What I Learned about Business in Glacier National Park
Last week I solo hiked 55 of the 700 miles of trails in Glacier National Park in Montana. The backcountry is wild, unpredictable, and beautiful. It always occurs to me that there are many parallels to how the wild open spaces relate to the nature of business. Below are some of the take-aways I can apply from my journey to navigate my day job. Perhaps some of these observations are useful to you as well:
1. Preparation Matters – While I am an avid hiker, I still have plenty to learn. Meticulous planning relative to equipment/clothing choices, nutrition, weather patterns, and route details dictate how miserable or enjoyable a hike may be. The old adage, “we don’t plan to fail, we fail to plan,” comes to mind. I no longer gawk at an adult moose within hooves reach of my head or pack cans of beanie weenie in my pack for dinner (yes, I did both 20 years ago). Similarly, I believe the toughest lesson in business is the mistake I make twice. I learned that my collective experiences result in higher quality decision-making and ability to navigate uncertainty.
2. People are Benevolent – I meet amazing people in the backcountry from varied backgrounds with novel perspectives. Everyone is generally pleasant and willing to offer insight to aid one another on the journey. From people tipping me off to a bear around the bend, to sharing information about the best places to visit, people seemingly always want good for you. This is not always the case in business. I learned that it is imperative to surround myself with people who have an optimistic, growth mindset who are generally concerned with the well-being of everyone.
3. Complex Systems are Interdependent – Glacier National Park sits hundreds of miles east of the wildfires devastating 5 million acres of the west coast this summer. However, once I deplaned, the air was filled with smog and the smell of smoke. Systems are connected and what happens within one system tends to impact the environment of another system. These phenomena are very similar in our business environment. I learned that taking care of the entire organization is more important than only addressing one or two facets of the business. I also learned that taking care of the environment is important to our wellness and makes good business sense.
4. Experts are a Joy – I have had the gift of visiting multiple national parks. The National Parks Service staff is exceptional and care deeply about their work. Their encyclopedic knowledge about park conditions, best practices in the wilderness, and level of concern for safety is impressive. I want to build teams that reinforce these values within my organization too! I learned that surrounding myself with competent people who care is a recipe for overall success.
5. Step Back to Move Forward – I typically stay connected to work 24/7 and rarely disconnect from the buzz of being fully engaged in the business of business. Everyone experiences fatigue and needs to recharge. Hiking is a great diversion from all the noise and constant connection we experience in our workday. I learned that stepping away is good business for me and my teammates because everyone needs a break in order to work more effectively.
6. Everyone is Enduring COVID-19 – I was not the only person trying to escape the fog of the coronavirus. I met first responders from Seattle who were the first in the US to see COVID-19; I met people who were just getting back on their feet from nearly dying of COVID-19, and, I met people from New York who moved to Montana to work remotely until the coronavirus becomes a footnote in history. I learned that everyone has a story to tell about how COVID-19 has disrupted their lives. Am I listening?
7. National Parks are Economic Engines – The parks have been a refuge for millions of people this summer. Arguably, COVID-19 has been a catalyst for people to re-discover the amazing American treasure of our national parks and the communities that serve the parks have benefitted to some extent where tourism is an essential element of their respective economy. I learned that national parks are bigger than recreational experiences – they are a huge component in the basket of drivers that fuel our economy. Let’s not screw them up!
8. The Power of Being Vulnerable – As noted above, I still have a lot to learn despite the mass of gray hair on my head. Asking questions and being curious saved me a lot of heartache during my adventure. Before setting out on my backcountry experience, I was pretty transparent in asking for advice about how to use bear spray, potential trail hazards, and directions from one obscure place to another. Like everyone, I have plenty of blindspots in my work life. I learned that asking questions and being vulnerable to overcome my knowledge gap is a competitive advantage in the unscripted environment of the outdoors and business.
Exploring the natural world has the power to calm the untamed mind. For me, it is a great way to make work make sense. Be calm and hike on.
Ben Wilhelm, DBA, MSOD is EVP/COO of McFarland Construction, a commercial construction firm in Charlotte, NC, and Managing Partner of Unscripted, LLC, an executive coaching and leadership consulting practice. Ben is also adjunct instructor in the McColl School of Business at Queens University of Charlotte, and serves on the board of a privately held employee owned company.
