Outward Bound programs are renowned for teaching profound lessons – many of which are discovered weeks, months, or even years after the course itself. These lessons reverberate through the lives of our alumni from all kinds of programs and walks of life.

Take, for example, a couple of recent stories we’ve heard from Outward Bound Professional clients about how their OBP programs have readied them for the uncertainty and transitions of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Both The MEMIC Group (MEMIC) and WGI are organizations that are familiar with the unfamiliar.

WGI – from Acquisition to Cohesion

WGI – a national design and professional services firm based out of West Palm Beach FL – boasts a history rooted in partnerships and well-timed strategic mergers. David Wantman (CEO) and Greg Sauter (President) knew the importance of fostering genuine relationships and authentic trust amongst the Senior Leadership Team members, so when the firm acquired Red Dog (BRD) in early 2019 (growing the company’s headcount by nearly 30% and widely distributing its workforce), they enlisted Joan Hobbs of Hobbs Leadership Coaching & Consulting. Joan shone a light on the SLT’s complementary styles and strengths during monthly onsite coaching sessions. Soon thereafter, WGI contracted with Outward Bound Professional – to apply a hands-on approach to reinforce those learnings and to promote new discoveries.

Equipped with Joan Hobbs’ pre-engagement coaching, as well as input from Greg & David, Outward Bound presented WGI’s executives with a progression of team initiatives during a three-day offsite program conducted in and around the Tallulah Gorge State Park in October 2019. This program laid the groundwork for trust and cohesion within the Senior Leadership Team.

“A year and a half ago, it would likely have been CEO David Wantman’s job (to lead the response to COVID-19) on both fronts”, shared WGI Chief Marketing Officer, Will Schnier. “Now David gets to focus on making critical and timely decisions, based on data and input provided by other leadership team members. We learned in the Tallulah Gorge [with Outward Bound] that as a group of leaders, sometimes we have to let one of us take the lead on a certain item and be the willing support pieces. We learned to accept that someone among us may be a better leader than ourselves during any specific challenge.”

According to David, “The SLT has made huge strides in terms of communications & trust. People don’t hesitate to bring an issue to the group’s attention. Covid-19 has frayed people’s nerves differently, but because we know and understand each other better, now, we’re able to appreciate differing perspectives.”

Greg says, “Plain and simple, we upped the trust and are a more cohesive and committed team since our Outward Bound experiences. There is nothing like the experiences and programming that Outward Bound provides with the outdoors as the perfect backdrop for learning as a leadership team.”

MEMIC – Technology and Relationships

MEMIC’s many successes in the worker’s compensation insurance industry has taught the organization a thing or two about preparation and readiness, allowing for successful expansion well beyond its headquarters in Portland, Maine. When the pandemic forced a Stay At Home order in the State of ME this March, MEMIC found strength and stability in their preparedness, their people-oriented culture, and the influence of a recent Outward Bound Professional experience.

When he joined MEMIC four years ago, Chief Information Officer Jack Yao found that none of the organization’s corporate administrative roles were performed remotely – attributable in part to certain technology limitations, but also to an unfamiliarity (and discomfort) with managing people and teams remotely.  Following Jack’s arrival, MEMIC invested in new information systems and technology which put in place the necessary tools – such as a new WebEx-based collaboration platform. These efforts proved crucial as the pressures of a remote workforce became very real with the ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We blew the dust off the call tree in our Business Continuity Plan, and it worked flawlessly”, shared Senior Vice President of Claims Matt Harmon.

Jack says members of the leadership team have felt more comfortable expressing thoughts, opinions, and disagreements since their Outward Bound experience last fall, and the frequent team check-ins are allowing him exposure to conversations and opportunities he may have missed, prior to Covid-19. “Some on the senior leadership team didn’t think that technology could be used to maintain connections & relationships…but Covid is creating true-believers. Seeing what technology can do and getting them comfortable using it has totally changed people’s views.”

Matt Harmon readily admits he wasn’t accustomed to remote management and has needed to flex his comfort zone and his approach: “I have a hands-on leadership style and frequently take advantage of the flow of the day to seize on opportunities. Having in-person interactions taken away was unnatural, so I’ve had to become more methodical to make sure I’m keeping in contact with people. Matt is grateful for the positive influence which President & CEO Michael Bourque has had on the senior leadership team and the firm at large: “He sets the tone. Having someone to confide in is huge, and at MEMIC that could be Mike. It inspires the rest of us on the senior leadership team to follow his example.”   

“The enormity of the crisis has caused me to use areas of strength, particularly around relationship building and communication,” says Michael, reflecting on personal insights gained during his team’s engagement with Outward Bound Professional.

The work the MEMIC team did to align more cohesively in the months just ahead of COVID-19 set the stage for a new working environment that might otherwise have been extremely challenging to navigate. By laying the foundation at an Outward Bound Professional program and working closely since to reinforce their culture and shift priorities, MEMIC has been able to move through the challenges of the pandemic with a sense of cohesion and stability.

Michael shares: “The way in which our team has responded… makes me think of Oliver Wendell Holmes’ words: ‘A mind that is stretched by new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.’ The Outward Bound Professional experience was the catalyst; we saw we could be different and that it would be beneficial, and we’re reaping the benefits, right now.”

OBP Impact

HIOBS Outward Bound Professional programs have, for many years, partnered with executives who are intentional about the development of organizational culture and leadership capacity.

Leaning into Outward Bound’s “learn-by-doing” philosophy, our OBP programs facilitate opportunities for participants to discover the leadership and teaming behaviors that serve them best, setting a firm foundation for whatever challenges lie ahead.

As organizations – and the business conditions that surround them – evolve and change, OBP programs help to ensure that organizational culture is positive and intentional, and that leaders within those organizations have the relationships and tools they need to help the business thrive.

Full Original Article WGI, published on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/trust-cohesion-time-coronavirus-andrew-spofford/?trackingId=PZXtPBEI8%2F4bmXKlh5DUpQ%3D%3D

Full Original Article MEMIC, published on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/distanced-closer-memics-story-andrew-spofford/