Desperate Times Call for Leave No Trace Measures

Four Leave No Trace Musts for the Government Shutdown

You've read the disturbing stories reported from our national parks, now that the partial government shutdown has moved into January. The situation is serious—wildlife picking through bins piled high with trash, latrines overflowing with waste and unfettered off-roading in fragile ecosystems. With 85% of National Park Service employees furloughed, rescue services are limited and maintenance continues to be deferred. 

Please consider these recommendations for the duration of the shutdown from the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics:

1. Develop a Plan B: Choose an alternative to national parks and other federal lands if it is at all possible. The country has many vast and sweeping state parks and municipal lands, many adjacent or nearby. So if you can, give our national lands a breather. 

2. Pack Out ALL Trash: Plan ahead and prepare takes on an elevated meaning during the shutdown. Make sure that you equip yourself with extra bags for any potential trash that you generate and plan to remove all of it from the park. Pack out trash left behind by others to lessen potential impacts on wildlife and waterways, and the environment in general. 

3. It's Time To Try: Given that many restroom facilities on federal lands are closed or already compromised, the use of biodegradable, disposable toilet-in-a-bag-type products is essential. 

Even if it has never been in your repertory, this is a tremendously important commitment you must make to protect wildlife, water sources, and fellow users. 

Contact your local outdoor retailer and ask if they have Restop, Clean Waste or comparable products so you can pack out your human waste. 

4. Share Well With Others: With a lack of critical personnel on site are areas, many visitors will not receive important Leave No Trace information they would otherwise absorb from rangers. 

Share Leave No Trace principles far and wide with those around you. You may find that people are very receptive to hearing from you during the shutdown. 

Most importantly, if you are enjoying federal lands, do so with a gentle touch. All of us hope, for the sake of our beloved outdoors, that the shutdown ends soon. If it continues, we will share more information with you about efforts to help by our thousands of passionate members and partners. 

The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics supplies dome of the best information to help you make good decisions about enjoying our shared lands responsibly during this precarious time.

Go to: Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics

Saving The Natural World The Leave No Trace Way

Want to be a part of the movement? Become a Leave No Trace member today to show your support of the outdoors.

Go to: www.lnt.org

#LeaveNoTrace #OnePlanet #LifeIsPrecious

Reflecting On Happiness

For many people, December can often be a big month for reflection. What goals have you achieved in 2018? What can you do at the close of the year that you couldn’t do at the start of it? How have you made a difference to others? Have you been happy in your work and your life?

Here are four suggestions for enjoying a little more happiness at the end of the year and into 2019:

1. Let go of the rules you have for happiness and success.

You don’t have to be perfect, work hard, go it alone or suffer to earn happiness or be successful. Happiness does not come wrapped in a box, it comes when you enjoy the gift inside every moment.

2. Fuel your passion and do what inspires and delights you.

Ask yourself “when am I at my happiest?” and do more of those things you enjoy. Start by being kind to yourself and indulge in your personal version of happiness, success, and joy.

3. Enjoy the simple pleasures.

Laughter, fun, and dancing to your favorite music costs nothing, yet can be priceless. Play a game, read a book, or go for a walk and try and spot all the colors of a rainbow. What is on your list of simple pleasures?

4. Make time for love and friendship. 

Don’t be so busy with others that you neglect your most important relationships at work and in your life. Who would you like to spend more time with, be more loving with, and have more fun with?

Go to: Nathaniel Branden

#LifeIsPrecious #Reflections #Mindfulness

The Camas Centre, Ross of Mull, Scotland

In the summer of 1989 I took my first steps down the track to Camas Tuath, they were not my last either, and part of me has never left. Being at the Camas Centre, and on Iona, that summer transformed my view of the world as a young man and those initial experiences continue to shape my approach to outdoor learning, even now.

It was in these places I discovered the joy of working in remote settings and real community living. I was able to reflect upon ways my faith could grow and was equipped with the means to understand my own spirituality as I progressed in life. These experiences and subsequent times spent at Camas inspired my career choices to become an outdoor educator.

The Camas Centre plays a crucial role in the lives of the young people and adults that visit the centre, by offering them the opportunity to see core-values being lived out on a daily basis via the resident team, thus enabling them to manage any future tides of change in a positive way, by modeling what they experience at the centre.

