Buck Stops Here June 2009 - Reaching New Heights

With the current economic crisis, it is more important than ever for us business owners to provide direction and leadership to our companies, employees, and customers. As entrepreneurs, our businesses will only grow as much as we grow. We set the pace. It is with this in mind that I set out on what turned out to be the most physically and mentally challenging quest of my life — climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.
On the seven-day journey to the 19,340-foot summit, we traveled more than 60 miles through a multitude of terrains, from jungle to glacier, over dirt, rock, snow and ice, and through an extreme range of weather that included blazing heat, humidity, rain, snow, ice, wind, fog, and hail. As I reflect back on it now, my experience in Tanzania was more than just a quest to reach a summit; it was a metaphor for life and business that reinforced many of the lessons I have learned throughout my career.
Know your goal: My goal for Kilimanjaro was simple, clear, and definite: reach the summit of the mountain. In its clarity and simplicity came power. I understood exactly what constituted success, therefore, I could plan and take action to achieve my objective. In business, a clear goal leads to a clear plan that enables you to take action and engage the people necessary to achieve that goal.
Build a team: The most successful business leaders are those that can rally their employees around a common objective, and motivate them to work as a team in order to achieve it. On Kilimanjaro, I was joined by a group of exceptional people: hikers, guides, and porters. Although we were strangers from different walks of life, we all bonded around our common mission, and with each challenge, we grew closer as a team. Through our solidarity, we found strength in one another and a determination to succeed.
Hire Experts: Great leaders know their limitations and seek out experts who know the terrain and know what is needed to help them reach their goal. I first engaged experts in New York to provide me advice on which equipment to buy, and I worked with Richard, my trainer from Crunch, to prepare myself physically. On Kilimanjaro, we hired Justin Julius, a Maasai warrior, who had climbed the mountain more than 200 times. When seeking out experts, always look for people who have been down the path you are travelling and have worked through the variables before.
Expect the unexpected: Planning and preparation are critical to reach any goal, but equally important is understanding that there are many elements outside of your control and that sometimes you have to adjust your plans to meet the challenges of the day. The radical climate, terrain, and altitude changes on Kilimanjaro affected us almost hour-by-hour. This unpredictability is similar to what we are all feeling in the business climate today. To get through this time of economic turmoil, you need to tap into the knowledge of your experts and the strength of your teams. On Kilimanjaro, we depended on our guides to know what we should wear and pack, where we were going, and what to expect along the way.
It always seems that the closer you are to your goals, the more challenges and obstacles seem to get in your way. The final day, we faced a six-hour climb, starting in darkness, across snow, solid ice, and the steepest cliffs we had encountered. In my backpack was a photograph of my employee team, and the thought of having them with me gave me the inner strength to continue. We spent the next hour crawling on our hands and knees across the ice, using picks and axes to keep from sliding backwards. The sun finally rose, giving us a new perspective, a new hope, and clarity. We could see our goal, and with renewed strength we pressed on and reached the summit about three hours later. I realized that I am very driven by specific goals and that I need to continue to grow as a leader and as a person in order for my company to grow. At Infinity, I am keeping our goals in focus, and working with my team to review and adjust our plan each month. On a personal note, I decided to run an Olympic triathlon in July for the first time, and have begun preparations and training to accomplish this mission.