In one ear, out…
As an ultra runner based in Phoenix, I have enjoyed the trails of the southwestern United States for over a decade. From the snowy and steep Wasatch Range in Utah down to the arid saguaro-filled valleys in Tucson, and from the aspen forests of Santa Fe to the Santa Monica Mountains of California overlooking the Pacific. The beauty I enjoy from the trails is enough to take my breath away multiple lifetimes over but I have long wanted to appreciate it from a different angle, so I began formal training as a rock climber earlier this Fall.
I trained with seasoned climbers and experienced instructors from the Arizona Mountaineering Club during the club’s Basic Outdoor Rock Climbing course. My graduation climb was on a formation referred to as “The Hand,” in the Superstition Wilderness outside of Phoenix. It is a multi-pitch, near-vertical, fully exposed climb of about 150 feet.
My friends half-jokingly (I think) attribute my pursuit of these outdoor activities to extreme boredom, a permanent midlife crisis, or a death wish. Some of the more serious reasons offered include my quest for spirituality or my love of nature. To be clear, I am neither bored nor going through a midlife crisis nor pursuing a death wish, and while all of my adventures are indeed spiritual journeys through beautiful landscapes, these are secondary reasons if I am being honest.
The primary reasons I pursue these activities are to constantly develop and evolve my ability to work as part of a high-performing team, to understand and truly appreciate cause and effect, and to constantly place myself in situations that will humble me and make me a more empathetic and supportive leader. No book on teamwork will help me fully understand what it means to trust someone with my life. No business school case study compares to the immediate and painful outcome resulting from a missed step in execution on a rock wall. No TED talk, however positive and inspirational, will substitute for my own cathartic moments.
You don’t have to become an ultra runner or a rock climber to understand and develop these critical skills but you do have to learn them in a way that exposes you to real life consequences, and through real life experiences. Otherwise, your learning will mostly be “in one ear and out the other.”