Sunday, July 24, 2011

07_11 to 16_2011 Outward Bound in Leadville CO

I've been involved in DCLF (Denver Community Leadership Forum) for the last year. It is a group of about 38 of the Denver area business leaders. People come from all over - political offices, non-profits, for profits, etc. A really diverse group of alpha independents.

For the year, we've been tossed into situations were we learn to be better leaders. That's what they tell us anyway. I think it is all about learning to work as a team member better - something that most we can use some improvement in. :) And listening. That seems to be something they are trying to emphasize. It's surprising how little people listen to others. It's the biggest source of frustration I deal with...period. Nothing goes well when everyone wants to lead and fails to listen. Humans seem slow to catch on to this concept. :)

The highlight of the year and this work happened July 11-16 in Leadville as we all took the week off to attend Outward Bound. I went in with a bad attitude - after all, I had (have) a ton of work, lots of deadlines, and besides, I can challenge myself all I want at home. Further, having Dave as a husband means I'm pretty much married to getting up early and being pushed. Why do I need to go for a week with some *strangers* to do so?

Grumble.


I went though. And of course, it turned out to be a great experience. We did some climbing, hiking, mountaineering (Mt. Galena), orienteering (a favorite), team building, etc. My favorite was something that totally surprised me - jumping into a freezing creek at 6am. How could this be fun? Not sure but it was. Clearly there was something in our kool aid and I drank a bunch of it. :)

Physically, it was not challenging for me. But for others, it was quite challenging. And it was awesome seeming them succeed. Emotionally and psychologically it was *very* challenging. I think this was especially the case for us introverts.

It is designed obviously to push everyone's buttons no matter their buttons. There was some big friction, but we worked it out and in the end everything was better than ever. It was simply a fantastic experience.

A lot of that is due to the people I was there with, but especially the Outward Bound folks that were there. I spent most time with Karen Immerso and Jason Anderson. Also Paul Duba. Fantastic people - all of them.


Enjoy the photos!
























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