And regardless of how we use it to promote aspects of social learning, being at Camas also helps us all embrace good environmental stewardship to preserve what there is to enjoy by simply being there. The sense of connection with nature that is achieved by working on the land, exploring the water, and the shared enjoyment of Camas is both powerful and transformative.

I firmly believe that participating in a week of community living at Camas can act as a catalyst for change within an individual by creating a sense of connection with and an awareness of others as well as the environment in which we live together.

Go to: The Camas Centre

#LifeIsPrecious #Camas #Adventure

WMS Cold Card Guide In the Assessment and Care of Cold-Exposed Patients

The Wilderness Medical Society has published a free ‘cut out and keep’ style double sided card, summarising the key elements of hypothermia evaluation and field care for laypersons, rescuers, and first responders. 

The full-text paper explains its design and evolution, alongside high-resolution printable images of the card.

Go to: Wilderness Medical Society Journal

NOLS Wilderness First Responder

 

Wilderness first responder training courses focus on teaching the students to assess a situation, improvise solutions using available resources to stabilize the patient and identify the best way to get the patient to definitive medical treatment.

Go to: www.nols.edu

#WildernessMedicine #WildernessFirstResponder #CPR

AHA Stay Safe In The Water Campaign

Drowning is the third-leading cause of unintentional injury death worldwide, accounting for 7 percent of all injury-related deaths, according to the World Health Organization. The agency estimates there are 360,000 annual drowning deaths worldwide.

Go to: American Heart Association

Leadership Development - Nurturing a Growth Mindset

Scholars are deeply gratified when their ideas catch on. And they are even more gratified when their ideas make a difference (Carol Dweck, 2016). The growth mindset concept is spreading and being embraced in a number of sectors as part of their curriculum.

But popularity has a price and people begin to distort ideas, and therefore fail to reap their benefits (Carol Dweck, 2016). For instance, some believe a growth mindset is just about praising and rewarding effort. This isn’t true for students in schools, and it’s not true for employees in organizations. In both settings, outcomes matter.

Furthermore, some organizations espouse an ambitious "adopt a growth mindset, and good things will happen" philosophy. Such mission statements are wonderful things, aren't they? You can’t argue with lofty values like growth, empowerment, or innovation. But what do they mean to employees if the company doesn’t implement policies that make them real and attainable?

Organizations that embody a growth mindset encourage appropriate risk-taking, knowing that some risks won’t work out (Carol Dweck, 2016). They reward employees for important and useful lessons learned, even if a project does not meet its original goals.

However, the following infographic serves a purpose in that it emphasizes a relational dynamic between the individual and the growth mindset concept (Steve Wood, 2018). In that, no matter what stage of your career you are in, nurturing and preserving your own growth is absolutely essential, rather than devolve that responsibility to the organization you are part of. In that way, you are more likely to be an agent of change as a leader as well as be better invested as an active follower within your team.

Such are my thoughts on the matter, for now...

#Leadership #GrowthMindset #Development

ACA River Rescue Technician

This course is aimed at Professional Rescuers: Firefighters, BLM Rangers, Search and Rescue Personnel, Whitewater Guides, Trip leaders, boaters paddling on more challenging whitewater, and anyone desiring opportunities to develop their rescue skills. Themes of this dynamic course revolve around the recognition of hazards, critical judgment, and rescue awareness. 

Emphasis is placed heavily on self-rescue techniques and approaching rescue scenarios simply and safely. Apply new and refined skills in mock-rescue scenarios using a minimal amount of gear. These scenarios create an opportunity for participants to practice skills individually and with a team context. 

Scope and content of the course will vary, based on participant needs, interests and experience. Topics covered include extricating pins, using rescue vests, managing strainers, dealing with entrapment, and proficient swimming skills.

Go to: www.wilderness-rescue.com

NOLS Professional Instructor Course

The primary purpose of this course is to train and evaluate potential NOLS instructors who already have extensive experience teaching in the outdoors. 

Each participant’s skills and abilities are assessed and evaluated by the course instructors with the intent of determining their potential as an instructor. 

On this course, participants will develop and refine the teaching and leadership skills needed for professional positions at NOLS.

