People on the Mountain: Why the Team Beside You Matters Most

In the early 1990s, Malcolm Daly was one of the most respected alpine climbers in the United States. On one expedition, he and his partner, veteran climber Jim Donini, set out to scale an unnamed peak in Alaska — a mountain few had ever attempted.

As they neared the summit, tragedy struck. Just 15 feet from the top, Daly’s handhold gave way. He fell ten feet — and then his ice anchor ripped free. What followed was chaos: he tumbled 20 feet, then 50, then 100, crashing into Donini and slicing Donini’s leg with his crampons. Daly continued to fall another hundred feet, shattering both his legs before his rope finally caught him. Only two internal strands of his climbing rope kept him from plummeting another 3,000 feet to his death.

Bleeding badly, Donini climbed down to where Daly hung, secured him to the wall, and made a gut-wrenching decision — he had to leave his injured partner dangling on the mountainside in subzero temperatures while he descended the mountain alone to find help.

What Donini did next was almost superhuman. With a damaged leg and brutal conditions, he made a world-record descent — 3,000 vertical feet without a single mistake. Forty hours later, a rescue team reached Daly. Against all odds, he survived.

When I reflect on that story, I’m struck not only by the grit and determination both men showed, but by something even more profound: Daly survived because of who was on the mountain with him.

In business — as in life — success is rarely about how talented you are or how strong your individual performance might be. It’s about who’s climbing beside you when things go wrong. The right people don’t just share your victories — they shoulder your burdens, cover your blind spots, and make the impossible survivable.

Every leader, no matter how capable, will eventually face their own “fall” — a project collapse, a market downturn, a personal crisis. In those moments, your safety line isn’t your résumé or your skill set. It’s the strength and trust of the people you’ve chosen to climb with.

The lesson is simple but powerful: Be intentional about who’s on your mountain. Build teams that can hold the rope when everything starts to shake. Hire for character and competence. Invest in relationships that run deeper than job titles. And be the kind of leader others would trust to climb with.

Because when the fall comes — and it will — your survival might just depend on it.

The Importance of Culture: The Root System of Lasting Leadership

At Maverick Leadership Group, we believe culture is the strong root structure that makes an organization thrive. Just like a tree cannot grow without deep, resilient roots, no company can succeed without a healthy, aligned culture.

One of the values we emphasize is ownership. We don’t just want people to participate—we want them to take ownership of the mission and vision. Ownership changes the way people think, act, and lead.

So how do we build a culture of ownership? Here are four principles every business leader can apply:

1. Be Focused

What you do matters—because you matter. Great organizations aren’t built on the brilliance of a few, but on the dedication of many. Every day, every decision, every effort contributes to long-term success.

Focus also requires perspective. You’re not just working for a boss or a company—you’re working for a mission. That clarity can carry you through challenges.

Consider NASA’s Apollo program. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy set what seemed like an impossible goal: land a man on the moon and return him safely to Earth by the end of the decade. At the time, NASA had only achieved short suborbital flights. Yet every engineer, technician, and contractor aligned around the mission.

There’s a famous story of a janitor at NASA who, when asked by Kennedy what he was doing, replied: “I’m helping put a man on the moon.” He understood something essential—no matter your role, when you’re focused on the mission, everything you do has purpose.

That’s the power of focus. Mission isn’t just important—it’s everything. The best organizations are unapologetically mission-oriented.

2. Be Resilient

Business is never a straight path. Markets shift. Competitors move faster. Plans fall apart. Resilience is the ability to take the hit and keep moving forward.

History gives us a powerful metaphor: when Hernán Cortés and his men landed in the New World, he scuttled his ships. They were old, rotting, and unsafe. If his crew tried to retreat, they would have been lost at sea. His message was clear: the only way forward is forward.

That’s resilience. It’s the decision to keep going when retreat feels safer.

Resilient leaders also know how to reframe adversity. Think of the “carrot, egg, or coffee bean” analogy: when dropped into boiling water, the carrot softens, the egg hardens, but the coffee bean transforms the water itself. Which one will you be when pressure rises?

3. Be Committed

Commitment is about discipline and consistency. The most effective leaders don’t just chase short-term wins—they stay focused on long-term outcomes, even when the path gets tough.

This often means doubling down on three things:

• Your purpose: Staying true to your mission, even when resistance comes.

• Your growth: Committing to ongoing learning and professional development.

• Your team: Supporting colleagues and building trust that lasts.

