Effective leadership is the driver behind many an organisation’s growth, change and innovation. It is the single most important factor influencing an organisation’s culture and performance. And whilst leadership can bring challenges, the rewards of investment in your future leaders are considerable.
At The Trust, we firmly believe that leaders are made, not born. Equipped with confidence, initiative, self-awareness and the ability to direct and influence, leaders can be developed regardless of personality type. We strive to support, challenge and nurture your up-and-coming leaders in the right way, developing their ability to understand the impact of individual behaviour and broadening their capability for managing change. In doing so, our programmes enable your delegates to drive your organisation forward and return the investment you’ve made in them.
Our experiential approach
- Wild and remote environments as a catalyst for development
- Opportunities to test and experiment with new leadership styles and learn from a concrete experience
- Engaging projects and adventurous outdoor challenges to move delegates out of comfort zones
- Practical applications of theoretical models to develop capability to transfer to the workplace
- Review and reflection to process to enable improved performance
- Expert facilitation from the industry’s most experienced practitioners
Find out more about 
our approach to leadership development
Key business benefits
- Self-aware leaders who can tailor their approach according to people and situations in the workplace, allowing for improved communication and a positive working environment.
- Delegates who understand leadership from a theoretical perspective, and are able to place their learning within the context of your organisation to improve performance.
- Long-lasting behavioural changes and increased effectiveness among teams, inspired by influential and supportive leadership.
Our programmes
People leadership – enabling future line managers to take responsibility for their team’s delivery and performance. Through effective planning, organising and integration, they’ll work through others to achieve group objectives and create a high performance culture.
Senior team leadership – enabling senior managers to enhance their existing leadership capabilities through better understanding of group business strategy, identifying skills gaps and managing change. Delegates will be supported to coach other managers, monitor progress and select future candidates for leadership.
Find out more about our leadership development programmes.
| If you would like to discuss the ways in which The Outward Bound Trust can contribute to the success of leaders with your business, please call 01931 740000 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it |
Testimonial
Achilles Group Ltd - Team and Leadership Development
Colin Maund, CEO
Case Studies
Aims
This was an open-enrolment entry-level course for managers. The delegates worked in the oil industry in Kazakhstan and the construction industry in England. Each individual had different levels of management experience in different businesses in different cultures. The aim was to meet their wide ranging developmental needs to achieve a level of management competence to meet standards set by The Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM).
Programme
The programme began with enhancing self-awareness so individuals could identify their own ability to self manage. This formed a robust foundation to expand their skills to manage activities and resources. Using a variety of outdoor challenges the delegates were enabled to increase their understanding of others and explore ways of managing people and teams. By experiencing project management and business simulations the teams tried and tested management techniques in a supportive environment. In group reviews and personal reflective time, each member was encouraged to consider how the theoretical models and experiential learning applied to their roles at work.
Outcomes
The delegates overcame personal differences and language barriers to communicate and perform effectively as a team. They came to understand their own personal contribution and how this fitted into the big picture. As they developed their repertoire of management tools they increased their self-confidence and management potential. They benefited from 'very useful/interesting practical exercises to reinforce the theory.'
Aims
A new Senior Manager leading the team proposed a radical shake-up to the existing traditional Civil Service ways of working. He envisaged a more streamlined, flatter structure to deliver a more efficient and effective service to meet the changing demands on Government. He needed existing staff to support these changes with new attitudes to cultivate a culture encouraging more self-directed behaviour. To generate these changes the Senior Manager wanted his middle managers to be inspired by a teamwork and leadership programme encouraging them to take greater ownership and responsibility.
Programme
The programme is one element of our on-going relationship with the Department. It was run over a period of five months and carried out as residential and non-residential formats to meet the family caring commitments of more than 200 delegates. The schedules delivered consistent aims and objectives with modifications to correspond to the levels of fitness of the delegates. It provided an opportunity for the middle managers to practice their teamwork and leadership skills and receive feedback to enhance their awareness of their strengths and weaknesses. The intention was it would create an impetus for changes in behaviour on return to the workplace.
Outcomes
The delegates "enjoyed being away from the norm, and casting traditional work roles aside" and appreciated "the opportunity to practise new ways of doing things". Individual feedback described the course as "a useful insight into leading vs. managing, and different leadership styles" helping managers to become "aware of my own next steps to develop my leadership style". "It's really good to appreciate how the tasks we have completed can be put into practise at work" and "I can delegate more, and communicate better".
