Why Leaders Need Wilderness and Adventure More Than Ever

I recently came across a fantastic article by Brynn Schmidt extolling the importance of wilderness adventures for kids.  And as a father who has encouraged my own kids as they’ve grown to explore the world through extended canoe and backpacking trips, to the point that my oldest is about to spend her third summer leading wilderness trips through northern Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, I couldn’t agree more.  But my agreement with Ms. Schmidt’s arguments go far further.  In fact, as an I/O psychology professional, I would make the same (and more) arguments for the value of wilderness tripping as an effective leadership development approach.

Taking Schmidt’s points for kids, let’s expand this and look at the reasons for expanding leadership capacity and competence through wilderness adventures….

• Leaders often develop better without a schedule – Too often, development is one of those activities or approaches that is squeezed into the busy schedules of modern leaders. As a result, it becomes a “nice to have” more often than not, constantly at risk of getting squeezed out by the tactical needs of the daily grind.  Instead, leaders should be allowed to block intensive development into “schedule free” periods of time, be that a day, a few day seminar, or a week-long experience that takes them outside their normal work environments.  Wilderness immersion leadership development does just that, with cell phones and tablets left behind and only themselves and their peers on which to focus.

• Leaders develop better with a connection to the natural environment – Psychologists have long recognized the value to our well-being of connecting with nature. The ephemeral experiences available uniquely within the physical environment promote the breadth and depth of thought necessary to see leadership challenges in a new light and from a new perspective.

• Leaders need time to kick back and relax (and reflect) – Quiet reflection is a hallmark of any high-quality leadership development strategy, yet one of the “nice to haves” that are often overlooked or minimized in development programs that run 9-5, letting out for the evening, during which time leaders race to their laptops to catch up on email and drive-by tasking. Alternatively, during wilderness leadership development, the day ends with more reflection, around the campfire, under the stars, with fellow leaders to bounce ideas off or to work through leadership challenges.

• Leaders need to learn to exist without technology – You may be sensing a trend here, the escape from modern devices and leadership approaches so heavily intertwined with our technological world. Now, there are certainly benefits to all our technology, but little of it engenders stronger core leadership.  And sometimes, stepping away from our constant contact with bosses, followers, and even spouses alights development sparks untapped previously.  No better way to have that happen then 10 miles out on the John Muir trail, with nary a cell tower or wifi to be found!

• Leaders enhance their emotional intelligence through conversation – The ability for leaders to gain self-awareness around their own emotions, as well as to better understand the emotional connections with others is a well-recognized goal of developing individuals with the nuanced ability to effectively motivate and influence others. Particularly on wilderness trips with small groups, there is an intimacy borne by shared experience, connection with nature, collective overcoming of challenges, and just living side my side (or even within a tent) that boosts one’s own sense of belonging and understanding of each other.  It’s not that this is not possible to experience in traditional development programs, but the unique elements of being “on the trail” with others has an impact that often surpasses that found in other environments.

Over the next several weeks, I will dive more deeply into each of these ideas with follow-up articles.

In the meantime, what have your experiences been with wilderness tripping, and how have those experiences made you a stronger leader?

Change: Life’s Constant Companion

Life is fleeting, a refrain we’ve heard time and time again.  And it’s true.  Hell, I’ve been alive 46 years and it barely feels like more than 20!  Of course, I try to live life to its fullest as I slide through my fifth decade.  I still play hockey, jump from airplanes, hike and backpack, and stay in fairly good physical shape.  I push myself intellectually, staying abreast in my field of I/O psychology, teaching myself new foreign languages, and reading daily.  And yet, occasionally life with throw you a curve that reemphasizes just how complacent or routine even the most adventurous life can become when we’ve turned on autopilot and are just going through the motions.

These past two have been more trying than I can remember in recent times.  My dad was unexpectedly (isn’t it always?) diagnosed with brain cancer and underwent a craniotomy last month.  In response, the family has rallied and demonstrated its strength in supporting him and each other.  It’s really been an inspiring sight, in spite of the circumstances.  And we know there will be plenty more trying times in the weeks and months ahead…such is the unfortunate path of glioblastoma.  But we will persevere.  We must.

It’s when life wallops us that we are given real choices.  We can sink inward, wallowing in self-pity and sorrow, or we can build up our support network and develop skills around vulnerability and help seeking.  We can bury ourselves in our work, or we can set it aside completely, neglecting our responsibilities to others in lieu of our own emotional needs.  We can plod along in a haze of reflection and worry, or we can regroup and respond.

In reality, we can (and typically do) balance all of these to one extent or another.  But doing so, and doing it successfully, takes deliberate attention and efforts.  And it’s good to remind ourselves of the value to swinging back and forth along each pendulum, recognizing the importance of each alternative in its own time and place.

As an ISTP, I’m action-oriented, but reflective in dealing with life’s inevitable changes (and opportunities).  I’m analytical and rational, but often at the expense of fully factoring in emotional reactions and responses of others.  This plays into both how I process and deal with issues impacting me, but knowing my preference in this regard is also helpful in recognizing how my own strategies in life may not be the same as for those around me.

