In May of 1953 Sir Edmund Hillary crested the summit of Mount Everest with the guidance and support of a lesser-known climber, Tenzing Norgay. Norgay was no ordinary mountaineer. Just one-year prior he helped a Swiss team pioneer a route up the rugged Southeast Ridge of the mountain, reaching some 28,000 feet before being turned away.
Norgay was also a local Napalese, hailing from a Himalayan nomadic group known as Sherpa—a name that today is synonymous with any guide, porter, or assistant taking part in a mountaineering expedition.
Remarkably, Hillary was not the leader of the famed expedition. That role fell to Sir John Hunt, a no-nonsense military-style leader well suited for the massive undertaking. Hunt’s intricately devised plan put the expedition team in a position to make the final assault on the summit with little more than a week before the expected arrival of the monsoon season—and the perilous snow storms and constant threats of avalanches that come with it.
After an initial team of two expert climbers came agonizingly close but failed to attain the summit, Hunt teamed Hillary with Norgay, having carefully assessed the pair’s individual skill sets and comradeship over the party’s treacherous trek to reach the South Col—the point where Norgay and the Swiss team made their final push for the top.
I’ve always hated the danger part of climbing, and it’s great to come down again because it’s safe … But there is something about building up a comradeship — that I still believe is the greatest of all feats — and sharing in the dangers with your company of peers. It’s the intense effort, the giving of everything you’ve got. It’s really a very pleasant sensation.”
— Sir Edmund Hillary
Expedition team member George Band told National Geographic magazine, “It had always been Hunt’s intention, if feasible, to include a Sherpa in one of the summit teams, as a way of recognizing their invaluable contribution to the success of these expeditions. Tenzing had already proved he had summit potential by his performance the previous year.”
Hunt’s analysis was spot-on. The day following the team’s first failed attempt, Hillary and Norgay set out to complete the task. And sometime around 11:30 a.m. on the morning of May 29, 1953 the tandem accomplished what no person had before—they literally stood at the top of the world.
Without the wisdom, knowledge, and specially developed skills of Norgay, the climb would not have been possible. There are a number of reasons why this is true, but let’s look at three that you can use in planning your business strategy for achieving whatever mountainous objectives you face:
- The Sherpa prepares the way. Equipped with natural ability and a very specific skill set, the Sherpa goes before the expedition, exploring and developing the best possible route for accomplishing the goal.
- The Sherpa lessens the load. Physically speaking, the Sherpa relieves the climber of menial tasks and details. This enables the mountaineer to remain clear-minded and focused on the ultimate objective.
- The Sherpa keeps things real, instills confidence, provides acclimation to a foreign culture. Mountain climbing is a hazardous undertaking in and of itself, let alone in an environment that is unfamiliar, harsh, and rife with unique, unforeseen challenges.
In the 1950s on two separate occasions endeavors were made to scale Everest without the guidance of the Sherpa. Both were complete disasters. Because of immense talents and confidence in taking on and overcoming daunting risks and challenges, business leaders frequently make the mistake of over-estimating their abilities and attempt to “go it alone”. Doing so all too often ends in disaster.
Find yourself an experienced Sherpa to assist in planning and accomplishing your ascent to the mountaintop. Doing so ensures your journey will be more efficient, less rigorous, and exceedingly more enjoyable.
About MindMeld: Our vision is that your business will grow, prosper, and make a positive and lasting impact on the world. We accomplish this by helping you discover and communicate the inherent value of your products and services and capitalize on that value in lasting, meaningful ways. To learn more please contact me at doug.knuth@mindmeldmarketing.com.