Outdoor leadership: Theory and practice

Abstract

Martin, B., Cashel, C., Wagstaff, M., & Breunig, M. (2006). Outdoor leadership: Theory and practice. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. 328 pages, ISBN: 0736057315. I have a number of books on my shelves about outdoor leadership. They range from the now dated classic 'Freedom of the Hills' (1974), which fired my young imagination in its depictions of the rigorous demands and responsibilities of venturing into the frozen mountains as a leader of other adventurous souls, to 'Bushwalking and Mountaincraft Leadership' (1994), which remains a treasure trove of practical and local advice. Some books age gracefully. There is also the weighty and theoretical 'Effective Leadership in Adventure Programming' (Priest and Gass, 1997) and the experientially based and narratively driven 'Outdoor Leadership: Technique, Common Sense and Self-Confidence' (Graham, 1997). Each of these books reflect their times, cultures and vary in their intended audiences. It is possible to chart a trend from the days when outdoor leadership was largely the concern of community clubs and volunteer leaders to the present when, more and more, it has become the domain of an emerging profession of qualified leaders who have to access certification programs and tertiary education degrees (in outdoor recreation management, adventure leadership, camp counselling, outdoor education and so on). From this small sample of the many books and guides published on the topic it is also possible to detect a persistent tension in the relationship between theory and practice. Do we learn to be outdoor leaders by doing it or through studying the theories that attempt to explain it? Can the theory and practice of outdoor leadership be brought into a closer nexus where we gain maximum benefit from reflecting (theorising) upon our practical experiences and then using those theories to anticipate the demands of future experiences? A recent addition to my library, 'Outdoor Leadership: Theory and Practice' (Martin, Cashel, Wagstaff, and Breunig, 2006 In reviewing this new book on the topic I posed a number of questions to myself: how do the authors deal with the relationship between the practice of outdoor leadership on the one hand and theoretical perspectives on the other; how does the book engage with its anticipated audience of students taking "introductory college [undergraduate] courses in outdoor leadership" (Martin et al., 2006, p. ix), and; finally, how might the book also serve a broader audience of practicing outdoor leaders (whether they be teachers, club leaders etc.)? Incidentally, the authors all work within the tertiary education sector in North America. 'Outdoor Leadership: Theory and Practice' (2006) introduces eight core competencies of outdoor leadership (foundational knowledge, self-awareness and professional conduct, decision making and judgement, teaching and facilitation, environmental stewardship, program management, safety and risk management, technical ability). The authors use a system of codes to map these core competencies across the text. The book is then presented in four parts: Part I - Foundations of Outdoor Leadership, Part II - Outdoor Leadership Theory, Part III - Teaching and Facilitation, and Part IV - Resource and Program Management. Each part is presented in a series of chapters. Each chapter opens by defining key concepts and reminding the reader of the core competencies that relate to the chapter content. It then begins with a vignette that takes the reader into the world of the novice or emerging outdoor leader. These narratives portray a 'practical' experience (like debriefing a ropes course session or learning from co-leading with a more experienced leader) or the need to make a professional decision (such as deciding upon a particular sea kayak route in changeable conditions or facing an ethical dilemma). The presentation of the chapter then works to 'solve' or 'inform' these practical scenarios through reference to established theory, research and wellwritten discussion. …