The Situation
In 2001, an accomplished mountain climber set out to
achieve his life-long dream of conquering the highest peak in the world, Mount
Everest. In addition to the treacherous
terrain and unforgiving climate, this
climber also faced a unique challenge: he was completely blind.
He organized a team of 19 world-class
climbers to help him achieve his objective. Along with all of their expertise, however, each individual brought into
the expedition his own strong will and “big ego”. Transforming this group of highly skilled
individuals into a cohesive, functional team seemed nearly as challenging as
reaching the 29,035 ft. summit of the mountain.
Finally the climb was happening in an era in
which many teams had attempted and failed to reach the summit, due to the fact
that they didn’t have a plan and many went their own ways once the going got
tough. Recently many climbers had died
in the process of going it alone.
Our Work
One of the technical climbing experts was also a Best
Year Yet Program Leader so the group participated in a review and planning
workshop while at base camp. The process
provided them with a strategy for the journey
ahead and they formulated three basic guidelines:
Trust one another’s skills and knowledge
Ask for our
needs—eliminate fear!
Develop our plan
and stick to it!
Furthermore, they determined their major focus for this
expedition would be “team mate”, and they decided that their top goals, in
addition to reaching the top and coming back alive, would include supporting
one another both physically and emotionally. Before they set out from base camp, the group had a clearly defined
objective and a mutual plan in place to ensure they achieved it.
The Results
After three months of extreme conditions and arduous
physical exertion, the group achieved the culmination of all their goals and
made history in the process. This
expedition not only included the first blind climber, but also a climber, who
at 64 years old, was the oldest man to ever reach the summit of Everest. Incredibly, all 19 members of the team made
it to the top, making this expedition the most successful
trek of Everest yet.
Perhaps the most remarkable accomplishment, however, was
the culture of partnership that was created at base camp and carried with them
throughout the mission. Members reported
that they “built an inspiring level of trust and confidence in one another
despite not knowing each other well before they started”
and attributed this success to the Best Year Yet system.
Although they faced life-and-death situations every step
of the way, and were often under the most stressful conditions imaginable, they
maintained a superior level of cooperation and communication, without even a single argument among members of the team!
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