August, 2002 

Most business school students learn about leadership from a knowledgeable professor, who's teaching from an orderly syllabus in a cozy classroom. But as the heads of U.S. corporations know -- especially after the past two years -- in real life, leadership is rarely orderly or cozy, and must be practiced even when the future seems beyond knowing.  

And that's why I found myself, cold, tired, scared, and flagging, learning about leadership at 15,700 feet above sea level.

In March, I joined a 'Leadership Venture' with Wharton's well-known leadership expert, Michael Useem. As a group of 12 MBA students, we decided to climb Mt. Cotapaxi, a 19,347 foot volcano in Ecuador. With the exception of Useem, none of us had climbed a peak this high, and few people had even had experience with rock climbing. What we lacked in experience, however, we made up for with enthusiasm, three months of cross training, and a desire to learn how an extreme climbing experience could help us become better leaders. We were armed with borrowed and rented gear and we were there to see if we had what it takes to get to the top.

Useem had the idea that leadership could effectively be learned through experiences outside the classroom - particularly through physically challenging and mentally grueling tasks. His program has now expanded to include trips to Quantico ( a naval base ), Gettysburg, Everest, and Ecuador. The expeditions have become so popular that Wharton students compete in a lottery for the chance to participate.

The Cotopaxi trip promised to be especially challenging. Typically only 60% of those who attempt the climb manage to reach the summit ( and this percentage has been significantly lower for groups from Wharton ). And for my team, warmer-than-usual conditions made the glacier especially slippery.

Prior to beginning our ascent, we met to focus on the upcoming leadership challenges and to plan our strategy. After each day's climb we analyzed our progress and mapped the day ahead. Those meetings served as a source of personal reflection and a way to visualize my own upcoming physical goals. Over the last two months I've routinely thought back on these conversations and how they've helped clarify my appreciation for what a leader does. Three things in particular stand out:

1.      A leader needn't always actively lead the group. Some of the most effective leaders hang back while a group makes its own progress. Our daily discussions were often led by a student facilitator, while Useem rarely commented. However, at the end he would always elegantly sum up what had been said, taking the conversation to a new level. This was clear in our group discussions as well as on the mountain. In this case, he led by providing synthesis and clarity to lengthy discussions.

During our climb, our guides would often do the same thing from a physical perspective. While climbing down the mountain - easily the scariest part of the entire climb - our guide stayed in the back of the group. Although this left the first teammate with the difficult job of charting the course down, it left our guide in the position to watch and provide suggestions to people ahead of her and to stay with the weaker members of the team.

2.      Effective leadership often requires a strict separation between personal and team goals - - a separation that is particularly hard to achieve. On one of our practice hikes, the group reached a point where we had to make a decision whether to continue on the hiking trail or to venture off the trail and rock climb the rest of the way to the top. There was no possible way to split the group into two halves and the weather was starting to look dicey. Additionally, we knew that over-exertion on the warm-up hike could mean a lessened chance of summitting during our real climb. After a heated discussion of the pros and cons of each route, our student leader for the day ( easily the most physically fit person in our group and the one who most wanted to do the climb ) decided that we should follow the trail and not risk the rock climb. It was obvious that this was a painful decision for him to make, but he delivered his decision with authority and a positive attitude, and never stopped to second-guess his choice. When forced to decide, he put the group first.

3.      Knowing each others' strengths and being able to rely on them - especially during high stress situations - is vital. Everything after the 10th hour of our climb was a personal trial. At this point, weaknesses were magnified and it was essential to draw from each others' strengths. For me, that meant relying on one of my teammates who was physically very strong when I reached my limit, and another teammate for her calmness when things got particularly hairy. In return, I offered a positive attitude and optimism when the 3 a.m. climbing was particularly bleak. Knowing who to turn to and who could be counted on for support was invaluable.

In the end, 11 people out of my group of 12 reached the top of the mountain. The one member who didn't summit came as close as 100 meters before stopping due to altitude sickness.

Overall, there are probably more relaxing ways to spend a spring Break. But it's unlikely Club Med would have provided me with lessons I can use throughout my career.