Your Business March 2020 - 223

MARCH _ 2020

T

he two key assets that underpin
our everyday lives are our ability
to make decisions and our
capacity to communicate the
results calmly, positively and coherently.
But can we honestly say that we focus
our resource development programmes
around these two basic concepts?
Probably not! Rather we look to the
more technical aspects of our work or
maybe the latest fashion in mindfulness
development heralded in the media.
However, no matter where we
start, it always comes back to making
the right call at the right time and
communicating that decision to the
right people appropriately. The question
is, how do we teach that skill? And
how do we develop it to get the best
from our individuals and teams?

Something different

Life tends to place us in a range of safe
and familiar boxes: our homes, our
offices, our cars, even our local pubs. We
know the rules and have an expectation
of others within the same shared box.
But what happens when the unexpected
or the unfamiliar happens? This is
when we start to see the real person.
When we really see the true character
of an individual or a team is when
the cosy, everyday, well rehearsed
practices are given over to the unknown
surroundings and the unfamiliar
behavioural requirements of the true
outdoors. New strengths are uncovered,
different leadership qualities come to the
fore and people even talk in new ways.

Business benefits

There is a weight of published evidence
to suggest that every individual benefits
both physically and mentally from
spending time outdoors. The mental
health charity Mind reports that "outdoor
activity improves mood, reduces stress
and anxiety, benefits physical health and
improves confidence and self-esteem".
It's crucial to positively encourage staff
to get outdoors and reap the benefits.
It is all too easy to study nature from
the comfort of one's home (or office),
through our windows or on our screens.

By adopting a staff development strategy
that includes time spent outdoors,
businesses can encourage healthier
lifestyles that can benefit all parties.
We all strive to meet goals and
ambitions. The trouble is, they tend to
be all about the individual: sales targets,
recruitment figures, performance targets
and so on. What if the team learned the
benefits of working together so each

OUTDOOR
ACTIVITY
REDUCES STRESS
AND IMPROVES
CONFIDENCE
member met and exceeded their personal
goals while supporting colleagues
to achieve similar results? Climbing
Snowdon or Scafell Pike requires everyone
to look out for everyone else. No one
person gets to the top alone. This is team
building, this is personal development,
this is identifying leadership qualities
- and it is all about communication.

Who we are

The Outdoor Thinking Company Ltd,
under the leadership of Managing
Director Ryan Woods, offers bespoke
adventure packages and courses around
the UK including Corporate and Private
Expeditions, Team Building and
Bushcraft. Our focus is on strengthening
team bonds and leadership through
challenging but safely delivered activities.
We provide a healthy balance between
personal development and exposure
to the unknown, and we conduct
our challenges across a variety of
environments which include mountain
peaks, moorlands and woodlands.
The range of activities in a programme
can be tailored to individual corporate
needs and budgets. As well as the role
these programmes play in individual
and group development, OTC genuinely
sees them as fun. Our aim is to send
every participant home with a big smile
on their face and a huge amount of
pride in themselves and their colleagues
for what they have just achieved.

For more information about The Outdoor Thinking Company, email
ryan@theoutdoorthinkingcompany.com or call 07961 490593
Your Business March 2020

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