Ryan Waters, Mountaineer | Extreme Leadership Interview

• Early Passion and Career Shift: Ryan’s initial fascination with climbing evolved into a professional guiding career, moving from geology to mountaineering. His story illustrates the profound impact of pursuing one’s passion on a career trajectory.
• Professional Mountaineering and Achievements: Highlighting his progression to professional mountaineering, Ryan discusses completing the Seven Summits and the unique challenges and rewards of guiding expeditions in extreme environments.
• Explorer’s Grand Slam Completion: Ryan is a modest person! Scott discusses Ryan’s accomplishment of the Explorer’s Grand Slam emphasizing the significance of this feat, achieved by climbing the highest peaks on each continent and skiing to both poles without support or assistance, reflecting Ryan’s leadership and endurance.
• Insights from Polar Expeditions: Ryan offers insights into the logistics, planning, and execution of polar expeditions, underlining the essential qualities of resilience and team dynamics in overcoming the harsh conditions of Antarctica and the North Pole.
• Mountain Professionals: The segment wraps up with an overview of Mountain Professionals, the guiding company through which Ryan leads expeditions, highlighting its role in fostering leadership and teamwork skills among clients across the globe’s most challenging terrains.

• Experience as a Foundation for Leadership: Ryan emphasizes that experience is critical for leadership in both extreme and corporate environments. Accumulated experience provides a leader with a wealth of knowledge and a track record that builds trust within a team, allowing for informed and educated decision-making that prioritizes the group’s safety and success.
• Problem-Solving and Calmness under Pressure: Drawing from his extensive experience, Ryan notes that facing numerous challenges over time equips a leader with the ability to approach problems more rationally and calmly, rather than reacting with frustration or anger. This evolution in problem-solving approach and emotional response is crucial for managing crises effectively, both in extreme expeditions and in high-pressure corporate scenarios.
• Parallel with Medical Field Leadership: Ryan draws a comparison to his brother’s experience in the medical field, highlighting a similar leadership philosophy. Both scenarios require viewing challenges as problems that need solving, fostering a rational, composed approach to decision-making and action, indicative of mature and effective leadership.
• Importance of Mental and Emotional Training: Concluding the segment, Scott points out the growing recognition of mental and emotional training’s importance alongside physical fitness for climbers. This holistic approach to preparation enhances a leader’s ability to interact more effectively with their environment and team when facing challenges, underscoring the multifaceted nature of leadership development.

• Preparation and Organization: Ryan emphasizes the importance of thorough preparation and organization as fundamental to building trust. By demonstrating that every aspect of the expedition has been carefully planned and prepared for, leaders can instill confidence in their team members, making them more willing to follow and contribute positively to the group’s dynamics.
• Positive Expedition Experience: Reflecting on a recent expedition to the South Pole, they both noted that the satisfaction of the team members was not solely due to achieving their goal but also how it was achieved—through effective teamwork and a supportive culture. This underscores the impact of leadership on creating a fulfilling and cohesive team experience.
• Professionalism and Tone Setting: The concept of professionalism is highlighted as a key philosophy. Setting the right tone from the beginning and maintaining a professional approach throughout the expedition encourages a productive and positive environment, further instilling confidence within the team.
• Avoiding Confidence Erosion: Conversely, Ryan points out that a lack of organization and smooth operation can lead to eroded confidence among team members. When individuals perceive weaknesses in leadership, it can lead to increased assertiveness among strong-willed personalities, potentially disrupting team harmony.
• Importance of Soft Skills: Ryan concludes by stressing the value of soft skills gained from his background in outdoor education. These skills are vital for dealing with diverse personality types, managing interpersonal dynamics, and providing emotional support. Effective leaders must be versatile, capable of playing multiple roles to address the varied needs of their team members throughout the expedition.

This discussion provides insights into the nuanced aspects of leadership that go beyond mere technical expertise, highlighting the need for emotional intelligence, effective communication, and a solid foundation of trust and professionalism to lead successfully in challenging environments.

• Influence of Leader’s Energy: The discussion opens with an observation on the impact of a leader’s energy on the team. A calm and stable demeanor from the leader fosters a smoother team environment, whereas fluctuating emotions can lead to unrest within the group.
• Characteristics of High-Performance Teams: Ryan defines a high-performance team as one where members actively support each other without always looking to the leader for guidance. This self-sufficiency and mutual assistance signify the team’s ability to operate effectively, even in the leader’s indirect presence.
• Delegation and Empowerment: A pivotal aspect of Ryan’s leadership style is his focus on delegating responsibilities and empowering both staff and team members. This approach not only alleviates the burden on the leader but also promotes accountability and ownership among team members, further solidifying the team’s capability.
• Illustrative Story of Teamwork on Everest: Ryan shares a compelling story of guiding a blind climber to the summit of Mount Everest in spring 2023. This expedition exemplifies teamwork, where staff and other climbers rallied around the blind climber, contributing to his success. This collective effort, including clients volunteering to guide and assist, underscores the essence of a high-performance team where collaboration and shared goals lead to extraordinary achievements.

