From the World’s Highest Mountains-Lessons for Leaders

One of Carl Jung’s favorite words was “synchronicity”, that unexplainable

convergence of unplanned events which offer insights and opportunities. When I
agreed to join a trekking expedition through two remote provinces of the Indian
Himalayas, I had no way of knowing that this adventure would coincide with the
publication of my latest book, Gifts from the Mountain- Simple Truths for Life’s
Complexities. Ah, synchronicity!

One of the benefits of being a continual learner is that we are constantly overtaken
by ah-hah moments which serve to not only whack us on the side of the head, but
also hold lessons which can have universal application for anyone in leadership.
The following are but some of the principles gleaned as our group drove along the
highest roads in the world and wound up in the regions of Lahual and Spiti which
are often closed to the outside world for seven frozen months. They come from
trekking with tribesmen herding sheep and goats at elevations up to 16,000 feet
and from crossing white water rivers on foot and encountering the Dalia Lama in
a remote monastery near the China/Tibet border.

Watch for patterns. Different trees grow at different elevations.

The apple trees of the Kullu Valley could no more have survived at Rohtang Pass
then a trout could swim at the North Pole. The natural world allows for
adaptation but only to a point. As leaders, we must know where we belong, what
adaptations we can make, and then how to help those around us find the best
match for their growth and abilities.

Ankit Sood, our wise guide, demonstrated this principle during the trek. As the
journey became more difficult, he voiced his concern in such a way that it
allowed all of us to gracefully examine our skill levels. Four of our party self-
selected to not continue when the trekking became more difficult and demanding
on both a physical and emotional level. That’s wisdom and courage on display.
Had they continued, it might have caused harm to themselves as well as to the rest
of the group. Ankit, as our leader, paved the way for that decision yet was also
prepared to take them to a lower elevation had they insisted on continuing.

A leader gives the follower a chance to evaluate his own performance but is also
prepared to make the difficult decision of transferring or terminating an employee.
When an employee is not able to do the job at hand, it damages the morale and the
performance of a team if that employee is left to struggle in work that does not
match competency or innate potential.

Expect the unexpected and deal with it.

Change is one thing. The unexpected adversity or opportunity is something else.

Great leaders live in the present moment and make decisions based upon what is
before them.. As we climbed higher into Spiti, the Himalayan cold semi-desert
region that has been described as one of the highest, most remote and inhospitable
places on the planet, Ankit learned that the Dalia Lama would be teaching at a
monastery in the village of Nako. To venture to Nako meant changing plans on a
dime, jumping through mounds of bureaucratic paperwork, and going through
time-consuming checkpoints. However the chance to see a world leader in a
special setting was an unexpected opportunity not to be missed.

The same is true in the business world. Had 3M ignored an engineer’s idea that a
less-than-sticky glue could be useful, the world would never have known Post-It-
Notes™. Had Larry Page and Sergey Brin not paid attention to the unexpected
response to their simple search engine methodology, the word “Google” would
not have become a common word in our vocabulary.

The more critical the effort, the more teamwork is required.

The rivers of the western Himalayas cascade from melting glaciers. At night,
when the glaciers freeze, water level is reduced. The timing of a crossing is
critical as water rises along with the sun. Rocks and debris swirl into tumultuous
rapids. Crossing alone can be suicidal. We created a human chain, grasping each
other by wrists (not hands) and alternated smaller team members with larger ones.
We succeeded, cold and battered, but safe.

How often do we encounter the leader or employee who insists on “going it

alone” in a critical situation? To ask for help is perceived as a weakness. Yet, it is
the strength of collective brains and maybe even brawn that can produce a better
result. Equally important is knowing how to optimize the varying strengths of
team members for the best results. The adage of “strength in numbers” bears
consideration.

Action is the antidote for anxiety.

We made it in time to cross the dangerous river that had already claimed six lives.
But other members of our expedition crew were not so lucky. Their pace had been
slowed by rounding up pack horses. In horror we watched these men attempt three
times to cross, spinning against rapids and almost drowning. There was no choice
but to stay on the granite rocks and wait until early morning.
I could see the anxiety in the eyes of our leader. While we hiked ahead to make
camp, he devised a plan. With another team member, he filled a water proof
barrel with food, warmer clothes and a small tent. He hurled a rope to the stranded
crew and together they created a pulley system for retrieving the barrel. While
everyone was still concerned, taking action provided some comfort.

Hand-wringing never accomplishes anything. Action gives a level of control over

what, at face valuable, might seem uncontrollable. A leader helps people take that
action.

Everyone deserves to be welcomed home.

When the stranded crew appeared over the horizon at day break, we cheered, sang
and welcomed them “home”. Their faces glowed with a sense that we weren’t just
customers to serve, managers to follow, but rather individuals who cared for their
well-being. They redoubled their efforts to work for us in the days that followed.

There’s universality in wanting to be welcomed and cheered. Whether in the

remote regions of India or the meeting rooms of Wall Street, employees deserve
to feel that someone has seen their effort, their hard work and their long hours.
The degree of engagement and retention might increase exponentially if leaders
welcomed them “home”.

Gratitude transcends latitudes

Regardless of nationality or geography, humans everywhere respond to

expressions of gratitude Not only do we seek a place where we are welcomed, but
our spirits rise when others let us know that we matter. The more personal the
expression, the deeper is the human connection.

While it is customary to pool monies and give a bonus to the trekking crew, our
expedition wanted to extend a more intimate thank-you. After all, these men had
put our well-being ahead of their own. They paid attention to our personal needs,
even found a way to bake a cake at 15,000 feet when they discovered that two of
us had birthdays.

Our solution was to gift them with personal items we knew could be used by
themselves or their families. My new Timberland boots, thermal jacket and ski hat
went into the box along with my husband’s favorite space-aged parka. Our party
left gloves, socks, medicines, thermals, and even unopened bags of trail mix and
jerky brought from home. We gave money to have everything cleaned and
restored if need be.

When gratitude comes from the heart, is personal, unexpected, and out-of-the-
ordinary, amazing linkages are created. The gifts demonstrated that we had
observed their life, their needs, and responded appropriately. Spontaneous
appreciation that recognizes the uniqueness of an individual beats standardized
reward programs any day.

As for our band of intrepid explorers, my expedition partners who were strangers
until we gathered at Chicago O’Hare for the fifteen-hour flight to New Delhi,
we’ll continue our relationships that were forged with shared experiences. You
might say we have created a new company through collaboration, cooperation,
and consideration. That’s not a bad final lesson to carry into our respective places
of work.

© 2009, McDargh Communications. Publication rights granted to all venues so

long as article and by-line are reprinted intact and all links are made live.

Since 1980, Hall of Fame speaker Eileen McDargh has helped

Fortune 100 companies as well as individuals create connections
that count and conversations that matter. Executive Excellence
ranks her among the top 100 thought-leaders in leadership
development. Her newest book, Gifts from the Mountain
available at http://www.eileenmcdargh.com/shop_books.html received the 2008
Ben Franklin book award. To hire Eileen to teach your leaders and staff Radical
Resilience visit http://www.eileenmcdargh.com/program-radical-resilience.html