The hottest management master in the US business community in recent years is a rock climber known for his fearlessness. “From A to A+†is a global hot seller, with constant invitations, but Jim. Collins continued to walk in the mountains. He said that rock climbing is the ultimate classroom to find and inspire every aspect of life. He recently learned to share deep experience in leadership in the thirty years of climbing experience.
For thirty years of rock climbing, my outlook on life and work attitude are all closely linked with my climbing experience.
I grew up in Port City, Colorado. There are some of the best rock climbing sites in the world and the best rock climbers. When I was only a teenager, my stepfather registered for rock climbing training for me. I wasn't sympathetic. "I would rather read." After the class finished on the first day, I knew that I had found a love activity for my whole life.
For me, rock climbing is the ultimate classroom where you can find inspiration from every level of life, including business, management, leadership, and scientific research. This kind of exercise usually does not give the wrong person a second chance—death ends all learning. But I am fortunate enough to survive from mistakes and learn important revelations that are useful for both life and work.
Lesson 1 : Sticking to climbing upwards, preferring to fall rather than failing: How to succeed without attacking the top
I and my friend Matt walked down the curve and stopped. A magnificent rock stood in front: a smooth, slightly hanging silver-white granite wall with a fingertip-sized thin seam running through the middle.
"You see, this is why I called this route a crystal ball," Matt pointed to the rocky wall above, a 50-foot-tall, baseball-sized quartz rock grip.
We threw ropes upwards and I started to climb. I hope to have an on-sight. The first climb means that without any route information, the first time I climbed and climbed successfully, I didn't drop one at a time. The first climber has only one chance. In case of failure, he falls on a rope and can no longer be called the first ascent.
There are ten miles from the crystal ball, my feet start to stumble, and many small stones are kicked. I bent my thumb and grabbed a raised rock wall with my hands, and there was only one thought in my heart: "The weight of my fingers can be reduced a little bit...." The excitement of the first climb made me add pressure. Rocks are too hard to grasp, just like the over-stretched runners, starting sprinting too fast.
"Deep breath, Jim, you want to relax," Matt's voice made me feel a little calm.
I slowly relax my fingers and adjust my breathing, but my mind is still rolling. “I’ll never have a chance to go wrong... but even if this step goes right, I’m still not confident enough to climb the crystal ball... if I No, there is no way to tie the rope to the next point of protection to fix it.... How far should I fall?..." In hesitation, time is lost in one second.
"Okay, Matt, I'm going."
The right hand pulls horizontally and the left foot moves to the edge of the wall. Badly, you should use your left hand to grasp the edge of the wall. I will remove my body to the left and want to grab any raised rock wall or stone so that my right hand can move up and use my left hand to grasp the edge of the wall. I pressed my right hand finger on a downward facing rock horn, but it was difficult to pull it sideways. In front of me, my chance of success is less than 20%: If you continue to move, you will surely fall, and if you can climb, you will climb higher without protection from another rock bolt. The deeper the fall.
"Down!" I shouted to Matt.
"No!" he yelled. "You only have three sets of moves and you go to the crystal ball. You must be here!"
"Decline!" I called again.
After that, I relaxed my hand and managed to fall along the rope. I hung on the rope for about ten minutes, gradually recovered my strength, and then ran to the rock wall. This time I grabbed each holding point and climbed up to the top of the hill.
This of course cannot be regarded as the first accomplishment. Even though the same day later, I challenged the route again and climbed up from below to complete the attack in one breath, but no matter how successful I was this time, I knew I was still failing. Not defeated in action, but lost in the mindset. Because, at the moment that we should go all out, I actually let go. I actually chose failure rather than fallure.
Failure and fall. The difference between the two is unusually subtle but significant. When you fall, although you can't attack the summit, you never give up. The person who falls is your fall. Failure is your heart has given up.
Climb to fall, on behalf of you have gone all out to climb - even if the chance of success is less than 20%, 10% or even 5%. You don't keep, use every mental and physical strength, you never make excuses for yourself, even if you are more afraid, pain, stomach rolling and uncertain, you still require yourself to perform 100%.
For onlookers, the failure and the fall seem to be no different (both from the air), however, the internal experience of falling is completely different from the failure.