Most people might think outdoor leadership is all about acquiring technical skills and utilizing these to make outdoor adventures safer and more enjoyable for everyone. In reality, it has to do a lot about your interpersonal skills, too, and how you can effectively lead diverse groups of people. I was in the same boat when I began my experiential leadership journey, but shifting my mindset definitely helped enhance my leadership.
Outdoor leadership styles include Authoritarian, Participative, Abdicratic, and Situational — and the Situational style takes the cake for being the most reliable. The 3 others have well-defined parameters and specific goals. Situational leadership offers the most flexibility and efficiency.
I will walk you through the basic concepts of each of these leadership styles, and we’ll dive deeper into which circumstances are best suited for each. You’ll find that I lean more toward Situational Leadership, and perhaps you’ll later agree with me that adopting the concepts in this particular approach is best suited for the unpredictability and fickleness of the outdoors. Let’s start!
What Are the Outdoor Leadership Styles?
There isn’t a particular style of leadership that’s ideal for outdoor environments. Remember, you’ll be dealing with people who have diverse personalities and varying needs and wants. As a leader, you must know how to read the situation and adjust your strategies to ensure that tasks are accomplished efficiently, set goals are achieved, and the entire team enjoys the experience.
At Sancus Leadership, we’re passionate about sharing the wonders of the outdoors with as many people as possible. When you want to enhance your leadership skills through experiential training, book us a free leadership call! We’re eager to share our experiences and expertise with you!
Here are the most prominent outdoor leadership styles utilized by some of the most outstanding experiential leaders:
1. Authoritarian Leadership Style
Authoritarian leaders are essentially tyrants in the leadership world. They rarely consider other people’s insights when making decisions, focusing solely on their own perspectives and opinions.
These are the types of leaders who would simply announce to the team their schedule for the day — what time they should wake up, how far they’ll go for the rest of the morning, what time they’ll stop for lunch, what types of meals they’ll eat for the day, and what time they’ll retire for the night. Authoritarian leaders barely leave room for suggestions and feedback from their team.
What’s good about this leadership style is that it gets things done faster, especially considering the absence of brainstorming and discussions within the team. If the leader is particularly adept with outdoor activities, the team enjoys higher chances of keeping to the predetermined schedule, accomplishing tasks on time, and experiencing all activities with efficiency.
The downside is that authoritarian leaders run the risk of losing their team’s trust, especially when things go wrong because of a decision they made on their own. Team members may also end up feeling demotivated and unwilling to enthusiastically participate because they might feel averse to the fact that their feelings and ideas are never even considered in the first place.
2. Participative Leadership Style
Also known as democratic leadership, these types of leaders are well-liked by their teams because they encourage high levels of participation and interaction. Yet, they are able to retain control of their teams because they make it a point to always have the last say, especially when it comes to making decisions.
Participative leaders always consult their group and consider their insights, suggestions, and perspectives. They talk about important issues concerning the group, such as waking, eating, and sleeping times, what gear to bring, where to pitch their tents, and how to tackle various challenges and obstacles that may be encountered along the way. They don’t just rely on their own judgment — they promote transparency, especially in decision-making.
This leadership style is beneficial in keeping team members engaged and motivated. It helps keep team morale up and fosters unity, respect, and trust within the team. The leader is seen as a respectable, reliable person to whom the team can entrust their safety and security.
Participative leaders must be mindful, though, that some unscrupulous individuals may take advantage of their openness and amiability. Since they typically arrive at a consensus when making team decisions, these individuals might attempt to steer the team toward unfavorable scenarios, later on forcing the leader to take the blame for the team’s failure.
I remember a story shared by a friend about one of her ex-bosses who was well-liked in their company for always being fair and considerate to his team. This boss, Mike, would always ask for his team’s input insisting that they’re the most reliable decision-makers since they’re essentially the company’s front-liners.
Everything has been running smoothly until the new guy, Tim, came along. Tim blended well into the team and was soon acknowledged as one of the primary sales drivers. The more he excelled at his job, the stronger the foothold he gained in his team. People began to turn to him for his opinions and insights on various issues.
Tim soon became his team’s “voice,” and most of his team members faded away in the background during decision-making discussions, believing that Tim had their best interests at heart. Unfortunately, their boss, Mike, thought the same way, more or less allowing Tim to make decisions for the entire team.
To cut a long story short, Tim’s true intentions were revealed when he practically brought Mike and the entire team down due to strategic decisions that allowed him to come out on top. Certain team tactics, mostly spearheaded by Tim, led to a big client threatening to cut all business ties with the company. As the team’s leader, Mike took responsibility for this huge guffaw — and he unsurprisingly earned the ire of the organization’s big bosses
However, Tim came out looking like a hero — and Mike the bad guy — because he strategized everything in such a way that he was able to salvage the situation at the last minute. He convinced the client to stay, made arrangements and compromises on behalf of the company, and was soon promoted to a leadership role, much to Mike’s dismay.
This particular scenario may be in the workplace setting, but it can very well translate into an outdoor environment where crucial decisions, teamwork, trust, and effective leadership are keys to a team’s success.
The lesson here is that leaders should always maintain control of their entire team. Trusting your team is essential, but too much trust can be detrimental. Leaders should remain the primary decision-maker and should always have the last say, especially on crucial business matters.
3. Abdicratic Leadership Style
Abdicratic leaders virtually hand over the controls to their team members, sharing their insights only when asked. They leave their teams to draft plans, work problems out on their own, and make decisions with very little guidance from them.
This hands-off approach trains team members to improve their critical thinking and decision-making skills. It also encourages team members to develop a stronger sense of ownership and accountability for their actions and decisions. It is particularly beneficial for individuals who exhibit strong leadership potential since they could further enhance their competencies with all the opportunities they will get.
Keep in mind that this style of leadership is extremely risky. Remember Mike’s story where he was practically manipulated and deceived by Tim? By not providing your team with sufficient structure and direction, they might eventually feel like they’re utterly leaderless. They might feel the need to turn to someone else for guidance, and you’ll soon find yourself being constantly disregarded and undermined.
4. Situational Leadership Style
The best leadership style is one that suits your current circumstances and the profile of your team. Each situation calls for a different leadership style, and this is the mantra situational leaders live by. They choose one approach, or a combination of 2 or more, to boost their chances of efficiently achieving the desired results.
Situational leaders believe that different styles of leadership can be effective in different situations. They base their choice of leadership style on these factors:
- Team members’ personalities
- Team members’ motivational elements
- Activities involved
- Risk assessment
- Current circumstances (weather, terrain, emergency scenarios, etc.)
Here are some tips on how you can best define the most appropriate leadership style for your team:
- Keep basic needs in mind at all times. Food, water, shelter, warmth, and safety should be your primary concerns. An excellent outdoor leader ensures that these basic needs are met at all times.
- Get to know your team members better. Familiarize yourself with each of your team members’ personalities, fears, strengths, and weaknesses. You’ll undoubtedly be able to pinpoint resourcefulness, humor, efficiency, friendliness, aloofness, innate leadership, and even potential troublemakers.
- Observe group dynamics. Note how your team members interact with each other. Group dynamics is an important factor to help you determine the best leadership style for your team.
- Keep communication lines open. Be clear and concise when passing on information to your team, and keep an open mind when receiving their feedback and insights.
- Check-in with your team. Regular check-ins with your team will allow you to closely and accurately monitor progress and pinpoint changes as they happen. Circumstances can change in the blink of an eye, and frequent team updates let you determine whether or not your current leadership style is still the best option for the team.
