Lesson #4: Teamwork Means Survival

As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the last few weeks have been hard for us all. Some much worse than others. It is in these times, that each one of us must look inward to determine what we are able to do to reduce the pain and suffering of another. As I look inward, I am recalling all of the amazing lessons I have learned throughout the years to draw strength from and then in turn share with others. Here is #4.

Lesson #4: Teamwork Means Survival

The Teacher: Mt. Hood

Thank you for your beauty, majesty, and many lessons you have taught me. I hope to never learn them again.

On 6/9/16 My wife, brother, and I summited Mt. Hood. Mostly everything went different than planned that day.

Here are the highlights:

We pushed out from Timberline Lodge just before 3:00 am

Within a few minutes of being on the summit, we found ourselves caught in a white out with about 50 feet of visibility and 60-80 mph winds. We had to act fast, decisive and together as a team.

We started to lose visibility of the route we came up. We made a team decision. My wife and I stayed in a spot that we were able to have a bearing on our original route. My brother left to scout another route down. Within seconds his bright orange jack faded into the white. We would reflect on this decision later on.

He finally returned after what seemed like an eternity. We quickly discussed our options amidst the howling wind and dropping temperatures. Our decision led to bailing on our initial plan of descending the way we came up due to technical difficulty and rapidly worsening conditions.

The route we decided to climb down was one that we have never been on.

With speed and safety being a critical factor, we decided, as a team, it was safest for my wife to take off her crampons, tie herself to my brother and dangle 10 feet below him as he climbed down the ~50 degree snow wall.

He would be her only lifeline hanging on with 2 ice axes and crampons. Her life would be in his hands. She trusted him. I trusted him. We trusted each other.

Before we began our descent, we huddled in close, shed a tear, said I love you, and then locked it up and started moving.

We started to down-climb. We moved swiftly and with purpose. We moved together.

After climbing down, we came upon another group where one of the climbers had fallen off the wall we just climbed down. Blood was everywhere.

We began helping their group.

While helping, one of their members slipped, drop his ice axe, slid down the mountain and was swallowed by the white abyss. My immediate thought was, I just saw a man fall to his death.

The two groups split, one to go after the climber who had just slipped. The other group to stay with the injured climber.

My wife, brother and I climbed down to search for the man who just fell. We found him, sitting, in shock, unable to speak.

We assimilated him into our team. We gave him small tasks to snap him out. We tied him up with us.

With visibility low and uncertainty about where we were located on the mountain, we navigated the glaciers as safely and quickly as we could.

We finally found a landmark we were familiar with. We celebrated.

On our way down, we passed Portland Mountain Rescue as they were on their way up to rescue the man who had fallen. They looked scared heading into what we just escaped.

When we got down to safety, we went and got a beer.

As a team, we debriefed. We talked about what we could have done differently. Our analysis produced 3 decisions we would have made differently. I hope to never be in that situation again, but if I had to be, I would choose the same 2 people to go through it.

I have never felt so close to death. I have never experienced teamwork like this.

The stakes are very high right now. Here we are, many nonprofits and companies holding on for dear life. Human beings are fighting for their life. Families are fighting to keep food on the table. In these moments we must work as a single united team. We must make decisions and take actions that benefit the whole of humanity.

This time will inevitably cause us to look different on the other side. We will forever be changed just as that time on Mt. Hood changed me, my wife and brother forever. But if we come together as a team, we increase our odds to fight another day.

In this time, expand the concept of who your team is.

Teamwork – buy groceries for the medical professionals, those providing essential services, the elderly, or the family in your neighborhood that is having a hard time making ends meet. Just buy what you need.

Teamwork – Communicate with the people that you love. Call them, text them, FaceTime them. Let people know they are cared for and are not alone. Each one of us will feel like we are on an island as some point throughout this.

Teamwork – Pray. Send positive vibes. Send love. Send good thoughts. Send any positive sentiment that you are willing and able to send out into the universe.

Teamwork – Ask someone what you can do to help them. Better than that, tell someone what you can do to help them. Share your gift with another. And then another… and another.

Teamwork – Introduce humor, levity, positivity or serenity in the moments you can. Realize the role you play in team morale.

Teamwork – Anticipate the hardships that your clients, customers, donors, partners and constituents are going through and think about how you can play a role in easing their burden. Invite them to help you ease your own.

Teamwork – fight like hell to help someone survive so that they have the opportunity to thrive on the other side.

Stay strong and lead well!