An Illustrative Look At The MountainVision Message

This amazing illustration was created during one of my recent keynote presentations. Such a wonderfully creative way to take a look at the overarching themes I share to global Fortune 500 companies.

Servant Leadership...With a Cappuccino

Heading home after a wonderful couple of days in the Great Northwest feeling stimulated and content from an engaging visit with the Starbucks team. Whenever I return from Washington or Oregon there seems to be this warm and compelling emotion that cool shit is going down up there…like a secret that the rest of us are just not let in on. It’s rugged, hip and proud up there. My kinda place.

When one thinks of a truly global brand that is recognizable both in it’s logo, product and atmosphere… a brand that has succeeded in demanding a universal standardization for all of its employees to follow in order to achieve a destination for community and fellowship within it’s walls... Starbucks has to be in the forefront of any list. In my travels all over the world there is one thing for certain… when I encounter the ubiquitous Starbucks store (essentially guaranteed at some point in any journey), the soy chai ice coffee I order will taste just as delicious in Chengdu, China as it will in Boulder, CO.  You know what you’re getting both with the coffee as well as the warm coffee bean smell and soft music that fills the building.

It goes without saying that in order to pull this off there must be a solid quarterback making the calls for the team. I was aware of Starbucks CEO Howard Shultz and his creation and guidance of the global icon over the years. I was only slightly familiar with the fact that he gave up his role as CEO at the turn of the millennium and coincidentally or not, Starbucks lost it’s unique character as well as a large portion of it’s share value. I had heard that he had returned to his role as master executive in mid decade and the ship had been recently righted. I really knew nothing more than this on the Starbucks saga and was quite oblivious to the mystique that surrounded its founder and leader.

Once I arrived in Seattle to provide a keynote to the Supply Chain team, I was alerted that Howard had requested a meeting with me in his office with a couple of his trusted leaders. I was honored and thrilled to meet such a legend of brand development but didn’t really think much about it as I prepared my keynote and breakout sessions for the team. So I thought it somewhat comical when, the night before the meeting, my Starbucks host asked me “Have you thought about what you are going to talk to Howard about tomorrow?” I chuckled a bit and said no, which prompted a very visible nervous twitch in my hosts manner as she was the one that set up the meeting and knew her “time with Howard” reputation would be deeply influenced by the success or failure of this unknown dirtbag, redneck climber dude and his ability to be engaging with one of the worlds leading executives. A bit of a roll of the dice for sure.

The next morning as I strolled down the hall towards the CEO’s office I see this tall, gangly fellow in khakis and a casual button down shirt walking towards us with a gracious and inviting smile. This guy looked happy and affable but not exactly how I would draw up the master chef of a global entity that had $22 billion in sales last year.

“Hi there Jeff, I’m Howard.”

And with that simply greeting, I immediately got it. This guy surely had more important tasks to tend to that morning but he found time to carve out 30 minutes for me in his office and he had done the research to know my name and my bio. He wanted to get to know who this guy was that was coming to potentially influence his most important commodity…his team.

He was inquisitive, required a lot of eye contact and focused on listening to me speak… even when I constantly tried to circle it back and inquire about him and his story. He wanted to know about my background, what drove me to climbing and adventuring around the globe. He was interested in my family, how old my son was. He wanted to know what components of leadership that I felt were the most critical. He asked how my life experiences had crafted my message. He asked and he listened.

You could tell that Starbucks, it’s employees and what the entire brand represents is critical to him. He lives it.

I have been blessed over the years to meet and spend time with some truly transformational individuals who, upon meeting them, you get the sense that they are paradigm shifting, world churning folks… Tom Brokaw, Dave Matthews, George W Bush (disliked yes, transformational and charismatic, also yes), Colin Powell, Sir Edmund Hillary, Tom Robbins (my favorite author), George Bodenheimer (ESPN CEO) and Phakchock Rinpoche (2^nd in line to the Dalai Lama) amongst others. Each of these individuals ooze charisma and clearly have that not-easily-quantifiable skill of leading and influencing the masses.

I have also met and spent time with countless executives that, although they carry the prestige and power of a big title and paycheck that comes with it, don’t incite enthusiasm and a “willingness to go to battle” from their team members. They wear their fine Italian suit and slicked back hair so as to look the part but seem to wield very little real influence except for that of fear.

