High Altitude Leadership: What the World's Most Forbidding Peaks Teach Us About Success (J-B US non-Franchise Leadership) (Hardcover)

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Key Phrases: altitude leadership, high altitude leaders, lone heroism, Mount Everest, Shisha Pangma, Chris Warner (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Warner is a mountaineer and entrepreneur (founder of mountaineering outfitter Earth Treks); Schmincke is an author (The Code of the Executive) and leadership consultant, though he's an MIT-trained scientist and engineer at heart. Having met on a charity climb in the Andes, they discovered similar opinions on human nature and management techniques, from which they developed the concept of "high altitude leadership." Warner and Schminke identify eight psychological mindsets that paralyze organizations and individuals, undermining productivity: Fear, Selfishness, Tool Seduction, Arrogance, Lone Heroism, Cowardice, Comfort and Gravity. Each is discussed in its own chapter, beginning with an often tragic example from Warner's mountaineering life that shows pointedly how similar behavior can lead to workplace catastrophe. Schmincke prides himself on being a "mad scientist" rather than a management guru, focused on practical observation and common-sense application; he employs a deliciously sarcastic tone when discussing typical, ineffective managerial "magic cures" like Mission Statements and Codes of Values. The final chapter is devoted to caring, highlighting the importance of courage, moral code, efficacy, social responsibility, honor, patriotism, virtue, valor and sense of group identity. As much a life guide as a business primer, this book sports a helpful, engaging and positive plan for working together effectively and honestly.
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Review

"Fear, selfishness and arrogance - these are just some of the dangers that can threaten a climber's life, and in the high-threat world of global commerce and global security, they can destroy a country's or organization's future. Peak performance is about digging deeper to overcome the barriers of our own making. As Chris and Don assert, we have to dig deeper in order to climb higher."--Ralph Heath, Executive Vice President, Aeronautics, Lockheed Martin Corporation

"At last, something new has been written about leadership. The authors skillfully bridge the crosswalk between what is required of leaders in life and death situations scaling the world's highest peaks and the more mundane, but sometimes no less scary, halls of corporate America"--Cathy A. Trower, Ph.D. Research Director, Co-Principal Investigator Collaborative On Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) Harvard University, Graduate School of Education.

"Chris Warner is living proof that courage and intellect provide a powerful leadership combination. He and Don Schmincke serve as outstanding guides for exploring what it takes to lead an organization into difficult and uncharted terrain. If you're an executive who searches for the occasional inspirational gut-check, this book is a must for your shelf."--David Callahan, executive editor, SmartCEO Magazine

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass (October 27, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470345039
• ISBN-13: 978-0470345030
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #204,661 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kudos to a Great Book!, October 28, 2008

By	Michael Gooch "Author of Wingtips with Spurs:... (Texas, USA) - See all my reviews

Finally, someone saw the wisdom in combining the world of high peak mountaineering with the corporate career. Indeed, the analogy goes way beyond just our working lives and can (and should) extend into the other - more important - areas of our life.

As a corporate human resources director, I seek books that will inspire me and prod me to think in different ways. Far too many of the books on the business book conveyor are viewed by me as "one-trick ponies". That is, they deal with a singular problem in a very limited sense. On several of my listmania's I have recommended Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why and The Crystal Horizon: Everest - The First Solo Ascent as "management" books that for me, teach leadership far better than the run-of-the-mill business leadership materials. This book is vastly different due to its scope and ability to establish a completely new mind-set. I find it to be a perfect fit between my desires and needs.


Chris Warner and Don Schmincke are to be congratulated on hitting the right cord with this book. This book's Oct '08 release is perfect timing as our American industries and organizations are in great need of a "different" leadership.

I hope you find this review helpful.

Michael L. Gooch, Author of Wingtips with Spurs: Cowboy Wisdom for Today's Business Leaders.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling stories of leadership skills at 25000 feet..., November 1, 2008

By	Thomas Duff "Duffbert" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This ended up being one of the few business books that I couldn't put down... High Altitude Leadership: What the World's Most Forbidding Peaks Teach Us About Success by Chris Warner and Don Schmincke. The positioning of leadership skills compared to mountain climbing made a lot of sense, and the stories of what happened during the expeditions were riveting.

Contents:
Preface; Acknowledgments; Introduction; Danger #1 - Fear of Death; Danger #2 - Selfishness; Danger #3 - Tool Seduction; Danger #4 - Arrogance; Danger #5 - Lone Heroism; Danger #6 - Cowardice; Danger #7 - Comfort; Danger #8 - Gravity; Danger #9 - The Journey Begins; Resources; Notes

This combination of authors is what makes the book work as well as it does. Don Schmincke is the management consultant, someone who teaches leadership concepts to thousands each year. While on a climbing expedition, he met up with Chris Warner, the leader of the climb. Warner runs a company called Earth Treks, which is known for its expertise in leading climbs up the most dangerous peaks each year. When Schmincke and Warner started comparing notes on how leadership plays out while climbing, Schmincke realized that these concepts played out both in the boardroom and at 25000 feet. This book is their collaboration.

The format of the chapters follows a general pattern. You start with a story about one of Chris's expeditions. The story continues to weave its way through the chapter, as the leadership skills are highlighted and discussed in terms of both the organization and the climb itself. Within each chapter you have a survival tip that applies to your position as leader, a summary of the key learnings, and concrete steps you can take to make this learning part of your reality. It's hard *not* to internalize this information, as the climbing stories involve life-or-death situations. Distilling leadership skills from these stories may not be something you'd naturally do if you were just reading a book on climbing, but Schmincke does an excellent job in making the correlations.

While all the chapters were compelling, the chapter on selfishness struck home with me. The climbing story involves a group of Italian climbers who abandon a fellow team member on their descent without concern as to whether he made it back to camp. Warner's group has to alter their plans to mount a rescue. To make matters even worse, the Italian climbers bypass an injured Czech climber, take a pair of crampons not belonging to them, and refuse to help transport the Czech climber to safety (among only a few of their selfish actions). This DUD behavior (dangerous, unproductive, and dysfunctional) drains energy and motivation from the entire team, and can jeopardize the existence of the group. Schmincke recommends this behavior be fought by creating a compelling saga. There needs to be something that can drive the group to a common goal, and something that will transcend individual differences and behaviors in order to reach a particular outcome. It wasn't difficult to see examples like that around me, and also motivated me to not become part of the problem.

I'll be the first to admit that there's no lack of business and leadership books that offer countless ways to make your mark. I personally think High Altitude Leadership does a far better job than most. The climbing stories will keep you turning pages, and the leadership applications will slow you down to contemplate your own actions.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Climbing lessons..., October 20, 2008

By	Lansing Hays "Contribute customer" (Annapolis, MD USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This lovely book deals with two streams, tales of conquering mountains and managing business people, which are artfully integrated. The mountain stories are well told and breathtaking. Chris Warner is a wonderful storyteller. His adventures make this book compelling to read and motivated me to get through the business metaphors and lessons. For those interested in business insights, Don Schmincke has drawn on contemporary business examples from leading companies and executives. Overall the book is the best of this genre, a compelling and enjoyable read.