This course is conducted in Wyoming’s Wind River Range. Because the environment and terrain are representative of many NOLS programming areas, the Winds are ideal for introducing NOLS' field practices. 

The course includes three components: a three-day leadership module taught in town, an eight-day backpacking expedition, and a three-day section of top rope rock climbing training.

Go to: www.nols.edu

NREMT Emergency Medical Responder

Emergency Medical Responders provide immediate lifesaving care to critical patients who access the emergency medical services system. EMRs have the knowledge and skills necessary to provide immediate lifesaving interventions while awaiting additional EMS resources to arrive. 

EMRs also provide assistance to higher-level personnel at the scene of emergencies and during transport. Emergency Medical Responders are a vital part of the comprehensive EMS response. Under medical oversight, Emergency Medical Responders perform basic interventions with minimal equipment.

Go to: www.nremt.org

AHA Basic Life Support (CPR and AED) Provider

Basic Life Support, or BLS, generally refers to the type of care that first-responders, healthcare providers and public safety professionals provide to anyone who is experiencing cardiac arrest, respiratory distress or an obstructed airway.

Go to: American Heart Association

NOLS Wilderness First Aid

Wilderness first aid training courses focus on preparing students for the unexpected, taking a hands-on approach to learning about applying first aid skills in the backcountry. 

Participants are taught how to provide effective treatments for common injuries and illnesses in the outdoors, and how to make appropriate evacuation decisions.

If you like to take short trips relatively close to medical resources, work at wilderness camps, enjoy weekend family outdoor activities, or recreate outdoors, this course is for you.

Go to: www.nols.edu

SGS USA - Class Timetable

Storm Gathering USA 2017

Following are the class choices for each day at Storm Gathering USA 2017.

Friday Session Choices 1 p.m. - 4.30 p.m.

All Levels - Developing Boat Control DBC1

All levels - Surfski Paddling SSP

..................................

Level 1 and 2 - Storm Paddling Essentials SPE

Level 1 and 2 - Surf Zone Fundamentals SZF

..................................

Level 2 and 3 - Intermediate Rock Gardening IRG1

Level 2 and 3 - Unscrambling the Scramble UTS 1

Level 2 and 3 - Long Boat Surfing LBS1

Level 2 and 3 - Short Boat Surfing SBS1

Level 2 and 3 - Moderate Water Boat Handling MWBH 1

..................................

Level 3 - Rough Water Boat Handling RWBH 1

Level 3 - Tricky Launch, Tricky Landing TLTL1

..................................

Saturday Session Choices 9.30 a.m. - 12.30 p.m.

All Levels - Simplifying The Roll STR

All levels - Surfski Paddling SSP

..................................

Level 1 and 2 - Fundamentals of Rock Gardening FRG 1

..................................

Level 2 and 3 - Situational Rolling & Bracing SRB1

..................................

Level 3 - Tricky Launch, Tricky Landing TLTL1

..................................

Saturday Session Choices 1.30 p.m. - 4.30 p.m.

All Levels - Wild Harvesting WH

All Levels - SurkSki Paddling SSP

..................................

Level 1 and 2 - Coastal Journey CJ1

..................................

Level 2 and 3 - Intermediate Rock Gardening IRG2

Level 2 and 3 - Moderate Water Boat Handling MWBH 2

..................................

Level 3 - Rough Water Boat Handling RWBH 2

..................................

Saturday Session Choices All Day

Level 1 and 2 - Fundamentals of Sea Kayak Leadership FSKL

Level 2 and 3 - Practical Leadership and Group Dynamics PLGD

Level 2 and 3 - Incident Management IM

Level 2 and 3 - White Water of The Sea WWOTS

Level 3 - Rock Garden Safety and Rescue RGSR

..................................

Sunday Session Choices 9.30 a.m. - 1.30 p.m.

All Levels - Developing Boat Control DBC1

All levels - Surfski Paddling SSP

..................................

Level 1 and 2 - Fundamentals of Rock Gardening FRG 2

Level 1 and 2 - Coastal Journey CJ2

..................................

Level 2 and 3 - Ocean Journey OCJ1

Level 2 and 3 - Short Boat Surfing SBS

Level 2 and 3 - Unscrambling the Scramble UTS 2

Level 2 and 3 - Situational Rolling and Bracing SRB2

Level 2 and 3 - Long Boat Surfing LBS2

..................................

