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Today Wayne Turmel talks with author Don Schmincke about what leaders can learn from people who climb the world’s most dangerous peaks.  We’re talking High Altitude Leadership. We also talk about a French physicist and a chance for listeners in Chicago to meet up in December.

Don Schmincke, author of High Altitude Leadership

And don’t forget our new book:

Show Notes:

0:00 Welcome to the 166th episode of the show. Today we’re talking about scaling the heights of more than the org chart. Don Schmincke is co-author of an exciting book, High Altitude Leadership- What the World’s Most Forbidding Peaks Teach Us About Success and the brains behind the SAGA Leadership Institute. We also talk about the mountaineer and physics genius Jean Buridan and the genius behind the Theory of Impetus and Buridan’s Ass… remember if you don’t write it down, it’s your …….

2:24 Our quote of the week is from Victor Hugo- anything truly mountainous has a “sacred horror” to it.

2 Quick Announcements:

1) The first Cranky Middle Manager Course is in pilot stages and will be held December 15 and 16. Read more about it here or drop me a line.

2) Since a bunch of us will be together on December 15th, we’re thinking of holding a meetup at Shoeless Joe’s Sports Bar near Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. Want to attend? Drop me a line for more details... local listeners and guests will get together to meet and just hoist a frosty beverage together. It’ll be fun!

5:09 Today we’re talking mountains. How did a consultant meet a mountain climber and what did they learn from each other? By the way, co-author Chris Warner is a very cool guy in his own right. I’m not usually a big fan of drawing equations between sports and the real world we all face, but this is frickin’ amazing!.

9:49 He didn’t discover new principles, but he did discover leadership DANGERS that can create havoc at best, and violent plummeting death at worst. This is no time to flip through a book. The death-to- summit ratio on K2 is 1 to 7… don’t whine about your job ever again.

12:32 The first danger is Fear. Watching your guide drop 20,000 feet will put your reptilian brain in charge.

15:00 Don’t get caught up in “tool seduction”… technology is no replacement for common sense.

19:39 Since we run on instinct why do trainers and consultants even bother? 90% of training doesn’t work worth a darn.

26:00 Don describes the Gravity Effect …. stuff will happen no matter what you do. Some things are out of your control. Get comfortable with that.

Don’s Resources

The Halo Effect and 8 Other Business Delusions That Deceive Managers

Read outside your discipline… anthropology, history, biology tell us as much as Tom Peters can.

Don’t let the weasels get you down!!!

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