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Lessons from an outdoor business coach
In the world of business coaching, Erickson Coaching International advisor and outdoor business coach Clemens Froelich (ACC ICF) has a unique approach.
How? By drawing deep parallels between outdoor adventure challenges and the obstacles business leaders face. And by offering outdoor business coaching and corporate adventuring events as a way to break the mold and get corporates thinking and connecting differently.
Ultra-hiking as a metaphor for business challenges
Clemens is at the forefront of a growing trend in leadership development and business coaching: harnessing the power and lessons of nature to bolster resilience, adaptability, and growth in the corporate sphere.
In one of his blog posts about his experiences in the Ardennes, his descriptions of what it takes to mentally and physically endure an ultra-hiking expedition strongly mirror the qualities needed to navigate the highs and lows of the boardroom.
"Every long-distance hike presents unpredictable conditions - torrential rain, exhaustion, uncertainty about the next step” he writes. “The challenge is not just physical but psychological: learning to manage discomfort, staying focused despite setbacks, and trusting in one’s ability to push forward"
Athletes and executives alike, navigating unpredictable terrain, need resilience, adaptability, and a strong mindset - all qualities that business coaching helps develop and grow.
Business coaching helps foster resilience and agility in leadership
As Clemens shared in an interview on the Coaching Outdoors podcast, decision-making in arduous conditions is great conditioning for decision-making in the ever-changing corporate landscape.
"You learn to make quick, informed decisions - when to push forward, when to pause, and when to seek help,” he explains. “This ability to reassess and adjust course is exactly what leaders need in today’s volatile business world."
Coaching, too, strengthens this resilience by helping leaders develop their problem-solving skills and bolster their emotional intelligence.
Not surprising, then, that a joint report by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and Human Capital Institute (HCI), Defining New Coaching Cultures, found that organizations are more committed to fostering a coaching culture than ever before, with 85% of all survey respondents having worked with managers and leaders who use coaching skills.
The rise in demand for business and executive coaching is steep, showing that the high Return On Investment as far as productivity and engagement are concerned (ICF) are not just hype. In fact, leadership coaching is no longer being seen as an optional luxury but rather as an essential strategic investment that drives tangible outcomes.
The coach as partner and guide to enhance leadership effectiveness
In a corporate setting, you can see a coach in the same vein as a mountain guide - helping leaders navigate obstacles, providing perspective, and ensuring that the entire team reaches its destination.
As Clemens explains, "A strong team, like a well-prepared hiking group, relies on trust, communication, and a shared purpose. When leaders invest in their people, as well as in their own self development and awareness, they create an environment where individuals feel valued and motivated to contribute their best work."
Clemens’ coaching methodology, underpinned by Erickson Coaching International’s solution-focused approach, emphasizes three key areas:
1. Developing a strong mindset: Just as hikers train for endurance, leaders must build mental fortitude to tackle business challenges. Coaching provides the tools to
cultivate confidence, self-awareness, self-belief and a positive, future-forwards outlook.
2. Strategic decision-making under pressure: Adventure sports require split-second choices, much like high-stakes business decisions. Coaching equips leaders with
frameworks to assess risks and make informed decisions.
3. Embracing uncertainty: Nature is unpredictable, and so is the business world. Leaders who embrace uncertainty rather than resist it are better positioned for long-
term success.
"When you’re out in the wild, you can’t control the weather, but you can control how you respond to it,” Clemens concludes. “The same applies to business - external forces will always shift, but with the right mindset and strategy, you can adapt and thrive."
The future of coaching and business growth
Coaching has evolved into a powerful tool for leadership development, and business coaches like Clemens are pioneering innovative and inspiring ways to integrate experiential learning into corporate settings.
His outdoor adventures provide a compelling metaphor for the business world, demonstrating that resilience, adaptability, and mental agility are critical for success and wonderfully accessed in natural settings.
The ability to inspire, motivate, and guide teams effectively is well known to be a defining trait of successful leaders, yet, many leaders struggle with these skills due to the pressures of decision-making and performance demands.
But, as Positive Psychology reports, coaching can help bridge these gap in numerous ways, such as by:
● Increasing leadership effectiveness by up to 55%
● Boosting team productivity
● Opening channels of communication more fully
● Raising levels of self-efficacy which positively affects both performance and stress
levels
It seems that for companies seeking sustainable growth, the question is no longer if they should or shouldn’t invest in coaching but rather, how soon they should start.
For more information on Erickson’s courses and coaching resources, visit https://www.erickson.edu/en/home. Or to connect directly with Clemens, book a call with him here: https://meetings.hubspot.com/clemens-froelich.
