Thoughts on Leadership

It is a beautiful day in Norway. A crisp breeze is blowing through the trees and chills the skin, but something about the bright sun staring you in the fast prevents you from being very cold. Walking along you can smell the fresh rain on both the pavement and grass, (both very distinct smells). The ground is still moderately damp from the early afternoon rainfall that brought such gray clouds you thought they'd never clear.
Out in this scene, I close my eyes and let what my remaining senses note influence my imagination. Immediately, I am taken back to Friday afternoons in the autumn of my high school days. We have started our pre-game warm up with the marching band and everyone is shuffling around with horns, and burgers (made by Music Boosters), and plumes. In reflection, those times seemed so simple.

As I fast-forward to the present, I remember I am living in Norway studying society and culture. Although this scenery, weather and overall environment of Hamar, Norway reminds me of my hometown of Aberdeen, this autumn is much different then all in recent memory. The beginning of school has always held a special place in my heart. There is of course the first day of class. You get to see who is in your class and pick out who you want to sit by based upon things like ‘whose summer you want to hear about most.’ This otherwise annual feeling is missing from my life this year. Although we began the school year, as always, perhaps all the traveling, living, eating, partying with this group of people has expedited or even negated that first day of class process.

This change in feeling comes at an appropriate time in my life. It is the start of my fourth and final year of my undergraduate degree. This is an appropriate time to experience this transition out of the first day of school feeling. As this loosely structured, independent study abroad program takes flight I am being constantly reminded of the necessity to become independent and self-sufficient. This metaphor thus applies. I can't expect to have ease of the first-day, starting fresh, in the same environment many other places then school.

We are setting out for our first major excursion into the Norwegian countryside tomorrow. This theme of taking confident, big steps forward and helping others along the way applies directly to traveling. I have noticed in many traveling experiences in the past years, that I am generally the one to take the lead. Whether a group of 3 or 30; it can be directions, activities and site seeing, or just general motivation and I seem to be organizing everyone to make a uniform decision. I find myself at the head of the group urging them onward. With this role comes a certain responsibility and awareness. I have found it integral, thus far, to make my feelings transparent in these situations. If the leader can admit to being ‘lost’ they can help inspire a collective effort and help get everyone on the right path. The people who remain sour even after you admit to your mistake are the cynics who can ‘always think of a better way’ yet lack the confidence or agency to pursue those options themselves.


Secondly, I have noticed that people all have different traveling styles and learning to adjust to each of those at a moment’s notice is necessary to keep moving and ensure that people enjoy themselves. You can have the person who is ‘on the go’ and willing to do anything but doesn’t necessarily want to do it with anyone. The challenge with these people is motivating them to see the benefit of traveling as a group. This is challenging because usually it is apparent that they would thrive on their own. The extreme opposite traveling attitude usually accompanies they former. That being, the person who would have no clue what direction was down if you left them alone for one moment. Group travel can then help these people to become more competent and confident travelers through the shared group experience. There are of course a myriad of attitudes between these poles, yet, the one I notice most often are those people who take a moderate about of persuading before each new activity, but once they are there they generally enjoy themselves. The one frustrating part I notice with these kinds of travelers is that they are often reticent to put forth an opinion about what they would like to do. Sometimes this is fine for both that person and the group. But there are other times when these ‘middles’ can feel as though they are not contributing and/or being listened to.


Lastly, I have found that traveling is wearing on people. You are often in uncertain places, without the same creature comforts of home and crabbiness can set in quickly. Often the easiest solution is food and water. If raising the blood sugar doesn’t quite do it, then maybe taking some alone time by putting in the ear buds or journaling can do it. However, if people’s frustration starts to take on a harsh tone and/or snide remarks to other people, then the best way to talk that person down from the edge is to calm them with kindness. You gain nothing but high blood pressure by firing right back at them. If you let frustration envelope you in those situations it will be all you can think about and thus taint the whole experience. Therefore, to listen to their complaint and rephrase with less emotional language can be helpful. Where chiding them will only perpetuate the problem.

Traveling takes incredible amounts of patience. But with that patience comes the potential for a shared experience with group that invites numerous insightful perspectives and can be so rewarding. I am excited for this week to see some of these travel theories in play and challenge myself to continue to hone my skills as a travel leader.