After 30 minutes with Howard, I understood why the Starbucks team regards him as somewhat of a messiah. He lives for them. He asks them to join his family and represent his love child. He feels strongly that Starbucks represents diversity and community.  He has a history of telling his shareholders that there are more important issues than the bottom line…as he succinctly told a conservative, anti-gay-marriage stakeholder at a meeting last year. “Take your investment elsewhere if you don’t value diversity and inclusion” is essentially what he encouraged the narrow minded suit and tie douche. A testimony to the company’s ethos driven home.

The 30 minutes I spent with Howard that day wasn’t really about content and discussing how either one of us facilitates or conducts ourselves when leading teams. I walked away from that encounter understanding the value that a revered leader places on human interaction and dialogue. So much of our interface these days takes place in the buffered and sterile digital world. We are losing the face-to-face encounters that define our relationships and build trust. I for one am making an effort to do more face to facing instead of type to typing.

As I was leaving the Starbucks headquarters I recognized one of Howards assistants strolling my way trying to catch my attention. He handed me over Howards most recent booked titled Onward: How Starbucks Fought For It’s Life Without Losing It’s Soul.  Inside the front cover was a sincere personal note from Howard that he clearly compiled based on our conversation. He was listening.

As I have poured over the book…which is the perfect balance with the other book I’m currently reading, Greg Allman’s, My Cross To Bear (these two guys have lead very different lives by the way)… I have already dog-eared and underlined multiple pages and paragraphs that are very synergistic with my style, message and life approach.

A few of the jewels:

“There are moments in our lives when we summon the courage to make choices that go against reason, against common sense and the wise counsel of people we trust. But we lean forward nonetheless because, despite all risks and rational argument, we believe that the path we are choosing is the right and best thing to do. We refuse to be bystanders, even if we do not know exactly where our actions will lead.

This is the kind of passionate conviction that sparks romances, wins battles, and drives people to pursue dreams others wouldn’t dare. Belief in ourselves and in what is right catapults us over hurdles, and our lives unfold.

“Life is a sum of all your choices,” wrote Albert Camus. Large or small, our actions forge our futures and hopefully inspire others along the way.”

“Dream more than others think practical. Expect more than others think possible. Care more than others think wise.”

“People want guidance, not rhetoric. They need to know what the plan of action is, and how it will be implemented. They want to be given responsibility to help solve the problem and authority to act on it.”

“In times of adversity and change, we really discover who we are and what we're made of.”

That meeting inspired to go on to deliver a very impassioned keynote to the Supply Chain team. Once the smoke settled from that event I was given the opportunity to facilitate a breakout session for the SCO leadership team based on…you guessed it, servant leadership. Providing key characteristics of servant leadership to the team in order for them to enhance the way they interact with their various teams.

The day was a home run.

Leading teams is a unique and subjective process that can be achieved through countless styles and approaches. Some are effective. Some are not. Some influence partners and teammates through inspiration and buy-in. Others coerce subordinates through fear and manipulation.

I can tell you that my approach and style have been profoundly impacted by a brief, simple 30-minute meeting I had a few days ago with a guy who listens and deeply cares about the people around him.

That... and a really well brewed cappuccino.

Climb High

Jeff

Lava Flowing From The Cauldron

As I cruised around the Ecuadorian landscape last month I was constantly reminded of how new land is formed repeatedly as the earth oozes its molten hot magma (insert Dr Evil accent here) from the subsurface caldron below.  Fresh fields of black lava rock are visible throughout the vibrant and relatively “young” islands of the Galapagos. Massive “lava tubes” and ridges make for scrambling fun around the interior's curtain of volcanoes.  It is a Geology 101 classroom that illustrates how the earth redefines itself on a regular rate… sometimes violently, sometimes subtly.

It’s been a couple weeks now since we wrapped up the 2^nd iteration of Soldiers to Summits. Our objective was, in part, to summit the photogenic 19,347ft Ecuadorian volcano, Cotopaxi.  However, as with most mountain climbing expeditions, this experience was far less about standing on top of the summit but more about the beauty and struggle that happened prior to even stepping foot on the flanks of the mountain.

Looking at this expedition in the rear-view mirror now, I feel a bit like each of us at some point on the expedition took on the form of that newly spewed lava, occasionally blowing from the top of the cauldron in a dramatic and painful way… other times simmering and oozing slowly in a controlled and even keeled way. The end result is new earth… a new person laid over the former one.

How many times on this carousel we call life are we given the opportunity to redefine who we are? To shed the layer of unwanted skin and embrace the new garden-fresh self that lies beneath?  I would dare to guess that every one of us at some point in our lives would embrace the thought of starting with a new quiver of arrows or perhaps losing a few bad behaviors.

