TEAMS, AND BEING ON ONE
EXPEDITIONS REQUIRE TEAMS. THE ACTUAL CLIMB ITSELF MAY WELL BE SOLO, BUT ALL THE CONNECTING LOGISTICS LEADING TO THIS ARE MULTIPLE PEOPLE AND A NETWORK OF EFFORT, WHICH CONSTITUTES A TEAM WHETHER YOU KNOW THEM OR NOT.
SOME EXPEDITIONS ARE HUGE TEAMS, WITH A COMPANY OF CREW IN A PYRAMID THAT GETS YOU UP A MOUNTAIN. EVEN QUITE SMALL TRIPS STILL HAVE A BACKEND OF A TEAM THAT PUTS ALL THE PIECES TOGETHER, THOUGH YOU MAY ONLY EVER GET TO KNOW THE ONES YOU INTERACT WITH ON THE MOUNTAIN.
FEEDING THE RAT EXPEDITIONS DOESN’T WORK THIS WAY.
OUR OPERATION MEANS IT’S THE SAME PEOPLE TAKING THE EMAILS AS CLIMBING ON THE MOUNTAIN, AND BY THE TIME YOU ROLL THROUGH ARRIVALS THERE WILL ALREADY BE A RELATIONSHIP. AS A TEAM – A REAL TEAM – YOU HAVE BEEN PART OF THE PLANNING, WITH NO NAMELESS MINIONS IN THE SHADOWS OR HIDDEN SURPRISES. THIS MEANS WE ARE ALL REAL PEOPLE, WHO WORK TOGETHER FROM THE FIRST EMAIL. READING THESE WORDS MAY EVENTUATE WITH US BEING TOGETHER ON THE MOUNTAIN, SO FOR SOME THE TEAM BEGINS NOW.
AS THIS IS NOT GOLF, THE TEAM REALLY MATTERS, AND EVEN OUR SOLO CLIMBERS ARE INTIMATELY INVOLVED AND ENGAGE THE WHOLE WAY. GOOD TEAMS CAN DO THINGS THAT POOR TEAMS CANNOT, THE OLD ADAGE THAT THE WHOLE IS GREATER THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS BEING TRUE, WHEREAS POOR TEAMS IMPLODE TOWARDS MEDIOCRITY, DISCONTENT OR EVEN DISBANDMENT.
WE TAKE OUR PART OF THE TEAM VERY SERIOUSLY, AND SET A STANDARD OF ENGAGEMENT, OPENNESS, FREE THINKING AND CURIOSITY. WE SEE OUR ROLE IN THIS CONTEXT AS LIKE SYMPHONIC CONDUCTORS, TO ORCHESTRATE A TEAM WHERE EACH EXPRESSES THEIR BEST.
THIS MEANS WE WORK WITH WHAT IS PRESENTED TO US, AND AS WE ARE ALL ADULTS EACH MEMBER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THEMSELVES. THIS MEANS KEEPING THEIR END UP, APPLYING THEMSELVES TO THE TEAM AND NOT JUST THEIR OWN AIMS, AND CO-ORCHESTRATING THEIR OWN PART TO MAKE THE WHOLE WHAT IT CAN BE.
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OVER TIME WE HAVE SEEN TEAMS WORK AND FAIL, AND IN THE TINY, ISOLATED TEAMS THAT WE ARE, THE GOOD AND THE PART ARE OVERWHELMINGLY APPARENT. ‘THE TEAM’ IS ANOTHER WORD FOR ‘THE WORLD’ WHEN THINGS GET REMOTE AND ABSORBING ENOUGH, AND CANNOT FIX OR REGULATE THEMSELVES DIVORCED FROM THE MEMBERS.
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EAT PROPERLY
THIS IS 50% OF A TEAMS DYNAMIC, AS FOCAL EVENT BUT ALSO SIMPLY AS WHAT KEEPS THE BRAIN COURSING WITH ENERGY. THE TEAM THAT EATS TOGETHER WORKS TOGETHER, AND EVERYONE KNOWING EVERYONE ELSE IS FED GOES A LONG WAY TO FLOATING A TEAM THAT WILL EVENTUALLY BE HUNGRY TOGETHER TOO.
‘PROPERLY’ MEANS DIVERSE, NUTRIENT RICH, INTERESTING AND BALANCED, IN A SETTING THAT RESPECTS THE TRIPS CULTURE AND ALLOWS FOR INTERACTION. ON OUR TRIPS THIS IS EASY BECAUSE WE HAVE SUCH A WIDE DIVERSITY OF FOOD, AND CHINA BEING CHINA THERE ARE ENDLESS VARIATIONS AND RESTAURANTS PRIDE THEMSELVES ON DOING ANYTHING.