Level 3 - Rough Water Boat Handling RWBH 3

Level 3 - Tricky Launch, Tricky Landing TLTL2


To register, click HERE.

For more information, e-mail, info@greenlandorbust.org.

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SGS USA - Instructor Speciality Class With Roger Schumann

Storm Gathering USA 2017

Here are details of a specialist class that may interest anyone attending the Storm Gathering USA 2027 event in Trinidad, California on March 3 to 5.

We have scheduled two half-day sessions for participants to choose from. Sessions will run when minimum numbers are reached.

Unscrambling the Scramble: Self Rescue and Beyond.

More than a mode of self-rescue, the Cowboy(Girl) Scramble technique is great for expanding your launching and landing repertoire, and for developing core skills to help you become a better paddler overall. Before working on rescues, we'll break down the scramble technique as used for basic launching /landing, offering tips and tricks for getting off/on beaches quickly and easily (compared to awkward knuckle walking).

We'll also cover more-advanced versions like "lunge launches" and speed launches" useful for accessing "tricky" beaches. In the process of practicing Scramble Launches/Landings, you'll automatically be refining your deep-water rescue skills, as well as improving the core bracing and balancing skills that help keep you from capsizing and needing to do a rescue in the first place. Participants should have been introduced previously to both the Scramble Rescue and the sculling brace.

To register, click HERE.

For more information e-mail: info@greenlandorbust.org.

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Sea Kayak Rolling Traditions

The ability to roll one's kayak is probably the single most effective rescue technique there is in the event of a capsize at sea. By learning and practicing a wide variety of rolling progressions, a paddler's confidence, safety and thus enjoyment of being on the ocean can improve immensely. One of the key principles to bear in mind is that it is the body, rather than the boat or blade, which controls the roll. However, having an appreciation of how rolling has evolved is of value too.

When time is taken to study historical records and well documented text such as Eastern Arctic Kayaks: History, Design, Technique by John Heath and Eugene Arima (2004) or Kayaks of Greenland by Harvey Golden (2006), it is possible to relate to and gain insights about how the rolling skills we teach and utilise today owe so much to our paddling ancestors from the Arctic regions, with Greenland being of particular importance. So regardless of which school of thought you follow in terms of learning how to roll, its worth taking the time to appreciate the heritage behind it.

The Inuit have used 'qajaqs' as a means of hunting and fishing for centuries. Tradition being that a qajaq would be made of seal skin stretched over a wooden frame. These qajaqs tended to be extremely buoyant as well easy to self-right in the event of turning completely over. Rolling a qajaq was considered an essential self-rescue skill that was learned and practiced on a regular basis. As a consequence, various rolls were developed to handle any and all situations that might arise. This included being entangled in fishing lines, losing a paddle and perhaps needing to roll using the available hunting equipment. 

David Crantz, writing his book History of Greenland in 1767, describes a number of methods by which an Inuit righted his craft, including full and half-paddle rolls, and rolls using the harpoon or hands. And not only were these skills observed by explorers and visitors but practiced also. Records show that the first non-Inuit known to have learned to roll was the Austrian, Edi Pawlata, who taught himself in 1927 after reading accounts by the explorers Nansen and Jophansen. An English explorer, Gino Watkins, learned directly from the Inuit in 1930, though unfortunately he disappeared on a trip to the Arctic soon afterwards.

Ironically, as rolling became popularised within a number of recreational paddling disciplines across Europe and America at the start of the 20th century, kayaking itself was loosing its value amongst the Greenlandic people as power boats became the chosen vessel to hunt from. This decline in use of the qajaq meant a whole generation was growing up with almost no knowledge of the craft or the associated skills and concern grew that the history and culture associated with the qajaq could be lost forever. So it was, in 1984, the Greenlanders started kayaking clubs across several regions and Qaannat Kattuffiat, the Greenland Kayaking Association became established.