It’s typically a painful process when that old skin is shed... leaving that fresh, nerve-rich layer vulnerable and unprotected. Sometimes the proverbial band-aid will provide protection and comfort for a limited time as the healing takes place but we all know it’s only a patch and just hides what really needs to heal.

Soldiers to Summits was originally established with the idea of providing a venue for healing. We strive to provide a positive and nurturing atmosphere where an individual can peel back that layer of dead skin, expose themselves and allow the new terrain to grow and flourish.  As the program continues to “find itself” in how we can best serve our servicemen and women, it also has to go through this same “lava flow” process hand in hand with all who are associated with the program. We don’t have it totally right just yet, but reflecting back on our recent journey I am proud to say I was able to create some “new skin” in my own life through this expedition. I also watched with great satisfaction and respect as several band-aids were pulled off of some our veterans… some painfully, some with more caress. 

Growth is not pain free. Makin changes is not for sissies. I think the earth and it’s metamorphic process is a powerful example of how to handle it. Understanding that with the build up of pressure, there has to be an outlet. New lava has to flow. Sometimes that volcano will blow it’s top and shit will absolutely go down. Other times the slow moving magma will be just as effective at covering and creating new layers. Whichever pace that it happens, we are left trying to interpret our new skin and how to use it to make the world a better place. The new terrain is ours to walk on. Perhaps at first we just might want to tread lightly.

Climb High

Jeff

Sometimes The Wrong Route Turns Out To Be The Right Route

My new friends at 19,340 ft

It’s been a couple weeks now since I came down from my 12^th ascent of Kilimanjaro…literally and figuratively.

You’d think after a dozen trips up the same hill one might not have much original to report on.  Well… the mountains remind me again that we are merely passengers on the kinetic train that is the alpine landscape and we should never forget to listen to the lessons they provide.

This trip started like any other as my 17 new friends (clients) and I arrived without much ado into Arusha, Tanzania. I always love the excitement amongst the group just prior to jumping into a new and challenging adventure.  Over the course of a few meals, team meetings and gear check the anticipation builds until we are finally on the trail.

The first three days moving up the flanks of this magnificent volcano were smooth and easy…like the other side of the pillow. Everyone finding his or her groove and pace. I’m still amazed at how this mountain invites you to experience her moods and stages of emotion. One moment you are swaddled in dense cloud layer down in the jungle and the next moment the clouds break and you are treated with a panoramic vista of deep valleys and rugged ridgelines. And then the summit shows its face…tempting, almost palpable…but yet, still a lifetime away.

I had built in a rest-day on Day 3 of our journey on the immense and beautiful Shira Plateau at around 12,000 ft. This would be a nice location for the crew to relax and give their bodies an extra day to acclimatize to the ever-burgeoning altitude.  In the world of mountaineering, a “rest-day” is actually a misnomer. Laying flat on your back during a scheduled rest-day is counter productive. The idea is to get up, walk, take photos, get you’re blood flowing.

After a pleasant walk over to a smaller satellite camp our expedition team was treated with one of the most meaningful events I have ever experienced in my years on the flanks of mountains. Two of our team members, Robin and George had decided that they wished to express their commitment of love to each other by exchanging vows on Kilimanjaro while in the midst of their grand climbing adventure.

And guess who they asked to perform the service?

I have done a lot of things in my life…acting as a “stand in preacher”…now that was a new one. I was honored and humbled to be asked to be such a big part of this special event, so of course I said yes. Now I just had to figure out what to say…

I decided to stick with what I know…teamwork, allies, seeking out your bliss and dealing with adversity.

It was a beautiful ceremony complete with champagne (non alcoholic of course…better for acclimatization!), a personalized cake and best of all…lots of singing and dancing with our African staff of sixty.  Everyone on the team participated and added their personalized wish to the new couple (who by the way had been a couple for 13 years…but had waited until the “right” moment to seal their love with a ceremony).

“By the powers vested in me…by the majesty and brilliance of Mt Kilimanjaro…I now pronounce you…”

The next couple days we slowly cruised up the mountain to higher elevations…getting in position for our ultimate summit push from Arrow Glacier Camp at around 16,000 ft.

Prior to embarking on this particular trip I had explained to the newly minted clients that we would be attempting a route on Kili that is undoubtedly a bit harder on summit night than any of the “standard” routes. The Western Breach provides a more direct access to the crater rim at around 18,000 ft. By ascending this more direct route, one is required to do a few “scrambly” moves up several chest high rocks. I had done this route 4 times in the past and consistently got great feedback from clients as they descended the “normal route” that they were so glad we had chosen the steeper, more involved summit route.

