SO, here’s the thing: You’ve decided to climb Everest. You train yourself to become agile and fit, buy all the necessary paraphernalia, take a train, bus or flight and reach the base camp of Mount Everest. And there you are overjoyed.
You can see the top of Everest from here, but apart from the dream of reaching the top, you love the camaraderie, the friendship and connection that everybody has for each other. Though the base camp is a place to prepare you get lost in the warmth of fellowship and different cultural traditions, finding it a wonderful place to bond. You also find it a place to appreciate the beauty around you and the small things in life.
Here’s how one Everest climber described the base camp, “Our dining and lounge tent is a large dome where team members spend most of their time. The dome is insulated with PrimaLoft and is large enough to comfortably stand in. It is furnished with dining tables and chairs, lounge chairs, a desk with electric power for charging, a Bose sound system, and a heater. This is where we share meals, play cards, watch movies on a portable projector, and write blogs that hopefully someone reads.”
What fun! And slowly you stop glancing up at Mount Everest outside and enjoy the time you’re having inside. In my many interactions with organisations, I find this happening so very often. Initially we all meet with Everest as our goal. We make plans to reach the top, relentlessly discussing methods, sharing ideas, and spending hours working on the goal.
And then the base camp atmosphere takes over and we don’t want to move from there. I remember many, many times, speaking with members at meetings pointing to the Everest we planned to climb. Initially team members shake their heads in agreement, then slowly irritation sets in, and finally the question, “Aren’t you enjoying being here in base camp with us? If you don’t, why don’t you leave?”
Camaraderie and fellowship, which are so needed when we embark collectively on a goal, can also kill initiative. But you can’t stay forever at the base camp. Slowly, others who have climbed Everest and return, laugh at us, “Did you see the view from up there?” One day, we look at each other and say, “Let’s climb!” Then find, our muscles have weakened, flesh has become flabby and though determination comes back, the ability to sustain has left us.
How often when pushing a once famous organisation to climb, I hear voices saying, “Times have changed Bob, today people are happy being together!” A famous choir becomes a ragtime band, a once dynamic company becomes large spaces in ruins, a powerful church becomes a museum, as the base camp effect sullies our vision. There’s only one way to leave that seductive base camp, and that is by steadfastly looking at your Everest every day, and climbing, step by step, towards the glorious peak..!