Commitment builds credibility, and credibility builds influence.

4. Be One

No company succeeds without unity. Misalignment between teams, departments, or leadership levels can quietly erode even the most promising businesses.

Research from McKinsey shows that companies with highly aligned leadership teams are more than twice as likely to deliver above-average financial performance. Unity doesn’t mean everyone thinks the same way—it means everyone is pulling in the same direction.

In business, alignment is the difference between wasted energy and breakthrough momentum.

Rooted Culture, Lasting Impact

Culture is not a slogan on the wall—it’s the root system that sustains growth, even in storms. By being focused, resilient, committed, and unified, leaders create a culture where people don’t just show up to work—they show up with ownership.

At Maverick Leadership Group, that’s our challenge and our invitation: don’t just participate. Take ownership. Because the mission is too important to be left to chance.

Courageous Leaders

Courageous Leadership in a Fearful World

Every generation faces challenges that feel overwhelming. What’s different today is the speed at which fear, negativity, and division can spread. With a single post, doubt and criticism ripple through organizations, teams, and entire industries.

That’s why courage is no longer optional for leaders. It’s essential.

Why Courage Matters in Leadership

Research shows that people are hungrier than ever for growth, purpose, and direction. Yet, at the same time, leaders are leaving their posts at record numbers—burning out, discouraged, or simply overwhelmed by the pace of change.

This creates a gap. People are still searching for meaning, but there are fewer guides willing to lead them. And if they don’t find guidance from principled leaders, they’ll find it elsewhere—sometimes in less trustworthy places.

The moment calls for leaders with courage: the kind who step forward when others step back.

Courage Isn’t the Absence of Fear

One of the biggest misconceptions about courage is that it means being fearless. In reality, the most courageous leaders feel fear, but they act in spite of it.

Science even supports this. Neuroscience shows that courage isn’t just an inborn trait—it’s a cognitive ability that can be developed. Courage grows when we consistently practice it, even in small ways.

At its core, courage is the voluntary decision to persevere in the face of fear.

Portraits of Courage in Action

History gives us countless examples of leaders who embodied courage:

• Winston Churchill stood firm against Nazi aggression during World War II, even when Britain stood alone and the outcome was far from certain.

• Rosa Parks displayed quiet but world-changing courage by refusing to give up her bus seat—sparking a movement that reshaped history.

• General Dwight D. Eisenhower accepted the crushing responsibility of launching D-Day, knowing failure could doom the Allied cause and cost thousands of lives.

• Apple’s Steve Jobs returned to a struggling company he’d once been ousted from, and—despite skepticism—transformed it into one of the most innovative businesses in history.

• Sheryl Sandberg (COO of Meta, author of Lean In) showed courage by publicly sharing personal tragedy and advocating for women in leadership, giving voice to millions facing similar struggles.

What ties these examples together isn’t simply bravery. It’s that their courage was rooted in a why—a clear sense of purpose or mission greater than themselves.

How Leaders Can Strengthen Courage

Courage doesn’t come only in grand moments. It grows in the small, daily choices leaders make. Here are three ways to cultivate it:

1. Have the courage to go first. Like the vanguard of an army, leaders take the brunt of resistance. Whether it’s launching a bold new strategy or admitting when something isn’t working, going first requires risk—but it also clears the way for others.

2. Have the courage to follow. Great leadership isn’t about ego; it’s about humility. Military officers follow their chain of command. Business executives rely on advisors and frontline employees. True leaders know when to listen, learn, and take direction.

3. Have the courage to make a way for others. Leaders create opportunity. Think of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who not only led but opened doors for generations after him. Or leaders in business who mentor, sponsor, and develop their teams—investing in others rather than clinging to the spotlight.

What a Courageous Culture Looks Like

How do you know when courage has shaped your culture?

• People raise concerns early rather than silently watching problems grow.

• Teams bring solutions, not just critiques.

• Innovation becomes the norm, because fear of failure no longer paralyzes.

• Trust is assumed, not earned reluctantly.

In short, people stop defining themselves by their insecurities—and start leading from a place of strength.

The Bottom Line

The world doesn’t need more critics; it needs more courageous leaders. It NEEDS Mavericks. Leaders who step forward when it’s uncomfortable, who ground themselves in purpose, and who act not for recognition but for the good of others.

Fear will always be present. But so will the opportunity to lead with courage. The question is: when the moment comes, will you step up? Will you lead like a MAVERICK?