Leadership at 20,000 Feet

Some of the most formative leadership lessons I’ve learned didn’t happen in a conference room. They happened above 20,000 feet in the Himalayas.

Over the course of a year, I traveled twice to Nepal for high-altitude mountaineering expeditions. In the spring, I attempted Island Peak, reaching 18,500 feet before turning back. That fall, I returned and successfully summited Lobuche East at 20,075 feet.

The terrain was unforgiving. The environment was unpredictable. And leadership was not theoretical—it was lived, moment by moment.

At altitude, there’s a simple truth: reaching the summit is optional. Getting everyone down safely is mandatory.

That truth applies just as clearly to leadership in organizations and teams.

Trust Is Not Optional

Before our team’s ascent of Lobuche East, we learned that a climber had died from altitude sickness attempting Island Peak, and another had been severely injured in a fall. These risks are inherent to high-altitude climbing. They are not fully controllable.

What is controllable is how leaders show up, how decisions are made, and who people are willing to follow when conditions deteriorate.

I returned to Nepal knowing I could trust my guide with my life. That trust wasn’t built on charisma or confidence—it was built on consistent leadership, clear judgment, and earned credibility.

Without trust, teams break down. Communication suffers. Performance declines. Organizations fail.

Across both climbs, three leadership principles became unmistakably clear.

1. Skill Builds Trust

High-altitude climbing demands technical skill—rope systems, ice axes, crampons, weather assessment—but what mattered most was pace.

From the moment our plane landed in Lukla at 9,383 feet, every step was intentional. Fourteen days later, we stood on the summit of Lobuche East at 20,075 feet. Our guide could have moved faster. He chose not to.

He understood that speed without wisdom is dangerous. He planned ahead, managed risk, and set a pace that allowed our bodies to acclimate to thinning oxygen.

In leadership, skill isn’t about how fast you can move. It’s about knowing how and when to move.

Competence builds confidence. Consistent competence builds trust.

2. Authenticity Creates Followership

Our guide was steady, honest, and transparent. He didn’t overpromise. He named risks clearly. He adjusted plans when conditions changed.

Because of that, we followed him without hesitation.

In teams, people don’t follow titles. They follow leaders who are real, grounded, and aligned with reality—especially when things get hard.

Authentic leadership creates psychological safety. Safety creates trust. Trust creates movement.

3. Care Sustains the Team

At altitude, care shows up in small but critical ways: monitoring fatigue, checking breathing, noticing who is struggling, and slowing the group when necessary.

Strong leaders notice tasks. Great leaders notice people.

When individuals know they are seen, protected, and valued—not just for output, but as humans—they commit fully. They stay engaged. They endure challenges together.

That’s true on a mountain—and it’s true in organizations.

Leadership That Transfers

Leadership at 20,000 feet isn’t fundamentally different from leadership in business, nonprofits, or teams. The context changes. The principles don’t.

Trust is built through skill, authenticity, and care.

Pace matters. People matter more than outcomes.

This is the kind of leadership we develop through Strategic Adventures—leadership shaped by experience, tested under pressure, and transferable to real-world teams and organizations.

Because experience changes people—and people change organizations.