My first exposure to the mountains was at around five years old, my father had moved the family to California to develop his career in aerospace. On vacations, sat in the back of my parent’s lime-green Chevrolet station wagon, I would look up at the Yosemite mountains and imagine wandering free in that high wilderness.
Back in the UK I found myself on a school trip to the Isle of Arran aged 13. Camping in old canvas tents, cooking on petrol stoves and trudging for hours through relentless rain. I ended up with a vicious fever. But the lure of the mountains grew even stronger.
Being not very sporty I was somewhat surprised to be selected for the school Ten Tors team, a grueling two-day challenge in Dartmoor organised by the military. It was in my favour that I could read a map. In fact I was selected twice, for the 35-mile event and then the 45-mile two years later. My love of the wilderness was cemented. I still have the medals.
From then on there would be the inevitable hiatus or two – forging a career, building a business, having kids and the like. But I would keep returning to the mountains.
So when the time came to exit ResponseSource in late 2018, one of the first things I did was to commit to something I had thought about doing for many years. That was to become a Mountain Leader.
Becoming a Mountain Leader was a kind of personal acknowledgement, a nod to myself that I knew how to handle myself in the mountains. A certificate for something I am passionate about.
It took a while longer than planned – a pandemic got in the way, and living in the South East – about as far away from UK mountains as you can get – did not help.
But a few weeks ago I went up to the Scottish Highlands and finally completed my assessment.
The process revealed to me how spending time in the mountains, and in particular leading others in the mountains, has many parallels with business – in addition to the psychological reset to be gained from being in the wilderness that can recharge a leader’s batteries and clear the mind.
And it’s a two-way thing. Planning trips and leading groups in the mountains drew on my experience building teams and focusing on growth. And leading others in the wilderness has shone a light on more powerful ways to make decisions and motivate others towards a common goal – in any context.
There is a particular relevance with with my current project, CSO Futures – a media outlet and community for sustainability leaders in large organisations. Nature is a big part of the role of sustainability leaders and being in the wild presents a visceral reminder of human impact on nature and the need for conservation.
That awareness of nature and the inevitable intersection with climate and sustainability is something that all leaders should immerse themselves in.
Ignoring the well-worn metaphor of ‘reaching the top’, the experience of being in the mountains is a profound counterpoint to being a business leader in any sector. And it’s fun too.