Leadership. The word conjures visions of dynamic personalities making bold decisions—coaches and world leaders, perhaps. But these dramatic images don't reveal the complex mix of skills that good leadership demands, nor the subtle touch necessary to adapt to a situation in the moment. For outdoor leaders, that mix requires a firm grasp of technical skills paired with strong interpersonal skills—a balance that doesn't come naturally to everyone.

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Explore some of AMC's leadership training options here.

This year, some 8,000 trips will be led by AMC volunteers. Whether you're an experienced leader or aspire to that role, there's always something more to learn or something else you can do to ensure sound decision making in the backcountry.

Leadership begins at home
Even a simple day hike involves paying attention to a number of factors, and watching for signals within a group of diverse personalities. Particularly for the novice leader, juggling these needs can be a challenge. But you may already be doing some of these things in your daily life, without realizing it: The basic building blocks of family and professional life can be a key to effective leadership.

Alex Kosseff, author of the AMC Guide to Outdoor Leadership, says that empathy skills—identifying and sympathizing with what others in the group are experiencing—are particularly important. If you've developed those skills elsewhere, for example as a parent or a supervisor on your job, you can bring them out onto the trail where members of your group may not always be comfortable raising concerns.

Kosseff pays particular attention to questions. "With almost any group there's a reluctance to speak up," he says. If one person is voicing a concern, chances are good that others share it. "Setting the tone for people to vocalize concerns and needs is a really important thing to establish early on."

To head off potential problems before they arise, Kosseff says, "Try to determine what the participants might not be aware of. What information can [you] provide to these people that will help them have a better experience, a more enjoyable experience? What's the most important information [you] can give them, and what's the best way [you] can package that information so they can understand it?"

Read the signs
Getting to know your group will go a long way toward avoiding issues down the trail. "Interact with people at the beginning to get a feel for their demeanor," suggests Jessica Wilson, AMC's leadership training coordinator. "Then you can identify changes later— anything that shows that this is an experience that isn't suiting this individual."

Beyond the verbal, a leader should monitor people's physical signals. Is someone lagging behind? Fussing with the straps on their pack? Address these problems immediately. Kosseff recommends floating through the group, observing it from different vantages. "Pause and actively pull people's needs out of them," he says.

Tuning in to such subtle signals can be a challenge, but Kosseff offers a simple exercise to improve your abilities. "At a periodic interval, say every time you come to a trail junction, try and notice one thing about your environment, your group, or yourself, that you weren't aware of," he says. "It's a mental cue to focus you in.... When you start to focus on those things, you're often going to come up with more than one thing."

Know yourself
A leader's priority is the safety and experience of the group, but group members don't provide the only signals worth listening to. "It's easy for someone thrust into a leadership position to focus entirely on the group," Kosseff warns. Self-awareness is a valuable tool in identifying potential problems.

If you're an experienced hiker and you're feeling thirsty or hungry, "then it's likely your group is also hungry, tired, and thirsty," Kosseff says. "If you need a snack, then your group probably needed one a half an hour ago."

As you make decisions, learn from them. Kosseff recommends keeping a journal to track the outcomes of the leadership choices you make, so you can further establish your self-awareness—and self-confidence—on the trail.