Farscape Development — Reach Your Goals Faster

Case Study Fiona Gale – Built Better Business Networks

What was the situation beforehand?

• Fiona was a business leader working in London and enjoyed the challenge of meeting and working alongside a variety of other business owners and entrepreneurs.  As an experienced traveller she was excited by the opportunity of an adventure which would offer personal learning opportunities through taking her out of her comfort zone and immersing her in a different culture.
• After meeting and working with Ken Hames, Fiona was keen to accompany him on an Overseas Learning Experience.   She felt that a remote and facilitated expedition with other business leaders would provide an opportunity to see another country in a deeper and more personally fulfilling way and would challenge her to explore her own limits.

What happened?

• Fiona participated in a Farscape Overseas Learning Experience in Namibia led by Ken Hames, along with a group of fellow business leaders from other companies.
• The group was made up of other people at a similar level in business, all of whom had undertaken learning and development training before. This meant that Fiona had the opportunity to interact with peers who had a similar business understanding and was able to share challenges, ideas and knowledge as well as reinforcing leadership skills.
• The trip saw the group experience a diverse range of challenges in the African wilderness, including physically challenging tasks such as trekking in the desert, learning survival skills and sourcing fresh water.
• The group were able to get close to some of Namibia’s wild animals in their native habitat and learn how to track rhino, elephant and lion. 
• The group met with and interacted with the Himba tribe who are native to Namibia. This interface was intended to give the group the opportunity to learn about the Himba way of life and compare this to their own experience and culture.  In particular, with the assistance of a translator, they spent time talking about leadership in the Himba culture and how performance and contribution are monitored.

What are the outcomes so far?

• The shared experience with other business leaders whilst on the trip served to consolidate Fiona’s self-belief and confidence, both as a leader and as a part of a team.
• Fiona has since felt increased conviction in her own opinions and her ability to lead.  She has now moved onto a new role and has recognised her ability to achieve things she didn’t previously believe she would achieve. 
• Fiona particularly enjoyed the adventurous elements of the trip and returned feeling that she had had a profound cultural learning experience. She returned to the UK with memories which she has described as ‘incredible’ and having learnt valuable lessons regarding her approach to work.

‘An experience like this is a great opportunity to get down and dirty and completely immerse yourself in whichever country you’re in. You really taste the full flavour of the culture in this way. It was a powerful cultural learning experience which I hope to be able to go on again. In fact I wouldn’t hesitate to go on a trip like this again at a moment’s notice!’