For him it represented a series of principles which guide the decisions and behaviours of an expedition’s members in order to achieve the maximum across the team with the minimum of stress. By 1974 he’d refined the idea enough to write 17 pages on it in his seminal “Wilderness Handbook” and it continues to be at the core of NOLS courses today.

Expedition Behaviour means being prepared, on time, organized, flexible and humble; seeing the humor in everything; exercising a tolerance for adversity, uncertainty and discomfort; and putting the needs of the group and others on the same level or above one’s own needs. Some people do it instinctively, others take a while but eventually, given the reality that wilderness places in front of us, almost everybody gets it.

Nowadays, NOLS defines Expedition Behavior as the following:

• Serve the mission and goals of the group.
• Be as concerned for others as you are for yourself.
• Treat everyone with dignity and respect.
• Support leadership and growth in everyone.
• Respect the cultures you contact.
• Be kind and open-hearted.
• Do your share and stay organized.
• Help others, but don’t routinely do their work.
• Model integrity by being honest and accountable.
• Admit and correct your mistakes.

Not just applicable to expeditions, I think they have a lot of relevance to all team endeavours, don’t you?

Find out more over at the NOLS website.

May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you’re wonderful, and don’t forget to make some art — write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.
…I hope you will have a wonderful year, that you’ll dream dangerously and outrageously, that you’ll make something that didn’t exist before you made it, that you will be loved and that you will be liked, and that you will have people to love and to like in return. And, most importantly (because I think there should be more kindness and more wisdom in the world right now), that you will, when you need to be, be wise, and that you will always be kind.

via Makezine, picture from guilty’s flickrstream under Creative Commons

Anna had more pressing concerns:

“10 years? The end of the day seems like a lifetime away at the moment Glad to see you’re keeping us all on our toes, though!”

Alia was looking towards leadership (I think):

“There seems to be two parts to doing stuff – doing stuff and handling the communication needed. Will have a think.”

Adam posted it in his blog saying:

“an extremely thought provoking and memorable email” adding “Got me thinking…”

Dear All,

If you get this you have probably just turned thirty, or are about to in the next few months.

That means that it’s ten years since you turned twenty. Ten years ago the Euro was introduced, the Kosovo War started, Napster was invented, Lance Armstrong won his first of seven Tours de France and the ExxonMobil Corporation merger was completed, heralding the start of the age of super-corporations. Ten years ago, thirty looked a lifetime away.

Now it’s arrived.

You’ve all done some amazing things in that ten years, fallen in love, fallen out of love, got married, had kids, graduated, found first jobs, climbed mountains, saved lives, travelled to a hundred countries and more, invented new technologies, help people live better lives and amused the world.

I am enormously proud of my friends and their achievements. You’ve gained knowledge and skills that have allowed you to do these things and formed relationships to support and challenge you.

And it’s with this in mind we look to the next ten years. Given all you have achieved so far, what’s next? Forty is only ten years away, a lifetime from this end and a flash from the other.

The world still has problems, people still need help and technology is moving ever faster.

I set you this challenge, how are you going the make the world better in the next ten years?

Sam

PDF: 10 Years to Save the World

Edit: Some responses

Can you name more than 30?

How does this affect your understanding of other peoples feelings?

¹Tony Robbins @ TED

Photo from Ben Smith’s flickrstream under Creative Commons

” A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. ”

Robert Anson Heinlein in Time Enough for Love (1973)