Using the Outward Bound Model in the Office

As a Program Director for the Baltimore Outward Bound Center I often told students that their expedition doesn't truly begin until you go home. Our agency served thousands of students a year and took most of them on five or ten day wilderness expeditions. We would hike the Appalachian Trail, canoe the Potomac River and traverse the streets of Baltimore, MD.

"Outward Bound" is a nautical term that means a ship is leaving safe harbor. It is when the security of the people and places you know and love are somewhere on the other side of the horizon. I used a moment at the end of their program to remind them that it's easy to tackle the world’s problems from the top of a mountain or around a campfire in the wilderness. It's the implementation though of those moments of clarity that matter. To truly utilize what you learned on your Outward Bound course you need to be able to transfer the knowledge you gained into the real world.

The same can be said for the corporate world. Most of the executives and management staff that I have had the opportunity to work with in the wilderness setting will tell you than an Outward Bound expedition is not all that different from the corporate world. There are people that are in your crew trying to complete the expedition with you. You have a place you are trying to get to together over a certain amount of time and often difficult terrain. You can only carry some much stuff in your pack. And no matter what happens, someone always burns dinner along the way.

So as a leader or executive, understanding the Outward Bound process will help you to facilitate and navigate the journey for your team. The good news is that are only a few things to remember when utilizing this theory/process.

First, Outward Bound generally breaks their groups up into what are called crews or watches. These crews include no more than 10 or 12 people. The course instructors encourage and teach the crew members to be incredibly self-reliant in a stressful environment that causes the group to experience some sort of dis-equilibrium. This lack of balance is introduced through the physical environment (ocean, mountains, desert, river, etc.) or the emotional one (problem solving activities, facilitate challenges, solo experience).  

Keep your project teams and work groups small. No more than 10 or 12 folks assigned to any one large task. And keep a "facilitator's" distance. Make sure they know you are there to assist but let them come up with possible routes, solutions and ideas.

Second, the Outward Bound model is based on the philosophy that there is "more in a person" than they often believe. Entrepreneurs and corporate executives should know that by providing goals to staff that force them to stretch just the right amount leads to growth, job satisfaction and usually a healthier balance sheet.

Look for goals and objectives that will push your employees. You want them to seek out new information, new relationships and most importantly new perspectives. If they understand that others in their small group have different skill sets and different assets they will be more likely to engage their colleagues as peers and resources rather than competitors.

Lastly, the OB model requires you to stop, reflect and when appropriate to celebrate. Let your staff and employees know that they have succeeded, that the summit has been achieved. On my Outward Bound expeditions we would plan a more exciting meal one evening, schedule to be somewhere for a great sunset or sunrise as a group, cache some supplies for an impromptu celebration in the woods or other treats along the route.

You need to schedule and be responsible for celebrating when your staff is successful. Look for ways to tell them that they are doing a great job. Bring coffee back to the office for everyone. Schedule an office game or two on a Friday afternoon for them to play. Find a time to meet outside of work for a baseball game, mini golf or an intense game of lazertag.

Most importantly though remember that you are the instructor and facilitator for your crew. Ultimately you are responsible for your crew’s performance and safety. You need to know where you are on the map, what you're going to do if a storm suddenly rolls in, or if the food gets left behind. What if someone gets hurt? Where can you bail out on this river? Are your crew members asking each other the right questions? Are they having fun while they are learning and growing?

While this is an overly simplified metaphor as to how the OB process can help you in the business world the parallels are there for a reason. Hundreds of thousands of young, old, poor, rich, white, black, male, female, able bodied and otherwise participants have found success and something special by experiencing Outward Bound or some other experiential activity.

Good luck in exploring your process and remember that there is more in you than you think.