EATING PROPERLY FIRSTLY FULFILS THE METABOLIC NEEDS, BUT SECONDARILY SATIATES THE MIND THAT BASELINE BODILY NEEDS ARE MET. HUNGRY PEOPLE MAKE DECISIONS UNDER DURESS, WHICH IS NOT THE WAY TO GO CLIMBING, AND THOUGH IT MAY HAPPEN HIGH ON THE ROUTE, IT SHOULDN’T BE HAPPENING DOWN IN TOWN.
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READ
EXPEDITIONS CAN BE FULLY IMMERSIVE, ABSORBING 100% OF ATTENTION, 24hrs A DAY, EVERY MOMENT CAN BE ENGAGED IN THE IMMEDIACY OF LIFE, OR THE PLANNING AND REPLANNING OF THE SHORT TERM FUTURE.
READING IS A WAY TO BRING IN OUTSIDE IDEAS.
SOMETIMES ESCAPISM, SOMETIMES RUMINATION, READING IS A WORLD WITHIN A WORLD THAT GIVES EXPEDITION REALITIES SOME DISTANCE. SOMETIMES YOU NEED A REALITY THAT IS CONCURRENT BUT NOT COMMITTED TO THIS ONE, AND READING LETS YOU HAVE THAT AND PICK THE CONTENT YOU WANT. NOTHING FUELS CONVERSATION BETTER THAN DISCUSSIONS OVER WHAT EVERYONE IS READING, BEING ONE OF THE ENDLESSLY GENERATING SOURCES IN A WORLD THAT IS CONFINED BY WHAT YOU CAN CARRY.
OUR BEST TEAMS ARE ALWAYS THOSE WITH LOTS OF READERS, REFRESHING THE MINDSET FROM THE STUFF THEY ARE ABSORBING. BOOKS DON’T HAVE TO BE ABOUT CLIMBING OF COURSE, THOUGH SOME FILL GAPS OTHERWISE UNFILLABLE, WHAT MATTERS IS STIMULATING THE MIND IN ANY WAY USEFUL.
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TAKE TIME OUT
YES, EXPEDITIONS THEMSELVES CAN BE TIME OUT, BUT IT’S EASY FOR THEM TO GO ON LONG ENOUGH TO NEED THEIR OWN DIVERSIONS FROM. TIME OUT DOESN’T MEAN DISENGAGEMENT, IT MEANS SIMPLY TO SHIFT GEARS OR GROOVES, JUST AS YOU CAN SWAP OUT CLASSICAL FOR PUNK METAL AND STILL BE LISTENING TO MUSIC.
EXPEDITIONS HIT ALL SORTS OF CHARACTER TRAITS, AND IT’S IMPORTANT TO SHIFT BETWEEN MINDSETS AT RISK OF BURNING OUT ONE OR TWO. IT’S ALSO JUST DAFT TO BE SO WRAPPED UP IN A SINGLE MINDSET, THAT YOU MISS WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON OR EVEN SKIP REST.
YOU NEED DOWNTIME ON EXPEDITIONS TO LET THINKING AND IDEAS SETTLE, BECAUSE SOME STUFF CANNOT BE PUSHED BEYOND TIME CATCHING UP. LIKE ACCLIMATION, THAT HAPPENS WHEN IT HAPPENS NO MATTER HOW FAST YOU GO UP, IT’S THE BITS BETWEEN THE VENTS WHERE YOU ADAPT, WHETHER IT’S YOU METABOLISM OR YOU MIND.
TEAMS ALSO NEED EVER-SHIFTING DYNAMICS, AND WITHOUT BEING REFRESHED AND THE DYNAMIC EVOLVING AS DIFFERENT MEMBERS TAKE OVER, SOON LIMIT THEMSELVES AS TEAMS WHEN THINGS BECOME STATIC AND ACCEPTED. TIME OUT IS WHAT ALLOWS NEW CONFIGURATIONS TO DEVELOP, STRENGTHEING THE TEAM LONG TERM.
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ENGAGE
EVERYONE ON OUR TEAMS IS NEW HERE, WAY BEYOND THEIR NORMAL SELVES, MISSING HOME AND A WORLD ELSEWHERE THAT KEEPS ON TURNING, AND TRYING TO BE THEIR BEST IN A WORLD THAT MOST WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND. THE ONLY SOLUTION IS TO ENGAGE.
ABOUT THE ONLY TRUE EQUIVALENT TO THE BOND BETWEEN SOLDIERS IS THE ONE BETWEEN CLIMBERS, WHERE NOTHING ELSE MATTERS AS LONG AS THE TRIP IS HAPPENING. BY ENGAGING WELL, MEANING WITHOUT JUDGEMENT AND DEMANDS, TEAM DYNAMISM BUILDS AS TRUST AND SHARED MINDSETS GROW.
TO NOT ENGAGE, OR TO ENGAGE WITH A MINIMUM EFFORT MINDSET, IS TO LET FRUIT DIE ON THE VINE, LITERALLY. WHEN ALL THE PIECES ARE THERE – THE SPACE, TIME, OBJECTIVE AND PROCESS – TO LET THINGS COLLAPSE DUE TO PERSONAL DIVISIONS IS POINTLESS AND EVEN DANGEROUS.
