Learning to Lead with a 'Himalayan Mindset'

Summiting a peak can teach one lessons about oneself, as well as teamwork, true leadership, engagement and empathy

- Prateek Raj

Good organisations attract skilled people who accentuate, build and nurture their capabilities. Skilled people do not wait to be told what to do or for a position where they can finally showcase leadership. Leadership is not a position at the top, to be attained one day. It is an everyday mindset. Organisations can create a culture where people are of two types: the evasive or engagement type. In evasive organisations, only some, if any, have a leadership mindset. Instead, a culture exists of being 'yes men' or victims. DuPont showcased this culture of evasion when no one took responsibility for their products and got away with Teflon poisoning. In such organisations, even those who fill leadership positions tend to be more like a 'boss' than a leader.

In engagement-type organisations, people have a mindset of leadership, which is diffused in the organisation's culture and incentives, where each employee is called upon to be an agent of change. Here, all employees are expected to be leaders. Toyota and Apple showcase this culture well, where their workers and engineers are agents of change, and the organisation's success depends entirely on their grounded actions.

We often have certain limiting beliefs about ourselves. 'I am not fit for this job'; 'I cannot lead'. However, such beliefs are often based on anecdotal experiences or inferences from our life histories. Someone who has never had a chance to lead may think they are not good, even if they can quickly adapt when a challenge arises. At times, such self-limiting beliefs could be a result of internalised stereotypes, which especially hurts marginalised groups: 'I am gay, so I will never be accepted as a leader', or 'I am a woman, so I cannot be assertive'. We often live below our full physical and mental potential. We give up at the first instance of discomfort. But when pushed to the limit, our body and mind change gear to a higher level.