Bare Naked Climbers

Rock climbing, by its very nature, is an incredibly beautiful sport. Fluid, graceful motion, intense amounts of power, stunningly intricate technicalities & the pure harmonious blend of mind, body & spirit. Turns out there's a new trend, even purer, simpler and closer to nature. Climbing completely nude.

Photgrapher: Dean Fidelman

To do it completely naked simply captures that beauty perfectly. Without clothes, specialist shoes or other equipment, participants say the experience captures the 'true essence of the climbing spirit.'California based climber & photographer Dean Fidelman has even released calendars of the climbers in action, called "Stone Nudes."

Dean is reported to have said: 'This kind of climbing is the sport at its purest, and is intended to inspire and celebrate the human form. It requires no equipment which means climbers of all abilities can take part. Many are now participating in a sport that captures the true essence of the climbing spirit.'

To see more of Dean's work visit his website

Monday Morning Wave

Photographer: Marc Lleyellyn

Framed by a sheltering copse of pandanus trees and a pair of opportunistic wave-hunters, a lucent Burleigh Cove barrel (indicated by an inclined driftwood log) begs for a little social intercourse. John Witzig tells us that ... the pandanus is common to the east coast of Australia, from Crescent Head north ... and all over the Pacific. The seeds float around in the ocean until they find a hospitable shore to germinate on.

Action Centred Leadership

A general and popular model on a functional approach to leadership is associated with John Adair, who has a long pedigree in this area. Adair’s (1973) model is often cited within the outdoor and expedition literature (e.g. Barnes, 2002; Loynes, 2004; Ogilvie, 2005).

According to Adair's explanation, an action-centred leader must:

* Direct the job to be done (task structuring)
* Support and develop the individual people doing it
* Co-ordinate and foster the team as a whole

The effectiveness of the leader is dependent upon meeting three areas of need within the group: the need to achieve the common task, the need for team maintenance, and the individual needs of group members. Adair (1973) symbolised these needs, and associated interactions with three overlapping circles.

Adair’s (1973) popularised three-circle diagram is a simplification of the variability of human interaction, but is a useful tool for thinking about what constitutes an effective leader in relation to the job he or she has to do. The effective leader carries out the functions and exhibits the behaviours depicted by the three circles. Situational and contingent elements call for different responses by the leader. Hence imagine that the various circles may be bigger or smaller as the situation varies i.e. the leader will give more or less emphasis to the functionally-oriented behaviours according to what the actual situation involves.