Leaders Into The Wild

Research

Leaders Into The Wild

Wilderness experiences transform leaders ' mindsets

A stay in unspoiled nature, under primitive conditions does something to us. You will calm down and repent. According to Dr. Boy van Droffelaar's PhD research, such a trip into nature transforms leaders into their more natural, authentic leadership style.

Everything starts with awareness

Boy on the occasion of his investigation:

"I spent hours watching 'solo' over the Imfelozi River in KwazuNatal South Africa. It was the third day of my first wilderness trail (2009), organized by the Foundation for Natural Leadership (FNL). The gift I received then can be summed up in one word: awareness. Awareness that there is more than just status, ego and possession.

At that moment an elephant appeared across the river and two Egrets skirted low over the water that greeted me with a loud cry: you may be there, here in nature, you are one of us, here you belong.

Those cries gave me an intense feeling of connection, emotion, energy and inspiration. From that moment on, I was no longer an outsider who looked at nature, but I felt one with nature. My consciousness and thus my view of the world had changed forever. This memory gives me direction in my personal leadership every time.

This wilderness experience gave me the inspiration to scientifically investigate why all those leaders (m/F), who have been on a ‘wilderness trail’, have experienced it as a life-changing experience. They say they still resort to it daily in their role as leaders, but also in their personal lives.

In short, what impact do experiences in the wilderness have on the development of Natural (read: authentic) leadership? I started this beautiful journey in Science in 2012 at Wageningen University & Research.”

Boy Van Droffelaar, PhD

New leadership requires a mindset change

We are in service of the billions of people worldwide who are still left behind, and who deserve courageous leaders who will stand with them in building a better world – Paul Polman

We live in a rapidly changing and complex society. The call for "new leaders" is getting louder. These are leaders who are optimistic, inspiring, authentic, show integrity, take care of others and above all have a high degree of self-reflection. In short: authentic leaders. Development of authentic leadership requires fundamental transformation of the fundamental attitude.

Leadership programs are largely focused on increasing (rational) skills, usually in a classroom environment. Developing the fundamental attitude of the leader, requires transformation of the inner source. This means a shift from a better skillset to a new mindset. Nature can play a proven role in this.

Authentic (natural) leadership: what is it?

Authentic leaders are guided by moral convictions and act in accordance with their deeply held values, even under pressure. They have a complete self-image and strive to understand how their leadership style affects colleagues and followers. The four components of authentic leadership are:

  • Awareness. Authentic leaders have developed a high level of self-knowledge. Through interactions and reflection, they know how they appear to others.
  • Internalized moral perspective. Authentic leaders engage in self-regulation that is determined by their moral standards and values. They steer on their moral compass.
  • Balanced processing of information. Authentic leaders first analyze all the information from all stakeholders, before a decision is made. They are therefore open to feedback. They can really listen.
  • Relational transparency. Authentic leaders say openly and honestly what they think and feel. They are not afraid to be vulnerable. By showing reason and emotion behind the reasoning, they cultivate understanding of the decision, thereby reducing fear of the unknown and fostering feelings of trust.

Trigger events deepen awareness

The research of Boy van Droffelaar (PhD) shows that there is a relationship between (critical) life events (trigger events) and the development of authentic leadership. Trigger events can be a great stimulus for personal growth: there is room for reflection on self-image, beliefs, emotions and values. A stay in the wilderness could also be labeled as such a trigger event.

What can we conclude?
The studies of Boy's doctoral research show that experiences in the wilderness lead to a mind shift from leaders; authentic leaders with increased self-awareness, who are able to look at themselves and their surroundings from an open mind and open heart. The impact of a wilderness experience is a peak experience with which personal growth is boosted with lasting change in leadership style as a result. The impact is caused by a combination of: exceptional circumstances, throwing yourself back at yourself, creating plenty of room for reflection. This is in contrast to conventional leadership training. the experience is that they are often one-off events, without a follow-up program, while the lasting effect fades away over time (honeymoon effect).

Interesting is the question of how followers experience their leaders both before and after the leader in question has been on a wilderness trail. Research already shows that a leader's positive abilities can be particularly contagious and create positive upward spirals in learning and transforming organizations.

Effects of the trail on the development of authentic leadership

The PhD research on the effects of the wilderness trail on leadership transformation is based on three empirical studies.

  • The first study, based on a qualitative content analysis of almost a hundred trail reports (n = 97), showed that peak experiences led to essential insights during the trail. For example, one participant wrote:

"I felt deeply that sincere and full attention to the other is essential, with all my senses, as is also necessary in the wilderness”.

The intentions, stemming from the insights, then turned out to be virtually one-on-one with the four components of authentic leadership. One participant wrote:

"... I will show my emotions more. Emotion gives strength, I have discovered. Although it makes me vulnerable, but that vulnerability makes me what I am ...”

  • The second, quantitative, study (n=66) tested longitudinal intra-personal change to authentic leadership: before, 3 months after, and one year after program completion. All components of authentic leadership were found to have increased significantly with significant effect size (d = .7).
  • The third study included a qualitative content analysis of 36 interviews with former trailgoers who had been on the trail on average six years ago. This showed that all participants have emotional, episodic memories of their experiences in the wilderness. Memories, which always seem to come up on their own in moments that matter, such as challenging or stressful situations. According to the participants, this generates peace of mind and gives direction to their leadership. And this can happen quite often, they told, sometimes even daily. One participant said:

"Each time, the image of the silence and the feeling of calm in the mountains gives me inner peace, from which I can now operate with confidence.”

In addition, the leaders felt that their leadership behavior has changed permanently since then. In their organizations, this has led to an increase in mutual trust, more attention to personal development, and thus an increase in creative and innovative ability, which also led to better results. As one of the interviewees said:

"In my leadership, since the trail, I have become more servile than before. And that is a process that is still in full development. So you know that the ego goes to the background. Yes, others sometimes tell me that I can listen better now.”

Another participant added:

"Yes, from the moment I came back from the trail, people said that I radiated a certain relaxed calm, a kind of peace of mind that had deeply embedded itself in me, and that I always take a moment to think, to reflect.”

What can we conclude?

The studies of the PhD research show that experiences in the wilderness lead to a mind shift from leaders; authentic leaders with increased self-awareness, who are able to look at themselves and their surroundings from an open mind and open heart. The impact of a wilderness experience is a peak experience with which personal growth is boosted with lasting change in leadership style as a result. The impact is caused by a combination of: exceptional circumstances, throwing yourself back at yourself, creating plenty of room for reflection. This is in contrast to conventional leadership training. the experience is that they are often one-off events, without a follow-up program, while the lasting effect fades away over time (honeymoon effect).

Interesting is the question of how followers experience their leaders both before and after the leader in question has been on a wilderness trail. Research already shows that a leader's positive abilities can be particularly contagious and create positive upward spirals in learning and transforming organizations.