Education and Skill Building
This page is intended to help individuals gain new skills and abilities in the field of recreation and leisure services.
To recommend additional education or skill certificates to be added to this page, contact Marianna Pena at marianna.pena@costamesaca.gov.
To recommend additional education or skill certificates to be added to this page, contact Marianna Pena at marianna.pena@costamesaca.gov.
Stress Relieving Yoga
Yoga instructor, Chelsea Cano’s video with some great techniques for de-stressing and stretching which can be done at your desk.
Click here to view the video.
Passcode: y+AXP$m3
Click here to view the video.
Passcode: y+AXP$m3
Free Online Education
One of the biggest benefits of the Internet is the huge amount of information we all have available at our fingertips. You can use this information to learn more and get a better chance at getting one of the best jobs.
Click here to check out 10 sites for Free Online Education.
Click here to check out 10 sites for Free Online Education.
National Recreation and Park Association Certificates
Through national certification, you join thousands of people who are committed to highest standards of ethical and professional practice in the delivery of park and recreation programs.
Click here for more information on the certificates available through NRPA.
Click here for more information on the certificates available through NRPA.
Podcast Recommendations
- Before Breakfast: Start your morning with productivity advice that will take your day from great to awesome with writer, author, and speaker, Laura Vanderkam.
- Open Space Radio by NRPA: This podcast covers the latest trends and news in the field of parks and recreation and aims to cover unique and interesting stories hosted by Roxanne Sutton and Cort Jones.
- New Mindset Who ‘Dis: In this twice weekly podcast Case Kenny offers practical thoughts on self-improvement, mindfulness and how to live your best life.
Book Recommendations
- Dare to Lead by Brené Brown: Brené Brown has taught us what it means to dare greatly, rise strong, and brave the wilderness. Now, based on new research conducted with leaders, change makers, and culture shifters, she’s showing us how to put those ideas into practice so we can step up and lead.
- Leading in a Culture of Change by Michael Fullan: Michael Fullan shows how leaders in all types of organizations can accomplish their goals and become exceptional leaders. He draws on the most current ideas and theories on the topic of effective leadership, incorporates case examples of large scale transformation, and reveals a remarkable convergence of powerful themes.
- Perfect Phrases for Performance Reviews by Douglas Max and Robert Bacal: The ability to craft an employee review that is meaningful and change-driven is what separates average supervisors from great managers. How often, though, have you struggled to find the most appropriate words for your needs? This completely revised and updated second edition of Perfect Phrases for Performance Reviews provides hundreds of ready-made phrases you can use to clearly communicate any employee's performance in 74 different skill areas.
- The First 90 Days in Government: Critical Success Strategies for New Public Managers at All Levels by Peter H. Daly and Michael Watkins with Cate Reavis: This concise, practical book provides a roadmap that will help new government leaders at all levels accelerate their transitions by overcoming nine transition challenges, ranging from clarifying expectations to defining goals to building a team to managing personal stress. The authors also offer detailed strategies for avoiding major “transition traps.”
- The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg: In The Power of Habit, award-winning business reporter Charles Duhigg takes us to the thrilling edge of scientific discoveries that explain why habits exist and how they can be changed. Distilling vast amounts of information into engrossing narratives that take us from the boardrooms of Procter & Gamble to the sidelines of the NFL to the front lines of the civil rights movement, Duhigg presents a whole new understanding of human nature and its potential. At its core, The Power of Habit contains an exhilarating argument: The key to exercising regularly, losing weight, being more productive, and achieving success is understanding how habits work. As Duhigg shows, by harnessing this new science, we can transform our businesses, our communities, and our lives.
- The Situational Leader by Dr. Paul Hersey: This is a fairly popular book in the leadership training circles. The author recognizes that people are critical to the success of an organization, so leading and developing them is critical. Doing so is not a one size fits all proposition. Different situations call for different leadership styles. Hersey walks the reader through his leader model, which is beneficial. It’s a good little book written in an easy to follow format.
