What is risk management oversight?

Following the Risk Management Training in Minneapolis, MN (a pre-conference workshop to the AORE conference), I had the chance to ask Risk Management Training instructor Missy White how she defined and explained the term risk management oversight. Here is what she said:

"Risk management oversight means consideration of risks from both a systematic and systemic point of view.

Systematic means a crisply linear, cause and effect analysis, which of course is vital. That’s how we recognize that shoulder injury data compiled on river courses reveals the need for better technique instruction on bracing.

A systemic viewpoint recognizes that most aspects of an organization are inherently related, and that no decision can be made in a vacuum. For instance, a decision to spend  money for communication devices affects scholarship money for diversity. Holding to a systemic point of view requires clarity of mission as well as rigorous evaluation of all decisions against the whole landscape of an organization."

Missy White is a senior NOLS instructor, having worked 230+ weeks in the field since 1987. With a Masters in Organizational Development, White has worked numerous Instructor Courses and is an avid practitioner of risk management and leadership development for individuals and organizations.

Share |

Day 1 of NOLS Risk Management Training

I always look forward to teaching the NOLS Risk Management Training curriculum! It's very useful for organizations that operate across a broad spectrum. The training provides actionable opportunities for a wide variety of programs. Participants range from executive directors to program staff, small private companies to large universities, and environmental education organizations to outdoor adventure groups, any of which could be domestic or international in scope.

This group is sharp—among the 15 of them they bring varying levels of experience and needs. Tomorrow we are getting ready to do our emergency response activity which concludes with the class having the opportunity to review an incident and to ask one of the instructors (who is role-playing as the director of the program) questions. I have a feeling they are going to keep me on my toes!

- Dave Yacubian, Instructor of the NOLS Risk Management Training, a pre-conference workshop to the Wilderness Risk Management Conference on 10/13/09

Share |

Operation Purple Recognizes Kids Serve Too!

When you hear "Operation Purple camp" you should think: Kids Serve Too! The National Military Family Association's Operation Purple camp is a time for having fun, making friends, and reminding military kids that they are the Nation's youngest heroes. Camps are free to all participants thanks to support from the Sierra Club and The Sierra Club Foundation.

This summer, NOLS Professional Training was proud to host two 10-day Teen Leadership Expeditions (Camps) for 24 excited teenagers of military families. Backpacking through the Rocky Mountains (NOLS Teton Valley), these Operation Purple participants learned how to camp, hike, navigate, and lead their expedition-mates. 

For more information, watch this Sierra Club documentary about the National Military Family Association's Operation Purple program:

Share |

NOLS in Washington Post's On Leadership

The Washington Post recently added Rick Rochelle, NOLS Professional Training's director to its distinguished panel "On Leadership."

As stated in The Washington Post: "On Leadership will serve as an open and lively forum for an discussion of what makes for great leadership... The world is full of successful leaders who have developed their own sense of what works and what doesn't. Our aim is to tap into that knowledge, understanding and experience and apply it, in real time, to an online conversation about real world developments.

Each week, we pose a question about some recent development that has attracted attention and ask a distinguished panel of nearly 100 leaders and leadership experts to offer their answers and comments. It's an impressive and articulate group, drawn from diverse fields, with very different notions of what leadership is about."

In his first post, Rick Rochelle shares his insight on situational leadership as employed by Sarah Palin during her 2008 Vice Presidential bid.

Share |

New Custom LNT Master Educator Course

NOLS Professional Training has custom built a Leave No Trace (LNT) Master Educator Course specially designed for front-country issues and techniques. The course, scheduled to run June 10th-13th, will take place in Mille Lacs Kathio State Park, Minnesota, and is open to all.

With 19 identified archeological sites identified, the park is steeped in Native American history dating back to the Archaic period.

This is a great opportunity for teachers, naturalists, park rangers, recreation planners, scout leaders, and other outdoor educators to improve Leave No Trace teaching skills while experiencing the unique treasures found at Kathio.

Share |

WRMC Workshops - Choose Your Session!

