The Power of Nature for Teams (And What Kayaking Taught Me About Leading Them)

New Forest Activities Director, Sam Sutton, shares how his early love of nature inspired his passion for helping workplaces experience the power of the outdoors.

Have you ever stood on a beach, in a forest or on a mountain and felt a deep sense of peace and belonging?

This was what drew me to the power of nature and the outdoors as a place for learning and growth. From the camping holidays of my childhood to the white-water kayaking adventures of my twenties, there is something about being in nature which re-aligns us to who we really are.

This alignment is so important for teams. In our digital ‘always on’ world, we need space to de-compress and work through our emotions. We know that the best performing teams are those with strong psychological safety, where being open and honest are the foundations of success.

Below are 3 main reasons you should get your team into the outdoors on a regular basis

Nature strips back the mask

When people step outdoors, something shifts. Roles disappear, and job titles lose their weight.

You start to see the person behind the professional. You sit around a fire, or walk through the woods, and suddenly the person who’s usually quiet starts cracking jokes. The stressed manager softens. The intern speaks up.

That’s human connection. Not because someone facilitated it, but because space opened for it to happen. It interrupts the loop.

Most teams are in a loop. Inbox. Meetings. Slack. Deliverables. Repeat. Our brains are on autopilot.

Being in nature breaks the loop. No signal, no schedule. People slow down and, in that space, the brain starts working differently. Stress lowers and ideas show up. You can’t force creative thinking in a meeting room, but if you give a team some space outdoors then they’ll start asking better questions and creating better solutions.

Real challenge builds real trust.

We’ve all done ‘team building’ where the trust falls feel awkward and the away day ends with nothing changed.

That’s not what this is.

When people do something real together – like navigating a river, solving a task outside, building something with their hands, those memories stick.

It becomes part of the story the team tells about themselves:

“We figured it out. Together.”

You can’t fake that kind of trust. It gets built in the sun, the wind and the rain.

Nature reflects things back and does not let you off the hook

The outdoors doesn’t hide things. If your team communicates well, it shows. If they don’t, that shows too.

You can learn more from one afternoon solving a problem in the woods than you can in six months of meetings.

I like to call this ‘Paddling your own canoe’, if you let it, the wind and tide will dictate where you go. To get where you want to go requires paying attention, developing skills, applying effort and working with your colleagues.

Nature’s feedback is raw and honest. That’s why adventures feel great, it’s success in the unknown with no second chances.

Bigger picture thinking is naturally inspired outdoors

Sit by a fire long enough and someone will say something honest. We’ve told stories around fires for as long as we’ve had language. They induce a trance like state where things get said that don’t get said in a boardroom. Not because people don’t care, but because the room doesn’t invite it.

Nature does.

It stretches timelines. Slows thoughts. Brings perspective. After a day of challenges, the post event reflection.

One thing to try this week

If you lead a team, take a one-to-one outside this week.
Even just a 20-minute walk. No agenda. Just talk.

Ask this:

“What’s going well for you right now – and what’s feeling off?”

Then listen. Don’t fix. Just hear them.

You’ll learn something important. Guaranteed.

Want to take it deeper?

If your team needs something more – a proper reset, some real connection, or space to think bigger – we run experiences like this every week.

Outdoor days designed to bring people together in a way that lasts.

To find out more about Team Away Days and what value they can bring to you and your team, click HERE.