- The Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate The Three Essential Virtues by Patrick Lencioni: In The Ideal Team Player, Lencioni tells the story of Jeff Shanley, a leader desperate to save his uncle’s company by restoring its cultural commitment to teamwork. Jeff must crack the code on the virtues that real team players possess, and then build a culture of hiring and development around those virtues.
- Emotional Intelligence for the Modern Leader: A Guide to Cultivating Effective Leadership and Organizations
By Christopher D. Connors: Success requires more than hard work and good ideas: you need to be able to understand, inspire, and motivate those around you. Emotional Intelligence for the Modern Leader helps you hone your emotional intelligence (EQ)―the ability to be aware of, control, and express your emotions, as well as handle interpersonal relationships empathetically―and enhance your ability to lead. Building off proven research, this user-friendly guide teaches you the pillars of high-EQ leadership. Whether it’s developing self-awareness or bolstering empathy, discover simple and easy-to-use exercises that you can make use of on your own. You’ll even learn about emotionally intelligent leaders and how they’ve utilized this skill as part of their successes. - Performance Conversations: How to Use Questions to Coach Employees, Improve Productivity, and Boost Confidence (Without Appraisals!) by Christopher Lee: There are three universal truths about traditional performance management. They are widely used, universally despised, and are known to be ineffective. These reasons are cited in the recent spate of announcements from dozens of major corporations who have abandoned their appraisal systems. As a result, many organizations are grappling with what to do instead. They have adopted many interesting and innovative practices, but most are a random collection of activities that are not bound together by a sound theoretical framework. This new approach is built upon a sound theoretical foundation, uses proven management techniques, and offers a novel framework and tool for managers for regulating and enhancing the performance of their staff. Dozens of ready-to-use templates and accompanying tools help make good management practice more accessible, practical, and effective. Just as important, the new approach is both millennial- and remote worker-friendly as it incorporates features that speak to how they work.
- 50 Essential Etiquette Lessons: How to Eat Lunch with Your Boss, Handle Happy Hour Like a Pro, and Write a Thank You Note in the Age of Texting and Tweeting by Katherine Flannery: Meeting strangers at a party, alone in the elevator with the CEO, declining a second date because the first was a disaster―social situations apply a lot of pressure to do and say the right thing. 50 Essential Etiquette Lessons shows you the best way to approach these common challenges with confidence and ease. Never mind putting your pinkies up when you drink tea―this guide is packed with modern examples of how to handle any sticky situation. Short, easy lessons cover workplace etiquette, to help you come across as an on-point, put-together asset to any company. Learn specific strategies for performing your best in social settings, both in person and online. Master skills like keeping conversation going, showing your best side on social media, giving gifts appropriately, and more.
- Off the Clock: Feel Less Busy While Getting More Done by Laura Vanderkam: Most of us feel constantly behind, unsure how to escape feeling oppressed by busyness. Laura Vanderkam, unlike other time-management gurus, believes that in order to get more done, we must first feel like we have all the time in the world. Think about it: why haven't you trained for that 5K or read War and Peace? Probably because you feel beaten down by all the time you don't seem to have. In this book, Vanderkam reveals the seven counterintuitive principles the most time-free people have adopted. She teaches mindset shifts to help you feel calm on the busiest days and tools to help you get more done without feeling overwhelmed.
- Sun Tzu's Art of War for Women by Catherine Huang: Sun Tzu's Art of War for Women helps women find paths to success through strategies and approaches made famous in the ancient Chinese text. Co-author Catherine Huang, herself the founder and president of a multi-million dollar corporation, has personally employed these strategies in her male-dominated line of work.
- This is not the End by Nina Sossamon-Pogue: Nina Sossamon-Pogue, former world-class gymnast and award-winning television personality turned successful corporate executive, pulls from decades of high, lows, and public pain to write This Is Not 'The End'. It became the resource Nina needed when she thought her life was over and sometimes wished it was.