The Breach had been closed down in recent years following a tragic rock fall incident that occurred down low on the route, which killed and injured several climbers. All reports were that this particular group was traveling in the most dangerous of areas in the heat of the day, which put them in a marginal situation. Years later it became clear that groups traveling through the fallout zone in the cold of the night would be “relatively” safe from rock fall. I decided it was time to start taking groups back up the Breach.

As we were getting settled into our high camp at around 16,000 ft, it was brought to my attention that there would be a German team ascending the Breach the same night we were.

What?

Should point out that only a couple dozen groups attempt the Breach every year since the rock fall incident. OF COURSE a group of Germs were headed up the same night we were. I so desperately wanted to holler out across the camps something about Normandy and kickin ass…but I thought the better of it.

More in the role of the consummate guide, I headed over to chat with the team leader for the Germs…who happened to be Tanzanian. We discussed the need to keep a solid distance between us as the potential for rock fall was noteworthy and dangerous. He agreed to have his team leave at midnight and we would leave at 1am. What I would realize 24 hours later was this Tanzanian guides’ curious omission that they were actually attempting a much more technical variation of the Breach…one that would be made much safer with items such as crampons, harness, ropes and helmets. Seems logical that it might have occurred to my new Tanzanian friend that we would actually not be close to each other due to our route variations and we could depart camp anytime either one of us wished. Well…that information wasn’t shared, so I retreated back to my camp confident in the distances we would maintain throughout the night and therefore a solid safety buffer.

One of the first things I noticed as my alarm went off around midnight was how ridiculously warm the ambient temperature was. Couldn’t have been lower than 40* F. Crazy warm. Balmy, if you will. On summit night my mood always changes from jovial and perhaps even likable, to downright militant and sharp. Things get a lot more serious on any mountain for summit night. It’s game on. I feel it and want my clients to know that chinstraps need to be buckled and I expect focus.

Prior to our departure I had established “teams within the team of 17”. Groups of 2 and 3 would be cruising together on summit night to ensure a buddy system for both safety and cheerleading effect. I then separated my staff of African guides within the small groups to provide some local support throughout the night. I placed my second-in-charge African guide Dustin out front. I have done at least 10 Kili expeditions with Dustin and trust him immensely with my people. He is solid for sure. I knew that he would set a good pace and provide front-of-the-line confidence for the folks as the night slogged on and folks got tired. I kept my head guide Godlisten towards the back with me as a “floater” should someone need additional assistance during the night.

I watched as the German team cruised by silently at 12:20am… they build some pretty awesome fast cars, but punctuality…not so much.

An hour later, we headed out from camp with Dustin out front… the German’s headlamps flickering well ahead on the upper flanks of the Breach.  Dustin headed us up the same path that the headlamps had taken. Far left of my previous approaches to gain the Breach…but I thought nothing of it.

Two hours into it and all was going well. The air remained warm. The wind calm. My people had started out of camp a bit chatty and excited and now the expected quiet had taken over as everyone realized around the same time that this was going to be a very long night and they should conserve their energy.

Then I began to notice a bit of a traffic jam forming up in our group of 23. It seemed as though the solid pace my group was maintaining had come to a stop to navigate over some harder terrain. As I got closer I saw that folks were justifiably slowing to gingerly traverse across a fairly tilted snowfield.

Well, this was interesting. I’ve never encountered snow on the Breach. Guess it’s a variation in the trail to avoid that historically dangerous rock fall out zone.

As I got in position underneath the middle portion of my group to spot them as they made their traverse, I took a gander down the slope to see where we would end up should one of my pals take a slide right into me. We were looking at least a 70ft slide down into a rubbled up choss pile. The resulting carnage would not have been a pretty sight. Not good. I was concerned.

Well, OK. Get that out of the way and we will be clear and free. I thought to myself how strange it was that the new route would direct folks through such a potentially dangerous section. At our next group dog pile, I assured my peeps that it would be OK and that we were done with all that mess. Hydrate. Nutrition. Back up at it.

An hour later…an identical snow slope with a left to right traverse. Again. Same potential outcome.

We were off route and this was serious.

I huddled up with my African guide team and tried to figure out what was happening.  They agreed with me that we were not on the conventional Western Breach Route.

Now that we are in agreement…

Dustin then admitted to me that he had been following the Germans up to that point. It appears they were taking a different route and now we were up in it. No shit.

