Thrive Outdoors Leadership Programme: A six-month update from our cohort 2 leaders

The Thrive Outdoors Leadership Programme, launched in 2022, is a bespoke six-month programme designed to empower leaders in the outdoor play and learning sector. Developed by Inspiring Scotland and funded by various investors, including the Scottish Government, the programme addresses key leadership topics such as authentic leadership, organisational culture, and strategic planning. Participants also worked in smaller groups to engage with action learning sets, providing a collaborative environment to tackle organisational challenges they face in the outdoor play and learning sector.

In its second year, we celebrated the graduation of 21 leaders from charities and organisations from across the sector in Scotland. Six-months on from graduation, our leaders were asked to reflect on the impact that the Thrive Outdoors Leadership Programme has had on their professional development.

Six months post-graduation, a follow-up survey revealed the programme’s lasting impact:

• Professional Growth: All participants (100%) said the programmer’s long term impact has positively affected their professional growth
• Application of Skills: All participants (100%) reported occasionally applying the skills and concepts from the programme in their current roles.
• Enhanced Leadership Confidence: 85% felt more confident in their leadership abilities.
• New Leadership Responsibilities: 57% of participants had taken on new leadership roles or opportunities within six months of completing the programme.

“Thank you for the opportunity. It has definitely helped me to view things from a different perspective and approach things differently. It has also given me many tools to teach me how to adapt to leading different personalities.”

Outcomes Experienced:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reflecting on the programme content, our leaders highlighted several elements of the programme that they felt had a lasting impact on their professional practice:

• Taking part in the Action Learning Sets.
• Learning more about different communication styles and approaches through the Four Seasons module.
• Benefitting from the Authentic Leadership sessions.
• Creating a Great Place to Work was reported as particularly influential.

“I really enjoyed being open and honest at action learning set and the way it makes you feel doing mindfulness at the beginning, I loved the networking and having time to be in different groups, all of the sessions were fab and very interesting and insightful”

All (100%) of our leaders reported that they were more motivated to continue their professional development as a result of the programme.

“My overall experience with Thrive was brilliant; it has made me want to develop even more as a leader.”

 Our leaders have shared that the Thrive Outdoors Leadership Programme made a substantial impact on them – equipping them with the skills, confidence, and networks to excel in their leadership roles within the outdoor play and learning sector.

We’re reviewing the programme at the moment, with a view to begin cohort 3 in Autumn 2025. Our leaders offered valuable feedback on the programme, including expressing interest in more opportunities to meet in person and additional information on communicating confidently to staff teams and boards. We will review all feedback and take this forward in our plans for the next cohort.

In the meantime, we can offer tailored leadership support to you organisation. Find out more here: https://thriveoutdoors.org.uk/what-we-offer/leadership-development/