TO ENGAGE MEANS TO INITIATE EXPERIENCE. ASK QUESTIONS, PRESENT IDEAS, PRESENT OBSERVATIONS, SUGGEST STUFF, PUT STUFF OUT THERE. TO ENGAGE MEANS TO NOT WATCH BUT TO BE PART OF WHAT’S HAPPENING AND PART OF THE OUTCOMES.
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COMMUNICATE
WE ARE NOT MIND-READERS, INSTEAD OUR SUPERPOWER IS WE ARE FANTASTICALLY GOOD AT LISTENING, WHICH MEANS THINGS THAT AFFECT THE TEAM NEED TO BE COMMUNICATED SO EVERYONE IS ON THE SAME PAGE.
OF COURSE THERE WILL BE ISSUES AND INCIDENTS, NO TRIP IS WITHOUT THAT, BUT COMMUNICATING MATTERS IS THE HOW TEAMS AVOID ACCUMULATING PROBLEMS. THE ALTERNATIVE IS WE ASK, WHICH IS A POOR SUBSTITUTE FOR SOMEONE VOLUNTARILY SPEAKING UP AS IT IMPOSES A CERTAIN DYNAMIC, SO WE TRY TO AVOID THIS WITH A SHARED STATE OF ALL IDEAS BEING ON THE TABLE.
GOOD COMMUNICATION IS WHERE OPINIONS AND IDEAS UNFOLD AND FOSTER FURTHER INQUIRY AND DISCUSSION, WITH THE GOAL OF PROGRESS RATHER THAN SIMPLY A CONVENIENT END. EXPEDITION ALPINISM, CERTAINLY INTO BARELY KNOWN AREAS FOR NEW ASCENTS, IS AS MUCH A PROCESS OF THINKING AS OF DOING, AND THE BETTER THE COMMUNICATING OF THAT THINKING THE MORE POTENTIAL TO WORK WITH.
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MINGLE
IF YOU ARE ON ONE OF OUR TRIPS THEN YOU HAVE ALREADY BEEN THROUGH COUNTLESS FILTERS, JUST AS EVERYONE ELSE WILL HAVE TOO, MEANING TEAMSTERS HAVE A LOT MORE IN COMMON THAN THE GEOGRAPHY THEY SHARE. THESE ARE PEOPLE TO GET TO KNOW.
THE FINEST INTERACTIONS ARE THOSE ALLOWED TO HAPPEN, SO INTENSE FOCUS ON THE DAYS CONCERNS CAN BLOCK OUT THE BEST OF THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU. GOOD TEAMS ARE ONES WHERE MEMBERS ALLOW THEMSELVES TO RELAX AND SHOOT THE BANTER, IN MIXES OF PEOPLE THAT ENJOY EACH OTHERS DIFFERENCES. BAD TEAMS ARE ONES WHERE MEMBERS LIVE IN PRIVATE WORLDS, EMERGING TO MIX ONLY OUT OF THE MECHANICS OF PROCESS.
MINGLING IS SIMPLY INTERACTING FOR THE SAKE OF IT, DEVOID OF DEMANDS, INTENTIONS OR FOCUS. THE TIME WILL COME ABSOLUTELY WHEN THAT’S NEEDED, BUT A HEALTHY BASE OF BANTER, RUNNING HUMOR AND SHARED FUN MAKES THE HARD STUFF MORE DOABLE.
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PROJECT FORWARD
OUR TRIPS ARE PROCESSES OF CREATIVITY AND FORSIGHT, BECAUSE WE HAVE VERY LITTLE FORMAT WE HAVE TO WORK TO. CLIMBERS WHO KEEP OBSERVING WHAT’S HAPPENING AND PROJECT IT FORWARD INTO IDEAS ARE PART OF DIRECTING THE COURSE OF THINGS, GENERATING WHAT HAPPENS.
MORE PEOPLE CONTRIBUTING IS THE CORE OF THE BEST TEAMS, AS EACH MEMBERS SPECIALTIES INFORMS THE WHOLE. THIS IS NOT ONLY HOW STRATEGY AND LOGISTICS DEVELOPS BUT ALSO HOW CHARACTER DOES, AS CLIMBERS MOVE INTO THE ROLES NEEDED FOR EVOLVING TEAMS WITH NEW OR OBSCURE OBJECTIVES.
GOOD EXPEDITION CLIMBERS BECOME WHAT BOTH THE OBJECTIVE AND TEAM NEEDS, AND ALLOW OTHERS TO DO THE SAME. THERE’S A LOT TO LEARN AND KNOW ON REAL EXPEDITIONS, WHERE NO FORMAT EXISTS, AND BECOMING THAT INTENTIONALLY RATHER THAN AT THE WHIM OF CIRCUMSTANCE IS THE SIGNATURE OF GOOD TEAMWORK.
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