How Forest Leadership Training Improves Team Relationships
It’s early days, but we’re happy to report that our Forest Leadership approach to leadership training is proving to be a bit of a hit with those who’ve attended!
And as we roll out our Forest Leadership training programmes, we’re listening closely to feedback about what people are taking away from the experience.
One theme that keeps coming up is the impact this approach is having on relationships. Some have described the impact on their relationships with co-workers in the team as ‘grounding’ and a few have mentioned a calming effect it’s been having on their internal communications. Here’s what one participant had to say:
“I feel like when I am talking with the others now and we’re making decisions, it’s feeling a bit slower, in a good way… just more considered maybe.” – Beccy, delegate from G.C.W
We’re not exactly sure of why bringing nature in to act almost as a ‘co-trainer’ on these forest leadership development training sessions has this effect.
Perhaps it has something to do with reductions in levels of cortisol that delegates experience, as we know from the research into the phytoncide chemicals that trees give off inevitably reduce the levels of stress-hormones we have within our bodies.
When we feel less stressed, it stands to reason that we may become less defensive and better at listening to others.
Another reason may be that because the Forest Leadership training somehow strengthens our awareness of being a part of a greater whole, not just in terms of how we relate to the ‘more than human world’, i.e. nature, but also in terms of our feeling of belonging and value among our colleagues, and within our wider organisations.
It could even be that we’re spending time away from our ‘discursive minds’.
By that I mean stepping away from processing our thinking just through the medium of language, other more intuitive senses are able to step up and develop, enhancing our ability to read the complexities and subtleties of people and situations, and respond to them with more sensitivity and skill.
Whatever the reason, or reasons, trying to work out theories to explain why this Forest Leadership training approach works is almost as fun as bringing teams out into nature and watching them experience its effects first hand!
We’ll just keep combing over the feedback and sharing our musings as we learn!
In the realm of holistic well-being, the practice of forest therapy has emerged as a transformative force, reconnecting individuals with the healing power of nature. At the heart of this practice stands a pivotal figure - the forest therapy guide.
A skilled and knowledgeable facilitator, the forest therapy guide plays an instrumental role in guiding individuals through the immersive experience of forest therapy.