'Encouragement fuels the soul'

A chapter on "Lone Heroism" in High Altitude Leadership (Warner & Schmincke, 2009) begins with the following quote:

Q: Why do mountain climbers rope themselves together?

A: To prevent the sensible ones from going home!

Lone heroism on the mountain, in organizations, in families, in relationships is dangerous and often leads to demoralized, hasty and bad decisions with low accountability and misaligned direction that may lead to great peril and possibly demise. This past weekend a few hardy students and I volunteered at the CDA Ironman to raise funds for Peak7. I have followed the Kona Ironman since my youth and always wondered about the journey that contributes to the formation of an elite athlete. Is it about genetic predisposition, endless training, attitude, psychological toughness, perhaps adaptive coping, nutrition, discipline, social support, a certain philosophy on life or spiritual journey - what is it? The five hours we spent walking around reconnecting racers to their "pricey" bikes, observing supportive family members and friends, with the occasional glances at the finish line and earshot of the PA sound system announcing - "Congratulations - you are an IRONMAN", brought renewed clarity of what it takes to develop an elite athlete. The Ironman journey has little to do with Lone Heroism but rather about an entire team - 'Team Wallace'...'Team Godderz'...and many other teams that pull together to support and share a family dream, goal, purpose, and/or vision in training, competing, or simply completing the race.

What are some socially supportive mechanisms that you have surrounded yourself with in this course? How are these supportive interactions contributing to your training, lifestyle choices, goals, planning etc.?

Man's Search for Meaning 

Victor Frankl

Leadership & Hardiness students began their journey in this course through learning about the foundation and philosophy on life that contribute to the construct of hardiness and other mechanisms that represent a pathway towards resiliency. Students read Flrankl's gripping account of "life in a concentration camp as reflected in the mind of a prisoner". The story is filled with realistic depictions of the experiences of camp life and how the experiences of camp life show that man does have a choice of action and in finding meaning in all forms of existence, even in the most dyer of circumstances, and thus a reason to continue living. Through readings and classroom discussions, students engaged in an existential analysis of their own existence within the context of their families, organizations, and community. What did we learn from Frankl's story and his life in a concentration camp that has implications for leadership, personal and organizational resilience? What is the relevance of understanding existential analysis to explore meaning and growth in adversity? These are some pragmatic yet important questions to ask in authentic living, let alone in preparing for a class simulation that will stretch the mind, body, and spirit.