AMC Guide to Outdoor Leadership: Trip Planning * Group Dynamics * Decision Making * Leading Youth * Risk Management

by Alex Kosseff

This completely revised and updated handbook details the critical skills and concepts every professional or volunteer outdoors leader needs to know. Building on the basic foundations of leadership, case studies, and his own extensive leadership experience, Alex Kosseff explores such topics as effective decision-making, group dynamics, risk management, self-awareness and evaluation, conservation, and more. Also included is a new chapter on techniques for leading and motivating youth.

Comprehensive, readable, and packed with practical advice and real-life experiences, AMC Guide to Outdoor Leadership, 2nd edition is a must-read for anyone committed to becoming a safe and effective outdoors leader.



Inside you'll

- Accessible, comprehensive techniques for new and experienced leaders

- Comprehensive coverage of leadership concepts

-Advice and anecdotes from experts on decision-making, communication, risk management, and more

-Essential reading lists for further study
-100% New illustrations and photos

Genres: Leadership

320 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2003

Reviews

[Josh]

i think this was a pretty solid book. as usual, my chief complaint is that many of the chapters felt cursory and a little too brief. the book was well written and addressed a number of topics that, as an outdoor activity participant, i rarely lend much thought to. in whole, i recommend the book to any outdoor enthusiast and think that my perception of outdoor recreation has benefit as a result of reading it.

2026 re-read: still sticking with 3 stars. It was solid and a lot of things from the last 15 years led me to a greater connection on dynamics of diverse teams, motivation, working together, stewardship, and self-evaluation.

[Tim Street]

This is the text I've been having my students read for the class I'm teaching this semester, "Intro to Wilderness Leadership." It's a fantastic book, full of realistic and easy-to-relate-to case studies, solid introductions to some of the popular academic models used in outdoor education (situational leadership, stages of group development, and more), and overviews of a variety of important topics to the outdoor leader.

[Eric Nelson]

I thought this book was more useful and better written than the Outward Bound text. Kosseff included many pertinent anecdotes to tie in the content. It focused heavily on group dynamics and people skills which is really the key to goo EB.

[David]

Great read for anyone leading groups outdoors!

[Jon]

his comes out more as a personal lessons-learned than a serious study of what works in leadership; it's not very firmly backed with references or support. (There is a list of recommended reading, but it's rarely tied in.) I realize this is my personal preference but, having read some "soft skills" sort of books that manage to be very grounded in actual research, this book felt kind of fluffy. As such, it's still useful, and provides some ideas to try, but there's little of why or how people really tick.