Why building teams and climbing mountains are so similar

The majority of companies are obsessed with growth — revenue, number of employees, projects, efficiency, you name it, whatever can be calculated will be calculated and understood as KPI. Green and red numbers flashing in front of your eyes every now and then. It’s not to say that counting and growing is bad. Development is something that has gotten us to where we are in terms of possibilities and advancement. Raising the bar itself is not a problem, raising the bar and not paying attention to how people react — that is the issue.

Many visualize growth like a linear function. You calculate, you invest, then implement, and finally get what was planned. Many companies behave like this, as ruthlessly as necessary to get the numbers which were not only predicted or expected but rather required. The thing worth considering is that raising the bar didn’t respect the people for whom the bar is risen. This makes the whole process of development ruthless, inhuman and unethical. It’s only ever rising. A one way street. Adjust yourself or you’re done. No time for additional training, mentoring, nobody will give you a hand. This begs two questions:

• Is this the culture that we want to create?
• Is this culture healthy for these who somehow survive and stay in the organisation for a longer period of time?

Recently, I have been thinking about different ways of leading people, since I have been for the last 3 years a leader myself.

I know, let me reiterate, that growth is not only a good but a necessary thing for any business but we have to approach it with much more intelligence and flexibility. Growth is not linear. It’s a bit up, a bit down. Up, Up, down. There’s nothing wrong with that. Growth is organic because it involves people.

I like comparing business with a climbing expedition which tries to reach the top of a mountain. First you have to stay at some 3000 meters to get used to the different conditions. So you wait. Is it a waste of time? You don’t get higher. By the definition of KPI you are not making any improvement in terms of height. So, is this time really wasted? If you look only through the lens offered by the numbers, then it is. If you understand the process — it’s not. Then you go up. 500 meters, then another 500 meters — and you build a camp.

One day of waiting, getting used to the different climate, the thinner air. Then suddenly the weather gets worse, for one day you have to go lower — the KPI goes down. Is it a tragedy? No, it’s not because the number is just a number, we want everyone to survive and attempt the peak when we are ready and the weather does not put us in danger. If you are lucky, following all the protective measures and respecting the pattern of going up and up, and a bit down, you eventually will reach the peak.

Reaching the top and reaching the goal of KPI is a process which requires observation and adjustment, because as a leader you don’t want to reach the top alone, you want your people to place your flag on the peak. And to make it happen you have to observe them on the way up: if hallucinations happen, if health issues occur, if suddenly there is no way to go safely up, you drop the bar lower. Decrease the speed, stop. The team must see that every human being is respected. That reaching the KPI is not like a win or die mission. That KPI is something that we can relate to, but it does not determine whether we are fired or promoted. People must feel that when they have a bad day or week in this relentless journey, they will be given a hand, not be diminished or sacrificed on the altar of the KPI.

I have come to believe that there will be many expeditions and many peaks that we will try to reach. But if we fail together, we will be more likely to win together. And this togetherness and openness is something that creates a strong culture.