So, how does this all translate into the work world, my own professional life and how I move forward in the midst of this turmoil?

Well, for starters, the situations that have lambasted our family over the past several months are simply life, as unpleasant and unwanted as they may be.  I recognize that we’re not unique in having to wrestle with this realities of life.  But similarly, they provide an excellent chance to reflect and regroup, as a family and certainly individually.

For me, much of this involves ideas and possibilities of change.  Personals that have lambasted our family over the past several months are simply life, as unpleasant and unwanted as they may be.  I recognize that we’re not unique in having to wrestle with this realities of life.  But similarly, they provide an excellent chance to reflect and regroup, as a family and certainly individually.

For me, much of this involves ideas and possibilities of change, personally and professionally.  But I’ve always embraced change as a good thing, a necessary thing for growth.  So, what changes are afoot?  Well, I’m not entirely prepared to reveal all the intricacies of the possibilities at this point….soon enough, though.  But I have spent much of the past several months thinking about where my career has come and where it’s heading.  I’ve reflected on all the fantastic experiences and opportunities I’ve had professionally over the past 25 years, and there have been many!  And I’ve pondered what the next phase will engender, realizing that in the fleeting moment that we call life, there’s precious little time to devote to pursuits in any area of our lives that lack meaning, purpose, and enrichment.

None of that is to imply that I haven’t always sought those three things in every position I’ve held, and in every hobby I’ve pursued.  I have, to varying degrees.  And whether the future entails continued focus on teaching and research, a return to the corporate world, a transition to non-profit work, more hiking, skydiving, and travel, or some combination of all of these, it will be meaningful.  It will have purpose, both for myself and with a focus on service.  And it will be personally enriching.

And change does not necessarily mean a drastic change of direction, but sometimes a mere tweaking of things in a way that promotes increased impact, enhanced meaning, and reflected resolve.

So, stay tuned for more announcements….I’ve got a number of ideas percolating and in development!

Veterans’ Day: It’s about the Others…

Some served out of patriotism.  Some served for education.  Some served to get themselves out of bad situations, or simply for the job opportunities. And some served because it was just “what you did.”

Some served in peacetime.  Some served in wartime.  Some served in wartime, but it peaceful settings.  Some served on the battlefield, while others served well behind battle lines in support of those under fire.

All are veterans.  All are worthy of our praise and respect.  But will we always receive that?  No, and that too is why we served.

As a military veteran, I often pause on Veterans’ Day to think of my service, my comrades who have slogged through the jungle, flown the long flights, and stood in the freezing cold beside me, those who have faced hardship and sacrificed with me.  They were ordinary people, mostly asked to do ordinary things, but always willing and ready for the extraordinary.  They were my brothers and sisters, and will always be part of my family.

They weren’t all heroes, and that’s okay.

They weren’t all flawless, and that’s to be expected.

They weren’t all like-minded, and that was a good thing.

And they weren’t all even good at their jobs, and that’s real life.

As we reflect on yet another holiday dedicated to all those who have served, voluntarily or not, with the discounts and special deals offered by so many businesses and establishments in our communities, I all too often hear veterans themselves deride those who protest, those who do not openly thank them for their service.  And I become angry also…but not at the protesters, not at the business that do NOT offer veteran discounts, or those for whom this is simply another day.  I grow angry at the veterans themselves.

We did not serve for the accolades.  We did not serve for glory.  And we did not serve to become entitled.  Those may come from our service, but those weren’t the reason for it.

We served because we valued selflessness.  We served because we valued the bonds of shared sacrifice.  And we served because others could not or would not.  We served for the ideals of free speech and equality, even when our society hindered it.  We served for those unable to protect themselves and without a voice, in hopes that they would someday.

We didn’t serve so that we would have a platform on which to criticize those who didn’t.  We didn’t serve so we could preach our superiority over those who choose not to.  And we didn’t serve to get free dinners, haircuts, or tickets to a ball game.

So, take advantage of those rewards that come from your military service.  Get that free haircut.  Watch that free meal.  Fly your flag proudly.  But don’t do those things because you’ve “earned” them, and don’t criticize those that do not offer either accolades or discounts.  Do what you’ve always done.  Stand tall and be proud of your service.  Remember your own past sacrifices and the ongoing sacrifices of those still serving and still deployed.  But don’t expect the praise and don’t deride others who you feel disrespect you and your sacrifice, for that’s the right that led you to serve in the first place.

This Veterans’ Day, don’t look for praise for your service.  Look to the reasons FOR your service.  And celebrate those reasons.  Commend the expressions of those who disagree with you or perhaps even who look down on your service, for those who protest and even for those who burn the flag.  For that’s what your service was all about.  It was about those others.

At its core, our service is about the other people, whether or not they know it.  Our service was not about us.  It was about and for them.