Learning Can Be a Breath of Fresh Air I am sure that you must occasionally have had a feeling of “been there before” with a tough issue? For many of us, it can be hard to take a real step back from a challenge and get a fresh perspective. We have always worked with leaders and teams in the outdoors, not just because we love being outside, but because we understand the development opportunity.  Anyone who enjoys the open spaces will tell you about getting precious time and space to think. When outdoor activities are part of a structured approach to performance development, they can be very inspirational. We are all about “inspiring extraordinary journeys” and for that reason we have developed a range of outdoor experiences that will take teams into stunning landscapes, on foot, in canoes and on mountain bikes. Our facilitators have extensive experience in using the outdoors to create a safe, supportive and stimulating environment where teams and individuals can benefit from spending time together. The emphasis is on challenge by choice, with opportunities for the “whole” team to participate regardless of fitness and experience and interactive review sessions where “lessons learnt” are carried in to the team development process. Finding the Rhythm of Success One of our favourite tools for helping teams to achieve their true potential is samba drumming. If you need to get your team making sweet music together, then this is the way to do it! To begin to deliver results as a team, first you need to build strong foundations. As anybody who follows football knows, any amount of individual talent can quickly be diluted if the team isn't playing well together. Using Brazilian samba drums and rhythms, people learn to work together as integrated ‘band'. Even if they have never made music before, they will quickly get in to the groove and start to deliver an excellent sound. Samba drumming is a superb way to get people out of their comfort zones and show them what is possible if they work together. The first step is to establish a shared pulse - what a great business metaphor! The essence of great teamwork after all is alignment behind a shared vision of success. As the players perfect their own role, they realize that they need to listen to everyone else to make sure that they stay at the top of their game and to allow the other instruments a chance to come through. Once the basics of good teamwork have been established, the band can then tackle increasingly challenging goals with new rhythms and phrases as their confidence grows. As a delegate on a recent programme said, “If I can learn to drum then I can learn to do anything!”