Outward Bound founder, Kurt Hahn, famously shared “There is more to us than we know.” This became crystal clear to me at the age of 16 and then was reinforced over and over again into my adult life as a husband, father, and entrepreneur. In 1972, at the age of 16, I decided to enroll in a North Carolina Outward Bound School 28-day course. I didn’t know what to expect, but I took the leap. That month-long course taught me lessons about resiliency, digging deep, relying on myself, and trusting my own instincts in a way that I could never have anticipated or planned for. The daily challenges and triumphs helped me garner a sense of confidence that has not let me down through my personal and professional life.
Enter parenthood. Becoming a father was one of the greatest accomplishments of my life and it brought me full circle back to my time in the mountains of western North Carolina. We all love our children, but also we are called upon to teach them right from wrong as well as teaching them how to get up when they fall. Teaching someone you love about resilience is a tall order when all you want to do is fix whatever bind your child is in instead of showing them how to handle it themselves. Here’s where Outward Bound comes in for me. On a cellular level, I understand that building resiliency is like building up a muscle. It takes time and it takes work, but it’s so worth it. Here’s my full circle moment. Last year, my daughter decided to take a 14-day Outward Bound high mountain backpacking course. She came home beaming about her time learning the craft of camping, hiking, and rock-climbing. This experiential learning course taught her about different leadership styles and how to apply them in any challenging situation that she finds herself in. She learned more about her own leadership style in that 2 weeks than she had in her life to date. It was a proud parenting moment for me to witness my daughter spreading her wings and flying into life a more resilient, confident, self-reliant young woman. What a gift Outward Bound is!
About Scott
Scott is Managing Director of Rebalance, a leading pro-consumer investment firm. Scott is a nationally recognized investing expert, with references in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, Forbes, CBS, PBS, USA Today, and most recently the Washington Post. He testified before the U.S. Senate on new rules designed to make investing safer for all Americans. Scott received his B.A. in economics, with distinction, from Tufts University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
Scott is the Chair of the NCOBS Investment Committee, which oversees the organization’s $18 million endowment. Additionally, he was the inaugural chair of the NCOBS Washington DC Regional Advisory Board whose mission is to establish scholarships for financially disadvantaged teenagers. During the past 10 years, they have helped over 70 area teenagers have an NCOBS experience.
