Podcasts

Season 3 | Young Professionals in Forestry and Natural Resources | Episode 13

#48 | If you’re the smartest person in the room, your asset level may be down pretty low

November 1, 2017 | Tim Ackerman

Tim Ackerman is a Service Forester for the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry in his home of Erie County, PA, and he is graduate of Penn State University with a degree in Forest Ecosystems Management. On today’s show, Tim discusses how he was introduced to forestry and some of the leadership lessons he learned while he was in the United States Marine Corps. Tim also gives advice to younger aspiring foresters on how to get internships and the value of developing soft skills in addition to the hard ones you learn in school. One of his other lessons in leadership is about the importance of communicating “the why” behind your directions and delegations, because it can improve team motivation for the task at hand.

Key Takeaways:

[:40] A quick intro about Tim’s background.

[2:00] How did Tim first get started in forestry?

[4:30] How did Tim get his first internship?

[7:30] When Tim was in the Marines, what kind of leadership lessons did he learn?

[11:10] Tom believes military personnel make for some of the best employees!

[11:20] What was Tim’s experience as a student leader like?

[15:30] Forestry is a small community, and everyone really wants to help each other succeed.

[18:55] What kind of soft skills do aspiring forestry professionals need to learn before they start applying for positions?

[22:20] What kinds of surprises did Tim experience first-hand when he entered into the forestry profession?

[24:45] Tim has been mentored by a couple of forestry professionals in the past and explains what that experience was like.

[31:55] Tim does have to regularly explain to people that he’s not a forest ranger and that the profession is much more diverse than that.

[33:10] Tim offers some final words of advice to young foresters out there.

[37:35] Tim recommends reading The Wilderness Warrior! It is a biography about
Theodore Roosevelt.

[43:20] Tom’s Leadership Tip of the Week: The Learning Curve

Mentioned in This Episode:
Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry: www.dcnr.pa.gov
The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America, by Douglas Brinkley
SmarterEveryday on Youtube
www.LeadershipNature.com

Tim giving an environmental education program