. 

This session is designed to function as professional development training for park staff. 

Investment

To make planning simple, we offer clear pricing for the most common formats. 

Standard Theme Workshop (In Person)
$15,000 for a one-day training session based on one of the four workshop themes listed above. 

Custom-Designed Workshop (In Person)
$18,000 for a one-day training session tailored to the specific leadership challenges facing your park. 

Virtual Workshop
$12,000 for a one-day virtual training session delivered online. 

Travel expenses may apply for in-person workshops depending on park location. 

If you would like to explore hosting a one-day applied leadership training workshop for your park: 

SCHEDULE A CONVERSATION HERE

Our Experience with NPS

KONU has partnered with the National Park Service on leadership development programs for Superintendents across multiple regions. 

We have also worked directly with park teams through targeted team development sessions designed to strengthen alignment, engagement, and performance. 

Through this work, we have gained a deep appreciation for the realities of leading in the Park Service and the importance of strengthening leadership in ways that are practical, grounded, and mission-aligned.