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Dan Dumler, a Bayer Environmental Science Sales Representative based in Oregon, recently summited Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa.
"Quite an amazing feat!" cheered Neil Cleveland, Managing Director, BES Green business.
Neil noted that the teamwork, trust and communication that would be essential for any team climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, is also needed for employees seeking to achieve a high performance culture.
BES Green Business Begins Its High Performance Journey
During its recent National Business Meeting, held in Raleigh, N.C., the BES Green business, focused on Mindful Matters and building a High Performance Culture.
"In my opinion, the high performance culture sessions held at our meeting produced two significant results," Neil said. "First, it provided for a forum in which we as a team could frankly admit that as a team 'we're broken,' and that the Green Leadership Team in particular must come together as a cohesive unit.
"Secondly, it's clear that trust, the foundation of a high performing team, is the first characteristic that we as a team need to focus on improving. Based on the honest and open discussions that took place, I came away from the meeting excited for the team and the future of the Green Business."
A Climb Based on Teamwork and Trust
The high performance training at the National Business Meeting resonated in a special way with Dan, who related the need for teamwork to his recent mountain-climbing adventure. Below, Dan details his Mt. Kilimanjaro climb.
Tell us a little bit about your adventure?
I wanted to do something memorable for my 40th year. Also, being a mountain climber, this was one of the seven summits (the highest peaks on each of the seven continents) that was "easier" to do.
We arrived at the summit just before sunrise (5:45 a.m. Tanzania time) on Sept. 4, 2009. We spent a total of seven days on the mountain. The first five days were used to acclimate because of the summit being over 19,000 feet. The first five camps ranged from 10,000 feet to just over 14,000 feet. In total we ascended approximately 15,000 feet from the park gate and trekked about 70 miles in seven days. It took only about eight hours to descend from the summit.
Were you alone or traveling in a group?
A long-time friend from back to grade school went with me. We also were paired with a woman, Francesca, from Mallorca, Spain.
We hired a guide service, Zara, to get us to the top. Hiring a guide service is required on Kili (Mt. Kilimanjaro). With the service, we had a guide, assistant guide, cook, waiter, and nine porters taking care of us.
Had you done any special training to prepare?
I do some mountain climbing in the Oregon and Washington Cascades in the summer. Also prior to the climb, I had solo-climbed two peaks in Oregon and Washington—South Sister in Oregon and Mt. Adams in Washington. I also climbed Humphrey's Peak in Arizona. Along with climbing, I tried to spend as much time camping at altitude. I basically wanted to be in the best shape possible for both the cardio and altitude aspects.
Tell us about the experience of completing such a challenge?
There is something very spiritual and magical about Kilimanjaro. I've summitted many mountains, but this one was the king so far! The friendships we developed with our guides and fellow climbers were priceless. You develop a different kind of bond when sharing something that challenging.
We saw and heard of many climbers that had to descend before their summit chance because of altitude sickness. In fact, according to our guides, 90 percent of climbers suffer some level of altitude sickness. Luckily both my friend and I made it with no altitude effect. Thank goodness for good genes!
Overall, Africa had quite an impact on me personally. One really has to see it to understand, but it will definitely change your perspective. These people are so happy and content . . . and they have so little. No matter how bad we think we have it here in America, it could be a WHOLE lot worse!
Can you tie in the teamwork, trust and communication neccessary for this feat or for achieving a high performance culture?
I definitely have a few comments about this . . .
Number one, I've never seen a team work in better harmony than the Zara group. Our guide had the trip mapped out almost to the minute. Each night before bedtime, Joseph (the head guide) would brief us on how the next day would play out. We knew pretty much exactly what to expect from the trail, altitude, weather, etc.
Then each day we would arrive at camp with everything set up and hot tea and cookies waiting for us. No need for radios or cell phones up there! Each and every day he reiterated that our ultimate goal was to reach the top.
The second day into the climb, Joseph became quite ill. He was so sick that one of the porters had to come back from the next camp to carry his pack. This is a guy that probably summits every other week in the high season. By the third night, he become so sick that he had to descend the next morning. Turns out he was suffering from malaria and a bronchial infection. We sent him down with all the extra malaria medication we had. He recovered fully and actually met us at the hotel to present us with our certificates.
Joseph turned the reins over to his assistant guide, Dezzy, and the cook, Amisi, became the assistant guide. This transition was flawless. Turns out Joseph had told Dezzy to get us to the summit—no exceptions. The team really was amazing. These guys work very hard for very little return. Each guy knew exactly what his job was and execution was spot on. Their goals were safety, number one, and complete client satisfaction, number two. These guys really take pride in what they do. Joseph keeps the same team together for all his climbs, and it's very clear they all have complete trust in one another.
Number two, I mentioned our fellow climber, Francesca, was from Mallorca, Spain. She lives at sea level and had never done this type of climbing. Starting the third day, she became quite ill from the altitude. In fact, she passed out face down in camp that afternoon. She battled altitude sickness for the next two days, collapsing a couple times on the descent. Because of her, our whole group became quite close and really relied on one another. My friend and I were taking care of Francesca much of the time. On the trail, I was her interpreter, as she mainly spoke Spanish when she was sick! As I mentioned before, an amazing bond is established when things get that tough.
Francesca did make it to the top. Dezzy and Amisi worked very hard to get her to the top and back down. My friend Mike and I supplied extra clothing to keep her warm. It was quite a night!!
What's next?
I'm in the process of talking my climbing buddy, Chris Olsen (BCS Development Representative), into climbing Mt. Rainier next summer. Also I would like to climb Mt. Whitney in California for the highest peak in North America. The next big climb is possibly Aconcagua in Chile. This would be the highest peak in the Americas and the highest outside of Asia.
Maybe that will be my 50th year?!
Mt. Kilimanjaro, located in northeast Tanzania, is the highest peak in Africa at 19,331 ft. Though climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro is technically fairly easy, the altitude and low temperature make it a difficult and dangerous trek.Acclimatisation is essential, and even then most people have some degree of altitude sickness. About 10 climbers die from this each year.
What is the fastest climb on record? Bruno Brunod, 5 hours 38 minutes 40 seconds.
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