How Many People Can You Lead Up The Mountain

Sherpas are a Nepalese ethnic group of about 150,000 people. They are known for their climbing skills, strength and endurance at high altitudes. Tenzing Norgay was one of the first of two men to climb Mount Everest in 1953.

Many of them work as guides and porters who help clients climb to the top of Mount Everest and other Himalayan peaks. Their job is very dangerous. It has a 1.2% mortality rate. No other service industry in the world has a mortality rate that high.

When one Sherpa was asked how many times he has climbed Mount Everest, he said that he couldn't remember - he only keeps count of the number of people that he helps get up and down the mountain safely.

As a coach, one of our goals needs to be to bring as many people up the mountain as safely as possible. The success stories are great to celebrate, but the unsuccessful ones are the ones who haunt us.

I remember being a young college coach and one of our athletes wouldn't run as hard as he could; so I made him run again. Then again. Then again. After a few unsuccessful attempts to get him to work, I kicked him off the court. That killed our relationship, and he was kicked off the team before we were able to restore it.

We were able to get him to a new college and on a new team, and he didn't make it there either. That hurt me even more. I still think about how I could have better handled that situation.

Coaching is building relationships and growing and developing people. It is bringing people along. When the relationship is broken, it is easy to let it stay broken. But our athletes need us. For that athlete, you might be their best chance at their best life.

Adopt the mindset of that Sherpa - "How many people can you lead up the mountain?"