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Next to Geneva in Switzerland, there are two mountains, the Salève and the Mont-Blanc.
Easy or impossible mountain?
The Salève is a cosy mountain. You can drive to the top of it by car. This is a usual walk for locals. It is so close to the city that it almost gives the impression that you can touch it.
However, it might be relatively dull; after a while, it is not a challenge anymore.
On the other hand, the Mont-Blanc is further away, scary and pretty much impossible to climb. But imagine the view up there. No wonder it is called “the roof of Europe”, as it is the highest mountain of the “old continent”.
Which mountain are you considering climbing? The easy one, where you know all the turns and the places or the scary, impossible one.
This is an essential question for your life. What you will be able to achieve depends on the mountain you are considering climbing. Of course, I don’t mean a real mountain; I mean your life’s goals.
Go for an impossible goal.
Do you have a dream, a goal, or a purpose that is too big for you, impossible and even scary? Good! Welcome to the club!
What is your goal, your dream, your call, your purpose? Mine is to transform the culture of leadership, not only in one company but worldwide and beyond companies, in entire countries. This is definitively a too-big purpose, and some think I have a “too-big dream”. I take it as a compliment, and I would love to also make this compliment to you.
As I was thinking of this ambitious goal, I wondered, “How I am going to do it?” and realised it was the wrong question. Who said that you and I should do it on our own? So, the first step of this journey toward impossible dreams is to form a team of like-minded but complementary people who can take this goal to “high places.”
This is how Swiss Leaders Group was created, not using my name, but as a worldwide group, hence the label “group”. I even wanted to find people better than I. Therefore, I am incredibly proud of the exceptional team of professionals on 4 continents who have joined my vision.
5 people you need on your team to climb a high mountain
I think you can follow my thoughts here, and guess what I will say now: if you want to do it on your own, you will not make it to Mont-Blanc. You need to follow the people on your team:
- A mountain guide: a mentor who has been there before and can support you in your journey.
- Sherpas: people who help you carry your luggage: carrying a wide vision is a lot to carry on one’s shoulder. You can empower people to carry some part of the vision and do it even better than you do.
- A physical trainer: to prepare for your mountain, you need preparation and to be challenged. Let one person stretch you beyond your current limits pushing your comfort zone away. This is a coach able to question your thinking and challenge you in the direction you would like to go.
- A driver is somebody getting you to the starting point of the climb. I have many precious people who understand and share my vision and open unique doors of opportunity to “higher places”; without them, I would get even to the starting point of some of the fantastic projects I am working on.
- A junior climber: your climb is more than about yourself. As you climb and learn to climb better and better, take with you at least one person who has similar goals, and it further down the level of experience that you have. As you learn and grow, pass on what you are learning and be a mentor. Give what you wish to receive; would it be encouragement, support or even somebody to believe in you? There is more joy to give than to receive.
First steps to climbing a high mountain
If you are still wondering which mountain to climb, here is an answer for you: both! The smaller one, the Salève, is there for training, for you to gain confidence and master the first step. But the real goal is not the Salève but the Mont-Blanc.
Would you like to see your life used for a fantastic purpose and exciting journey? Don’t focus on people who tell you it is impossible, but turn this impossible destination into a possibility by taking the first steps of training and building a suitable team.
See you at the top of the Mont-Blanc. I look forward to celebrating you and the high, impossible and “too big” goals you reached!
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Hi Joël, I loved the text, specially because I experienced the insights myself while climbing 1.600 mts high mountain this weekend. I had the two Co-Founders with me: a young and energetic CTO who climbed fast and went further, then our COO, an experienced man , older than me, walked steadily and happily to the top, and then I came following them, the CEO, taking every step very carefully but surely to the top, happy for the experience and achievement. We all reunited there and celebrated happily the time spent together!!
How powerful and inspired can be to exercise together our willpower and goals!!
It was rewarding and a very inspiring to take it further!
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Thanks Claudia for sharing this powerful story. Indeed, as a team, we can conquer situation and goals that we couldn’t reach on our own, as we need to complement in each others.