The Greenland Kayaking Association is dedicated to keeping the traditional kayaking skills alive. This includes rolling, paddling techniques, kayak building, tuilik making and other aspects of the Greenland kayaking culture. Qaannat Kattuffiat holds regular training camps where this knowledge is taught and practiced, and organises an annual championship. Today there are approximately 25 local Greenland "qajaq" clubs affiliated with Qaannat Kattuffiat. There is also a chapter in Copenhagen (Qajaq Copenhagen) and the United States (Qajaq USA). The word "qaannat" is the plural of qajaq (kayaks) and Kattuffiat means "club or organization". Therefore the term Qaannat Kattuffiat literally means the kayaks' club.

The Greenland National Kayaking Championship takes place over the course of a week with all ages from children to the elderly competing. The event include racing, harpoon throwing, rolling and rope gymnastics. The purpose of these competitions is to keep tradition alive, and to teach the skills that the Greenlanders have used for so many years. Perhaps the discipline that draws the most attention is the rolling of which there are 35 listed techniques of increasing difficulty and hence points awarded. You can read more about each manoeuvre and the competition rules on the Qajaq USA website.

So whether you prefer the quick and forceful recovery of the C-to-C roll or choose to practice rolling techniques that rely more on flexibility and finesse, try to remember that both were born out of sea kayaking imperatives where reliability of technique for survival was paramount. For the Inuit hunters whose lives depended on their kayaking skills wet exits were just not an option in the frigid arctic waters. By way of contrast, modern day kayakers roll as much for the sheer pleasure of mastering an array of techniques as they do out of necessity to prevent an inglorious swim. However you chose to do it, take care and enjoy.

Sources and acknowledgements

Helen Wilson - Greenland or Bust

Greg Stamer - Kayak Vagabond

Mark Whitaker - Columbia River Kayaking

Qajaq USA - American Chapter of the Greenland Kayak Association

Sea Kayak Essentials

Sea Kayak Essentials from Kayak Essentials on Vimeo.

Sea Kayak Essentials is a new instructional DVD that focuses on solid foundation skills for advanced performance with structured chapters covering the essentials of boat speed; angle and trim; body position; and stroke linking. Sea Kayak Essentials addresses the fundamentals of posture, connectivity, feel and power transfer as well as the core skills of forward paddling, balancing and turning, use of the skeg and boat awareness exercises.

Sea Kayak Essentials is presented and performed by Nick Cunliffe, an active and experienced BCU level 5 sea kayak coach. Technical analysis and coaching progressions are provided by Nick throughout the DVD.

The DVD is currently available for pre-order at £19.95, including free postage within the United Kingdom. Comprehensive technical notes that accompany Sea Kayak Essentials can be downloaded here as a PDF file.

Spiritual Intelligence and Leadership

Danah Zohar and Ian Marshall, in their co-authored book Spiritual Intelligence - The Ultimate Intelligence [2001], suggests that empirical evidence is available for the existence of spiritual intelligence and for the existence of a "God spot" in the brain. This not about proving the existence of God but rather of a distinct type of intelligence within the human brain, alongside cognitive intelligence and emotional intelligence. 

Danah Zohar sees SQ as the intelligence that unifies experience, seeks meaning and drives us towards transcending and transforming our current reality. In other words, it is SQ that pushes us towards creativity. Therefore, according to Zohar, creativity is fundamentally a part of every human being. Much of her research incorporates reports gleaned from the reflections of acknowledged creators - artists, composers, sculptors, discoverers, scientists - who speak of the moment of creation as being akin to a spiritual experience.

Zohar distinguishes between the three types of intelligence thus:

IQ: cognitive intelligence is generally acknowledged by academia and education. It is essentially serial in nature, being logical and deductive; it is goal-oriented in nature, accurate, precise and reliable.

EQ: emotional intelligence, identified by Daniel Goleman [1996], and recognised as associative in nature. It makes links between emotions, between emotions and bodily feelings and enables us to recognise patterns like faces or smells, as well as to learn skills and to interact with others in social contexts. It is influenced by experience by virtue of being pattern-related. It becomes tacit learning, in that the experience, through practice, becomes part of the person.

SQ: according to Zohar spiritual intelligence is meaning-giving, contextualising and transformative. Understanding is essentially holistic and is linked to this unitive thinking. From here it is possible to rethink, to recontextualise and to create. Zohar sets out a number of dimensions:

1. Self-Awareness: you know who you really are and you know that you are connected to the whole universe.

2. Vision & Values Led: or Idealism. Children naturally want to serve, and so do we. Being vision and values led is definitive of our humanity.