We are excited to announce the 2009 Wilderness Risk Management Conference workshops. This year we have a wide array of new speakers and workshops! Risk Management Issues in the Digital Age,  Hands On Discovery Workshop and Practice with Depositions, Designing and Managing an Effective Staff Training, and The Role of Medical Directors in Risk Management just to name a few!

Registration for this year's exciting conference is open, so plan ahead and join us in Durham, North Carolina!

Share |

Astronaut Grunsfeld On NOLS - From Space

Here is a recent post by NASA Astronaut John Grunsfeld on the "NOLS Share Your Leadership Story" web page. 

From the International Space Station:

This space mission to the Hubble was by far the most complex and difficult of my expeditions to space. We spent over 3 years planning, preparing and training to make the repairs and upgrades to the telescope. The success of our mission can only be attributed to this preparation, and training, and more training. Everyone knew their role and strived for excellence. We knew we'd make mistakes, and planned for it. After all we're all human. The goal was to trap the mistakes early, resolve the issue and then to move on.

The satisfaction we have of leaving Hubble with more capability for science and exploration than it's ever had is huge. My entire crew is NOLS trained--starting with my WRW in '74, when Paul Petzoldt was in the lumberyard, to our Hubble Crew training by NOLS Pro, the NASA Sea Kayaking Leadership Expedition in Alaska in 2007.

Thanks,
John Grunsfeld

Share |

Kellogg School of Management goes to Patagonia with NOLS

Students from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University successfully completed a NOLS backpacking course in Chilean Patagonia. The seven-day outdoor expedition focused on honing leadership skills in a wild and spectacular location. Marketing, strategy, and finance student Allison Yang stated she will return to her MBA program with newly refined decision-making styles, helping her professionally at her job at Proctor & Gamble:

"If you can figure out how to cross rapid-flowing, waist-deep rivers or how to bushwhack through almost impenetrably dense brush on extremely steep inclines, then you can figure out how to turn around a declining business or bring new innovation to a category—they both require dedication, brainstorming, and teamwork."

Share |

NOLS Graduates in Space

Last night, NASA's space shuttle Discovery successfully launched into space with crew STS-119 on board for their mission to install the final set of solar arrays on the International Space Station.

All seven astronauts have completed NOLS courses, practicing leadership and expedition skills to prepare them for missions in space. These courses were custom designed by NOLS Professional Training for NASA astronauts as part of their two-year training for spaceflight.

Read about the mission on NASA's blog or follow them on Twitter.

Share |

Of Leadership and Weather....

So, I’m walking down the hall the other day into the nerve center of NOLS Professional Training. You must realize that at NOLS Headquarters each deptartment has its own identity and sense of flair. In NOLS Pro it’s along the lines of  “do excellent work, but have a blast doing it.” Well, on this particular day, I noticed on the whiteboard the quote “failure is not an option” attributed to Gene Kranz of the Apollo 13 mission. When I asked about it, I was informed that the department has adopted it as a motto in response to the current economic situation facing our country and marketplace. I smiled, thinking to myself what a classic NOLS response that was.

One of the specific leadership skills we teach at NOLS is tolerance for adversity and uncertainty.  By nature as an organization we excel at this skill. We have had ample opportunity to master it while spending years in the field suffering through storms and making navigational decisions without full clarity of the environment. So when the economy suddenly pulls a u-turn, we hunker down, tolerate the uncomfortable, take stock, and acquire a Zen-like patience for the unknown.  NOLS is an organization that flourishes during crisis and challenge.  It almost seems odd, but we are known for our ability to successfully put ourselves on teams and expeditions in the harshest environments, in the remotest locations on Earth, and accomplish great things. This is because we have a high capacity for the skill of tolerance for adversity and uncertainty.

Crazy circumstances are always going to show up in our professional and personal lives–much like weather does on NOLS courses. The skill of practicing tolerance for adversity and uncertainty is crucial to navigating the challenges. Leaders and organizations that practice this skill will actually flourish.  “Weather” becomes indistinguishable as good or bad, it just represents a changing environment while en route to accomplishing our goals. 

Share |