Leaders’ Stories: A Life Changing Experience in Galapagos

Leader In Me: Be Proactive

“We’re a bit worried about Michael. He suffers terribly from homesickness.”

It’s good when parents tell you these things when you are leading a team on expedition. The more you know, the more you can help.

I sympathised. At 11years old at boarding school, I suffered terribly from homesickness. I cried and I cried. Sympathetic friends gradually drifted away: inevitably this only compounded my misery. The trick is not to have too much thinking time.

“Please don’t worry, I’ll keep Michael busy - he won’t have time to miss you!”

Happily, your feet don’t touch the ground on expedition. You land in a foreign country where the sights, smells and sounds are overwhelming. Most teams leave the airport resembling rabbits in the headlights. It takes a while to settle into the rhythms of the new environment.

To function as a well-oiled machine of a team, it’s imperative that everyone plays their part. That’s why we endorse and practice the ‘Leader in Me’ programme, based on Covey’s 7 habits for effectiveness. It takes an individual on a journey from dependence to independence to interdependence and being part of an effective team. Outlook is the only expedition provider to actively weave these habits into our expedition journey, embedding and practicing throughout. It makes a real difference.

Back to Michael.

It’s 2016. Day 1 of a 28-day expedition to Ecuador & The Galapagos. (I know, how lucky is that?) Michael, it turns out, is a county gymnast who may have had homesickness issues but he could backflip for Berkshire. And he did.

When we arrived at beautiful places and his heart was full, Michael expressed this in backflips of joy and cartwheels of glee. I liked him. The team liked him. But entertaining though he was, Michael didn’t really contribute much to the team.

Significantly, he didn’t know what he could do so as a result he didn’t do anything. Except think.

I wracked my brains.

Gotta keep this boy busy. It’s important that everyone on the team contributes because responsibility is one of the ways we learn so it’s beholden on each young person to get stuck-in. But to what exactly?

Michael didn’t know. He was painfully shy. Long journeys on public transport; hostel rooms when the lights go out were when thoughts turned to home. Michael in the mornings was a sight for sore eyes. He wasn’t sleeping: he was thinking. I was on the look-out for a distraction - a role for Michael that would boost his confidence and set him off exploring possibilities.

And one day, bouncing along a rutted track in a rickety bus in the Andes, an opportunity presented itself.

“Can I have a go?”

I looked up. Michael was peering over the back of my seat at my camera. A digital SLR with an impressive zoom lens for distant Galapagos wildlife. Switch this beauty to full auto and even an iguana could get a selfie. After a quick demo, I offered it to Michael. “Here. You have a go. See how you get on.’ No pressure. I wasn’t telling him - or even asking him - suddenly to be the Team Photographer. But we did need one. And Michael had no role to play yet. And it would distract him.

And, later, I went through the crop.

Six close-ups of open mouthed, snoring teenagers; a sort of volcano seen through a snot drenched bus window and more than one pair of unidentified buttocks. Serves me right. Delete. Delete. Thank God for digital.

Michael didn’t think much of his first snaps. Neither did I. But he had enjoyed it, so we were onto something. Being proactive is key. It also happens to be the first habit towards independence within the Leader in Me.

We talked through what made good photos ‘work’ and why the not so good, hadn’t. It’s not quantum physics: we all know what a good photo looks like and so did Michael. We talked about f-stops, shutter speeds and depth of field. This Michael didn’t ‘know’ but he could learn. He took it all in; or at least he seemed to, and off he went again. To try.

Next day, Michael had applied himself. He’d had a go. Sure, some photos hadn’t worked. But failure is essential for success. They go together like the Blue in Boobie. Adults know this. But when you’re young, you don’t. Failure at fifteen is frightening. Failure is embarrassing. Failure isn’t even to be discussed. Failure has the potential to stop you in your tracks and lose your way.

Anyone involved in education and youth development will take a very different view. Failure is essential for success. Without it, you’re not trying. And trying is the key to learning and learning the key to success. And I’m not talking Richard Branson success. More like the little wins of the everyday. Gradually the little wins grow into big ones and that well, that is when the world really does become your oyster, doesn’t it?

So, Michael was proactive. Michael had tried. And that was progress.

On Day 5 Michael becomes Team Photographer. Michael is sleeping better. Michael is fully engaged with my camera.

Daily end of day chats are a chance to reflect on the day; learn from our mistakes; share the love for what’s gone well and prepare for the next. So far, I was the only one to have viewed Michael’s photographs. Time to share his achievements.

Landscapes. Slogging up volcanoes as a team. Quiet moments of reflection gazing from a window at breathtaking vistas. Donkeys being led by village children. Close-ups of his pals doing new things in new places making new friends. Farmers working in the fields giving gappy-grins to camera. To Michael.

Cue gasps of appreciation from his teammates. Encouragement. Thanks. Alongside the embarrassed grinning, you could visibly see Michael grow in stature. Now, he had a role to play. From this moment on, Michael was a changed lad.

When he got back from expedition Michael took charge of his own destiny.

He was proactive and then some. He hadn’t signed up for 6th Form, but Michael did have three tickets to go to the Reading Festival. He sold them to buy a camera. Then Michael applied to do a foundation course in film and photography.

Today, Michael is a professional BBC cameraman.

Be Proactive. Take the first step - what have you got to lose?