3. The Capacity to Face and Use Adversity: owning our mistakes and adversity to learn

4. To be Holistic: seeing the connections between things. Being open to and interested in everything.

5. Diversity: thriving in and celebrating diversity. I look at you and see what is different in you and I say "Thank you for that!"

6. Field Independence: a term from psychology that means the courage not to bend to external forces but to remain independent.

7. The Tendency to Ask Why?: Questions are infinite. In Quantum Physics questions create reality.

8. The Ability to Re-Frame: putting things into a wider meaning.

9. Spontaneity: this is not about acting on a whim…it comes from the same Latin roots as response and responsibility. It is appropriately "responsive to" the world.

What does this add to our understanding of ourselves, our creativity and others? Just this: spiritual intelligence as the basis for all creativity - however great or small - means that the creative process is neither accidental nor trivial. Thus creativity is fundamental to the nature of human beings. It can be linked to our search for higher meaning. If high-level creativity is situated at the edge between order and chaos then perhaps we need a higher level of intelligence, that of spiritual intelligence, to help us navigate through the process.

Thus, far from being at the margins of our lives, creativity is central to who and what we are - and we need to be aware of this in our work, our play, our relationships and our development of self.

If all of this now seems a little too beyond the pale, it is worth remembering that Maslow's concept of self-actualisation suggests something very similar, though without the scientific framework offered by Zohar and Marshall. Jung's ideas of consciousness resonate with a similar idea to the concept of transformative thinking and transcendence.

The potential importance of this concept for the workplace lies in the emphasis that an organisation might place on values, principles and ethics.  At a leadership level, the implications are interesting. If a high IQ does not guarantee a good leader and high EQ has been correlated with success. What then if SQ is added to the melting pot. A practitioner may wish to consider taking a deeper approach to knowing themselves by accounting of their values and a sense of spirituality. However, the application of SQ in a leadership setting has yet to be fully tested and as such should is still very much open to debate and discussion.

PyB Paddlesports Expedition Symposium

February 2010 saw nearly a hundred delegates come together for the 3rd Paddlesport Expedition Symposium at Plas y Brenin in North Wales. It was organized by Pete Catterall, Head of Paddlesports, and supported by many great guest speakers and coaches including the likes of Justine Curgenven and Ray Goodwin, one of the UK’s few triple Level 5 coaches. The event provided a memorable opportunity for participants from all over the UK, Europe and the USA to come together to share their experiences and skills. 

The two days was jam packed with fascinating talks, workshops and discussions covering everything from canoe poling, gear selection, tarpology with Jules Burnard and bushcraft to bear proofing your kit, recording the trip and exploring leadership / group dynamics on expedition with yours truly. It was all run with the relaxed professionalism always associated with Plas Y Brenin. However that didn’t stop a few symposium staff from getting up to mischief on the Sunday morning by participating in some ‘snowyaking’ after a fresh dump of powder!

Saturday was concluded with a highly exclusive preview of Justine’s forthcoming DVD release of ‘This is Canoeing’, which was very well received. This was followed by Peter Catterall and his team talking about their ‘Below and Beyond Machu Pichu ‘09’ trip which was a kayaking expedition to complete a first decent of the Rio Concebidayoc in the Quillabamba region of Peru. 

Overall it was an engaging and enjoyable experience as to be there as a guest speaker and occasional participant when there was time to sneak into other workshops. Praise should go to Pete and all the team for delivering a great symposium that was all things to all participants with plenty of time to network and gather information.

As always, ...and a big thank you to Kokatat who continue to provide me with quality paddling apparel to wear on and off the water

A Dispositional Approach Towards Inclusive Adaptive Leadership - Suresh Paul and Mark Tozer

As a practitioner, can you lead inclusively? Do you lead inclusively? These are different questions, and your answer may well be "yes" to the first and "no" to the second. The first question asks about ability: if you are given a mixed ability group to lead, could you lead them inclusively? The second tacitly asks much more, it goes beyond ability and asks about inclination: Are you disposed to leading inclusively? Do you like to lead inclusively? Do you lead inclusively regularly? 