This segment highlights the importance of leadership in building trust, fostering a supportive culture, and empowering team members to achieve their collective and individual goals, using the challenging context of mountaineering to illustrate broader principles of effective teamwork and leadership.

• Adapting to Change in the Expedition World: Ryan touches on the broader picture of change in expeditions, including the increasing diversity of participants and the evolving expectations around logistics and safety protocols. This necessitates forward-thinking and anticipation of future trends by expedition leaders to ensure preparedness and adaptability.
• Example of Rapid Change Management: A vivid example is provided from a 2007 expedition on Gasherbrum II, an 8,000-meter peak in Pakistan, where Ryan and his team had to abruptly shift from summiting efforts to a rescue operation following an avalanche. This scenario underscores the need for immediate response and flexibility in leadership and team dynamics under crisis conditions.
• Teamwork in Crisis: Highlighting the collaborative efforts during the rescue, Ryan illustrates how each team member, regardless of their role, contributed uniquely, from technical rescue operations conducted by guides to support tasks performed by clients. This collective response demonstrates effective teamwork and the capacity to adapt swiftly to changing circumstances.
• Reflection on Leadership and Change: The story emphasizes the importance of leadership in guiding teams through sudden changes, showcasing how preparedness, resilience, and the ability to mobilize a diverse group towards a common goal are crucial in managing emergencies and unexpected situations.

This discussion about navigating change reflects broader lessons on leadership, teamwork, and adaptability, valuable not only in the high-stakes environment of mountaineering but in various aspects of life and work where change is the only constant.

• Experience as the Foundation for Resilience: Ryan emphasizes the importance of experience in developing resilience. He advocates for exposure to challenging environments as a means to prepare individuals for the harsh realities of expeditions. Engaging in activities like acclimatization treks or practicing skills in adverse weather conditions serves as a reality check, reinforcing the need for readiness against the unpredictable elements of high-altitude climbing.
• Proactive Preparation and Skill Development: Highlighting the shift in societal expectations for quick achievements, Ryan points out the essential nature of gradual preparation for expeditions. He stresses the importance of undertaking progressively more challenging climbs to build the necessary skills and mental fortitude. This approach contrasts with the contemporary trend of seeking immediate gratification and underlines the value of patience and dedication in achieving long-term goals.
• Adapting to Modern Expectations: Ryan acknowledges the challenge of aligning modern climbers’ expectations with the realities of mountaineering. He advocates for a balanced approach that respects the traditional pathway of gaining experience through time and effort, while also recognizing the changing dynamics of how people engage with and commit to such endeavors.
• Resilience Through Preparation: The discussion concludes with the notion that resilience is not just an innate quality but can be developed through deliberate preparation and exposure to challenging situations. This preparation equips climbers with the psychological and physical resilience needed to face the demands of extreme expeditions effectively.

This conversation sheds light on the crucial role of experience and preparation in building resilience, offering valuable insights for leaders and participants in extreme environments and beyond.

• Experience and Self-Confidence: Ryan underscores the value of experience and self-confidence in developing an effective leadership style tailored to the specific environment. He suggests that leaders should cultivate a style that resonates with their team and context, whether in extreme expeditions or business settings.
• Adaptability of Leadership Style: Highlighting the need for adaptability, Ryan points out that the appropriateness of a leadership approach (e.g., authoritative vs. nurturing) varies significantly depending on the context, such as the difference between a military and medical setting.
• Gaining Respect and Trust: The key to successful leadership lies in earning the respect and trust of team members so that they are inclined to follow the leader’s guidance without constant justification or doubt. This trust is cultivated through demonstrated competence, confidence in decision-making, and an understanding of the team’s dynamics.
• Vision for Leadership: Scott concludes with the notion that leaders should have a clear vision of what constitutes effective leadership in their specific environment and strive towards embodying those qualities to build high-performance teams.

This conversation offers valuable lessons on leadership, emphasizing the importance of experience, adaptability, and a clear vision in developing resilience and building high-performance teams across various settings.