Adaptation (Outdoor Leadership)

I'd like to mention that "outdoors" in this sense could really mean any new area that gives opportunity to unforeseen obstacles.

"When David’s father Jesse sent David to resupply his brothers on the front lines of the battle against the Philistines, David accepted the task. He had no idea his adaptation skills were about to be tested. When he arrived at the battle lines, he expected to find a bunch of men bravely fighting the Philistines. Yet when he rolled in he found that they were timid and leaderless. This was a crisis, which called for leadership, now! So like godly leaders do, he adapted to the leaderless vacuum. Although too young to be called up as a fighting man, he said to Saul:

David Adapted to a Leaderless Vacuum and Stepped Up to the Challenge

Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine: your servant will go and fight him. (v. 32)

IF YOU KNOW HOW TO ADAPT, YOU STAND OUT BIG TIME

1. David abandons the things as they are and adapts to a leaderless vacuum by volunteering to take on the most formidable obstacle facing Israel.

I guarantee that as you enter the world of business, ministry, or leadership of any kind, you will have opportunities galore to volunteer to take on the most difficult problems. Most people run away from them like cockroaches when the lights are turned on. But if you are willing to go above and beyond the call of duty and do what no one else is willing to do, you will have ample opportunity to face giants and get God glory in the process. The opportunities are abounding.

DAVID’S ABILITY TO ADAPT CAME FROM CONFIDENCE IN GOD AND CONFIDENCE IN HIS SKILLS

So why was David able to rapidly decide to jump into the battle? The Scripture tells us why:

2. David was confident in God.

He states boldly to the assembly, “the battle was the Lord’s” (see 1 Samuel 17:47). He knew that the battle belonged to the Lord, and that he was just serving to further what God wanted to do. He was stepping up for God to get glory.

3. David was confident in his skills to fight (see 1 Samuel 17:40).

He had already been in a variety of scenarios where he was required to jump into action quickly. When lions and bears attacked his flock he didn’t sit around and weigh the options. No, he decides to took care of business right then and there. Leadership was automatic to him, because of his faith in God and his confidence in his skills with his stone and sling.

Imagine how many thousands of stones David must have thrown to have such confidence? Think about the consistent daily practice that was required to have such confidence that he could catapult a small rock with such accuracy?

One way I have found to train leaders quickly to develop these kinds of rapid decision-making skills is in the wilderness. I’ve been involved in the field of outdoor leadership for over 22 years, and I can say that the outdoors is truly a perfect laboratory to develop the ability to adapt in leaders. Teaching leaders how to lead in the wilderness is a proven way to rapidly enhance the leadership skill of adaptation, which might otherwise take years in the marketplace to learn.

ACTION STEPS
Think of some young leaders in your arena of influence who you think have great potential to be stand out leaders. Invite them to do something fairly challenging with you in the outdoors by the end of the year.
Then when you are on the adventure, give them some opportunities to make decisions with you in the field and show them how to adapt when conditions change. (No matter how small or large the “change in conditions” you experience, there is always opportunity in the outdoors to model how to adapt.

Before you come home debrief some ways to apply what you all learned to life, leadership, ministry."

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