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Leadership
lessons from the top of the world
Wharton's Executive Lifestyle Series regularly introduces students to stories and experiences of our esteemed faculty not normally shared in the classroom. This week's lunchtime lecture described Wharton's annual leadership trek to the Mt. Everest region and focused on management lessons derived from the region's dangerous history. Professor Useem highlighted three separate expeditions in the Himalayas and drew parallels to similar managerial concepts. The first of these lessons was based on the Chilean National Expedition to K2 – considered one of the most technically dangerous climbs in the world. With a hazard rate between 30-50%, K2 claims more lives of those ascending the summit than its more famous neighbor Mount Everest. The Chilean Expedition was lead by expert climber and national hero Rodrigo Jordan. Under the pressure of the media spotlight, particularly in Chile, Jordan's high profile and heavily-sponsored climb was challenged to put the first Chilean at K2's summit. Easily the expedition's most recognizable personality, would he choose to further build on his image by conquering the summit or remain below to coordinate the climb for his team? Jordan's decision to stay at base camp was perhaps the most important one of the entire expedition. He reasoned that his decision-making abilities would be the least impaired if he remained at base camp, where communications and supply stockpiles were the most plentiful. Shortly after the Chilean team summitted, one of Jordan's climbers collapsed from dehydration and hypoxia (lack of oxygen). In what must have been an amazingly impassioned plea, Jordan convinced, via radio, climbing team members already down the mountain to return up the icy face to save their fallen teammate. This action not only revived the climber but saved his life. The harrowing tale served to illustrate the notion described by the Marines that "leaders always eat last." To restate, the responsibility of leaders is to subordinate his or her own self-interests to the greater good of the team. By remaining at base camp and denying his own opportunity for summit glory, Jordan's team not only achieved its goal but returned everyone alive. Prof. Useem's second tale revolved around the 1978 women's expedition to Annapurna. At 26,545 feet, it is "only" the world's tenth highest peak but perhaps the most technically demanding climb in the world, with a hazard rate of 50%. Led by Arlene Blum, the group faced a near mutiny after Blum alone hand-selected two climbers to go for the summit. The team resented Blum's dictatorial proclamation despite her recognized role as group leader. Blum relented, and allowed the group to decide on the two final ascent climbers. The lucky two were the same as the climbers initially selected by Blum, but now they had the group's consent and support. The lesson? In order for leaders to exercise power, they sometimes have to give it away first. By allowing the team members responsible for the implementation and support services to be part of the decision, Blum's credibility as a leader was strengthened. As a result, Blum's leadership was not only stronger but the support team re-energized with purpose and focus. The last of Prof. Useem's vignettes focused on one of the plot threads from the infamous 1996 ascent of Everest described in Jon Krakauer's bestseller Into Thin Air. The book details the accounts of several simultaneous treks to the summit, two of them run by professional guides Scott Fischer and Rob Hall. Sandy Hill Pittman, a client of Fischer, was forced to bivouac (camp in the open) overnight in a severe storm after the team broke apart after summiting earlier in the day. When asked to reiterate her lessons from the disaster, Pittman spoke of mutual accountability between team members and the leader. Scott Fischer was concerned with getting Pittman and others off the mountain. However, the less-experienced Pittman didn't think to reciprocate to the expert Fischer. By being too worried about themselves, Pittman recounted, they did not think to worry about their leader – who may have been spared. Team members must care for leaders just as their leaders care for them. Similarly, one of Rob Hall's clients, Beck Weathers, survived the disaster but at a high physical price. Early in the day, Weathers decided he could not continue any farther up the mountain. Rob Hall ordered Weathers to sit down in the spot he was at and Hall would retrieve him on the way down later in the day. Unbeknownst to Weathers, Hall perished near the top when a storm closed in on the summit. Left to struggle down the mountain by himself, Weathers suffered extreme frostbite which resulted in him losing part of his nose and face and nearly all of his fingers. When asked what he could have done, Weathers explained the biggest mistake of his life. Instead of relying upon his "manager" for guidance, Weathers should have asked for clarification. For instance, by what time should Weathers leave if Hall doesn't return? By not waiting to be told what to do, but by thinking independently, Weathers may have changed the fate that he must now endure for the rest of his life. Professor Useem concluded his talk with details on the annual Wharton Leadership Trek to the Mt. Everest region. Details of this trip, which is open to both students and alumni, can be found at: http://leadership.wharton.upenn.edu/everest/index.shtml. |
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