Who’s in Your Corner?

This last weekend I finished 29029 Aspen; if you’re not familiar with 29029, this event is about climbing 29,029 vertical feet in under 36 hours. It’s an endurance challenge, for sure. The format is simple: hike up, ride the gondola down, repeat until you’ve climbed the vertical distance of Mount Everest. That’s the headline, but it isn’t the story.

The story is support. My wife, Christine was there the whole 36 hours; present, prepared and encouraging. She handled the small things that could become big things at 2 a.m.: bottles refilled, dry clothes, quiet check-ins and hugs that landed at exactly the right moment. She turned the challenge into a simple formula: climb, reset, climb again.

Just as powerful was the virtual team that Christine kept up-to-date during the event even though they couldn’t attend in person: my kids Jake, Mack, Sadie, along with my dad, my mom, my two sisters, and our friend Bryan. Their short texts with words of encouragement were an amazing energizer. It quickly stopped feeling like my climb and started feeling like our climb.

That’s the lesson I’m taking with me from this weekend. We talk a lot at Milestone about clarity, resilience, and impact. And if the impact is big enough, it’s not built alone. Big efforts ask more from us than grit; they require a team that makes progress possible and sustainable.

These are the roles that Christine and the rest of the team played that I also think are important in the office:

• Reality Check
  These people provide an update on progress and risk. They provide facts, and ask, “Is this still the best use of effort?” or “Is it time for a short nap and a change into warm clothes?”

• Morale
  These people provide timely encouragement, short check-ins, a well-timed text, and often a reminder of the “why” behind the team’s mission.

• Ops
  These are the behind-the-scenes run crew: they help with logistics, timing, gear, data, and communication that remove friction so that the team can focus on the work.

We can all train hard and plan well and of course, we should. But the difference between not finishing and finishing strong and proud is the team that supports the effort.

As leaders taking on big challenges, who’s in our corner?