Training for the unknown

I decided to do this four-week mini-series on my TEDx talk because I take August off to spend with my daughters. That means I don’t have as much professional content to write about in my newsletter each week… Instead it’s been camping trips, Devonshire beaches (even under grey skies), daily swims, and more ice creams than I care to admit!

This week, I'm covering the final step in the Explorer's Framework which I use in my training for high performance teams: Open Ended Challenges.

Which is fitting, because that’s exactly what the summer holidays can feel like at times. While I love the time off with my family, it isn’t always the “rest and recharge” it might sound like from the outside. Most days feel like an open ended challenge of keeping everyone happy, healthy, entertained, and having fun.

So let’s bring it back to the Explorer’s Framework.

So far in this series we’ve looked at the first two steps of the Explorer’s Framework:

1. Creating an Explorer’s Environment
2. Building an Explorer’s Mindset

This week, it’s time for the final step: Open-Ended Challenges.

In astronaut training, we deliberately design simulations where things go wrong. Systems fail. Communications break down. Resources run out. Not to trip people up, but to help them practise solving problems they’ve never seen before.

Because the real test isn’t how well you perform when everything goes to plan. It’s how you respond when it doesn’t.

Open-ended challenges strengthen creativity, build resilience, and, perhaps most importantly, help you trust yourself and your team to figure it out.

You don’t have to be an astronaut to benefit. Here on Earth, you can:

• Run a “what if” exercise with your team on a project
• Give your students a task without clear instructions
• Challenge yourself to tackle something outside your usual expertise and comfort zone

Start small, a low-stakes challenge is often the best training ground.

🎥 If you missed it, you can hear me share more in my TEDx talk:

Let’s teach our children to problem solve like astronauts | TEDx

👉 And if you’d like prompts and practical exercises to try, download The Explorer’s Toolkit here.

I’ll be easing myself back into work (slowly!) next week, so I’ll be back to more of my regular content, once I’ve swapped ice creams for emails again!