Leading inclusively is like higher order thinking in at least this respect: in both cases, ability alone is not enough to ensure ongoing performance. Paul (2010) suggests that the creation of inclusive meaningful opportunities in the outdoors requires the taming of a wicked problem that is embedded in a social mess. Furthermore, Paul (2010) proposes two models that provide a nexus for developing leadership dispositions through inspirational learning and the enhancement of a leader’s adaptive capacity. 

Developing the capacity for individuals to learn more effectively from their experiences is an important part of building the expertise, knowledge and skills for inclusive leadership. A likely outcome is the formation of dispositions of adaptive capacity or expertise.

Figure 1: The Fear Fear and Fear Model (Paul 2010) sets out the barriers that exist for practitioners who wish to learn how to be inclusive adaptive leaders. In order for adaptive capacity to flourish from the outset, individuals need to consider the importance of: (1) practicing different ways of learning, (2) ensuring variation in that practice (3) become proficient at making balanced judgements about how or if an experience might change their current perspective by reflecting on their learning experiences and (4) become adept at seeking out and taking different perspectives by applying principles of ‘good thinking’ (Figure 2).

Figure 1: The Fear Fear and Fear Model (Paul 2010) 

Good thinking (Perkins et al., 1993a) is characterised by seven dispositions 1) To be broad and adventurous 2) Toward sustained intellectual curiosity 3) To clarify and seek understanding 4) To plan and be strategic 5) To be intellectually careful 6) To seek and evaluate reasons 7) To be meta-cognitive. Each disposition (Figure 3) is a complex relationship between three elements: inclination (a person’s felt tendency towards a particular behaviour), sensitivity (a person’s alertness towards a particular occasion), and capability (the ability of a person to follow through with a behaviour). 

Figure 2: A Disposition And Its Elements (Tozer et al., 2007)

A ‘good leader’ may be disposed towards all of the thinking behaviours, and appropriately exhibit one or more of them depending on the situation. Perkins et al (1993a) contend that it raises provocative questions about existing models of thinking, casts new light on controversial issues in the field, connects in interesting ways to findings in other promising areas of cognitive research, and has important implications for the education of good thinking. Inclusive leadership is more than just a matter of skill. It involves attending to one's attitudes, values and of habits of mind. Adaptive leaders need to be good thinkers and develop appropriate dispositions in accordance with that (Tozer et al., 2007).

Typically, a leadership practitioner is an experienced and qualified individual who may act as a positive role model to those they lead. Loynes (2004) considers that the functions of leadership whilst in the outdoors are concerned with working with participants, ensuring maximised opportunities for all involved, resolving group issues and task problems along with achieving the desired goals. Loynes also states that leadership must focus upon managing a number of diverse and changing factors that arise within wilderness settings, something he regards as a complex and dynamic process. Figure 3: The Inclusive Adventure Model (Paul, 2010) provides a focal point for balancing these factors for practitioners as they think about being inclusive and adaptive as leaders. 

Figure 3: The Inclusive Adventure Model (Paul, 2010) 

The fear of change (Figure 1) can be eased when people anticipate and plan how to manage it. One effective plan for overcoming the theory-or-practice learning dilemma is to aim to combine theory and practice into one rhythm of effort. In practical terms, that means taking either a think-do-think approach to developing inclusive and adaptive dispositions as leaders, or a do-think-do approach. Both of these approaches involve cycles of reflection and practice. All these elements will be recognisable in any leadership approach that reflects understanding through flexible performances and the cognitive agility to adapt to their participants’ needs.

Applying ideas about adaptive capacity, learning and inclusion to a wide variety of outdoor skills, abilities and conditions that can occur within leadership practices is likely to develop a greater flexibility in dealing with new learning situations. Initially, the practice of leading in an adaptable way will require careful analysis and review of learning episodes and experiences. Eventually, the process will become automated. In the end, a good learner, and hence a good leader, will be able to learn, act and think more skilfully with only sporadic self-checking in novel and dynamically variable circumstances (Schwartz et al., 2005). 

Inclusive adaptive leadership will require innovative thinking; it entails practitioners taking positive and inspiring learning steps; and it necessitates them to be able to work openly with others. What is needed of a good leader is the ability to recognise and apply good adaptive practices in potentially novel and unstructured situations. To be accustomed to operating independently, make decisions in chaotic conditions and be cognitively agile (Tozer et al., 2007).