I did think about turning around. Then thought the wiser of it. Down climbing is significantly harder and more dangerous than ascending. Not an option. Up it is.

Over the course of the next 4 hours, my new friends charged hard like I’ve very rarely seen in the mountains. Most of these good folks had never experienced any terrain like this in their lives. They did not sign up for this terrain and yet here they were, being asked to traverse and scale sketchy, hard 2,000-year-old ice with life threatening consequences.

Not one of them froze. None of them complained. They got their asses kicked and they kept forging on. I was so ridiculously proud of each of them.

I could finally breath again once we arrived on the crater rim at 18,000 ft. No one had fallen. We had all arrived, albeit just a bit worn out. I had some tired folks on my hands but they were all alive and thrilled to be done with the most challenging section of earth any of them had ever encountered.

Another hour slog up a slope put us all on top of Uhuru Peak together…unified…as a team.  We hugged, laughed and cried on that summit… all of us knowing we had just shared something remarkable. It was my 12^th time to stand there on that 19,340 ft summit but I have to say, it was the most remarkable. The pride and relief I felt were deep and fulfilling. I took in the images with my new friends and we began the 6,000 ft descent to our last camp.

We arrived to camp around 4pm (15 hours after we started), completely gassed, but over the moon excited about our experience.

That night at dinner, I owned what had happened. I explained in great detail how the night had gone down. I described exactly how each of them was put into such a challenging scenario. I told each of them how proud I was as the emotions surfaced up from me in front of the group. I felt a deep sense of appreciation for the character that was called from each of them. People stepped up in a way that neither they nor I could have probably ever imagined.

It is because of scenarios like this that I seek to take groups out into the mountains. We go on a journey together where the alpine world requires each of us to pull from something primal…perhaps go to a place that we have never been. This place is sometimes dark when you are in the middle of it…but more times than not it is replaced with light in the end. A realization that we as individuals can access physical and emotional strength from deep inside… from a place that perhaps we have never pulled from ever in our lives.

If you canvassed each of the folks that were on this trip if they would electively choose to do that same route again, I’m sure you’d receive a resounding “Hell no!”. But I’m guessing if you followed up that question with a “Would you have done it any different?” I’m confident each one of them would proudly say “Hell no!”

I found out later that day that the German team had with them the necessary gear to do the route…crampons, harnesses, etc.

Ultimately, as a leader…this one is on me.  A leader has to own his management team’s decision making. My guys made some bad decisions that night, but ultimately it all falls on me. We are all fortunate it ended the way it did…with all of us finding our bliss.

Folks ask me from time to time…”Don’t you get tired of doing that same mountain over and over again?”

No way. The journey is always different and the experience is always precious.

Sometimes winding up on the “wrong” route is often times just the route you were looking for all along.

Climb High!

Jeff

A CALL TO ADVENTURE Announces First 2012 Hero’s Journey

Press Release

Chiquita Brands International executives to participate in Sedona, Arizona May 10-13, 2012

Denver, Colorado, April 19, 2012:  A Call to Adventure, the partnership between MountainVision Inc, The Institute for Applied Human Excellence, and Summit of Everest Group LLC, is pleased to announce the confirmation of the first of its 2012 “Hero’s Journey” expeditions taking place in Sedona, Arizona on May 10-13, 2012.

Executives from Chiquita Brands International will be participating in the journey that includes personal, interpersonal, and team based adventure challenges including a summit attempt of Mount Humphreys, Arizona’s tallest peak.  The mountains will be the medium as they explore these themes and their effect on each individual and their respective lives.  Upon conclusion, each of the participants will have developed their own, personal “Hero’s Ethos” to help guide how they want to live their lives.

A Call to Adventure is currently accepting applications for our 2012 Colorado expeditions July 31^st – August 3^rd, September 11 – 14^th, and October 9^th – 12^th.  Private expeditions are available as well.  Contact us at www.acalltoadventure.com for more information.

About A Call to Adventure

A Call to Adventure is a partnership between MountainVision Inc., The Institute for Applied Human Excellence, and Summit of Everest Group LLC.  We believe we are all leaders to some extent in our lives, butheroes are something more. More importantly, anyone can be a hero in his or her own life.  Decided and committed to the exceptional, they are on a journey to develop and live an ethos that guides their behavior on an individual, interpersonal and team, organization, and community levels. For those who wish, A Call to Adventure uses the mountains and our professionally designed programs as the medium to lead you through this journey and develop your Hero’s Ethos.