Trad Team Leadership in Two Dimensions

As another trad climbing season comes to an end, I am reflecting on the experiences I had this summer leading teams of Pitt graduate and undergraduate students at Seneca Rocks. Even easy routes at Seneca hold much thrill for new climbers. They don't know if they can do the climb. They are dealing with the exposure of being high up on rock for the first time. And they don't know who I am; all they know is that I've volunteered to take them to the top. Well, maybe the fact that I am on the other side of young and that I am a professor grants me an advance of respect.

Traditional climbing, or trad climbing, requires the lead climber to advance by about one rope length, a pitch, while placing removable mechanical pieces and devices into the rock and securing the rope to it. The so-called second belays the lead climber by holding the other end of the rope and feeding it through a belay device with which s/he can break the leader's fall, should one occur. Once the leader completes the pitch, the second climbs and removes the pieces from the rock on the way up. After each pitch, climbing partners tend to swap roles; the second takes the lead on the second pitch of the climb, and the leader of the first pitch becomes the second. This goes on for as many pitches as there are until the summit is reached. Trad climbing partners are in a dyadic peer relationship which allows for role reversals.

Lead climbing on trad gear always has its challenges. While I have trad lead for a number of years, I am a quite recent trad team leader. Being the leader of the climbing team is an enormous challenge. Now there is a third or even fourth person involved in the climb. They have much less experience than the leader or the second. Leading a team is a formidable challenge because the leader is responsible for everything the team does or fails to do.

Teams are small groups composed of members who share the same goals, and who must coordinate their activities to accomplish these goals. I have two goals when I lead students on multi-pitch trad climbs.

First, I want everyone to make it to the summit, and back down to the ground safely.

Second, I want everyone to feel joy and gain a sense of accomplishment from the climb.

What behaviors might be helpful to assist the leader's goals for multi-pitch trad teams?

A useful model to consider in the context of leading rock climbs is Blake and Mouton's Managerial Grid*. The complex realm of possible leader behaviors is reduced to two dimension. The beauty of this two-dimensional approach lies in its simplicity. The leaders' two main concerns are for the task and for the people. Two factors are easy to memorize. And two things are easy enough to strive to improve on, and to remember even under duress.

Task orientation forms the first dimension of the managerial grid. This dimension of behavior involves the leader's concern for accomplishing the task. Task-oriented behaviors that are particularly relevant for effective leadership are planning, clarifying, and monitoring.

Planning begins with visualizing the entire climb beforehand, and deciding what to do, how to do it, who will do what, and when it will be done. This includes contingency planning, the development of procedures for avoiding or coping with potential problems or disasters. Planning is a cognitive ability that takes considerable time, and improves as the leader gains experience from having put plans into action. Planning includes:

> Decide which route to take to the summit.
> Visualize each pitch, its start, cruxes, and anchors.
> Determine how to put together the rope team.
> Identify the desired sequencing of climbers on each pitch, and on the rapel down.
> Estimate the time needed to complete the climb.
> Decide what kind and how much gear and clothing, food and drink supplies to take.
> Determine who will be accountable for each necessary task.
> Determine the timing and deadlines for each pitch, and possible escape plans.

Clarifying is the communication of the goals, the plan, and the roles of each member. The roles carry expectations and responsibilities for each team member. This communication, in the case of leading students for the ECP or POC, begins as the team forms the evening before the climb. It is in part a discussion of everyone's abilities, goals, aspirations, and fears. The leader takes this into account, and then plans for the day's activities with the objective to maximize each team member's potential while taking responsibility for the team's safety. On the day of the climb, I usually conduct an extensive briefing before I start up the fist pitch. I tell the team about the climb in some detail, so that each member can also begin to visualize it. Even a competent and motivated student might fail to perform on a particular climb if confused about the nature of the venture and what is required of each individual. It is important to give specific tasks to each team member, and to explain to each one what competencies and responsibilities are involved. This is the moment when the leader gives trust and confidence to the team. Clarifying involves:

> Talk about the entire climb, and what is involved in its individual pitches.
> Review the objectives for the climb (a) everyone will summit, (b) everybody is going to have a good time.
> Go over the sequencing of the climbers, and who will do what when.
> Delineate the power and responsibility arrangements for the climb.
> Tell each team member what their role is, why, and which tasks this role require.
> Explain how to execute each task, and how it fits the whole.
> Explain the consequences of failure at the task, and how to avoid it.
> Talk about the responsibilities of every team member, emphasizing how there is no turning back on their commitment once the climb starts.
> Go over the formal aspects of the communication on the climb.
> Check for comprehension.

Monitoring involves observing and assisting team members on the climb. It also entails checking the team's progress against the plan. The leader and other experienced team members must also monitor the environment of the climbing situation, such as changes in the weather, or other unexpected occurrences which might have the potential of affecting the climb as initially planned. Monitoring requires:

> Pay attention to the performance and the mental and emotional state of each individual team member.
> Intervene as needed.
> Monitor the team's progress on the climb against the plan.
> Review progress after each pitch, and explain adjustments to the original plan, as needed.
> Scan for environmental climbing hazards, review them with the team.

People orientation is the second dimension of the managerial grid. People-oriented behavior involves leader concern for people and interpersonal relationships. The leader acts in a responsible, confident, friendly, and supportive manner and shows trust in the ability, and concern for the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of team members. This behavior includes treating every member of the team as an equal human being, showing appreciation for their skills and fears, and helping them develop as climbers. In this way, the leader helps to maintain and grow the self efficacy of team members. People-oriented behaviors that are especially relevant for effective leadership are supporting, developing, and recognizing.

Supporting includes showing consideration, acceptance, and trust in each team member as an individual, and being responsive to their needs and feelings. Students who climb with supportive leaders will be more satisfied with their leader and their climb. Supporting behaviors are:

> Be polite and considerate, not superior, arrogant, or rude.
> Show acceptance and positive regard for each team members abilities.
> Treat each team member as an individual.
> Be patient and helpful when giving instruction.
> Provide sympathy and support when the team member is anxious, afraid, or frustrated.
> Express confidence in the team members when there is a difficult task such as a hard climbing move or a threatening situation.
> Provide assistance as needed.

Developing includes coaching to increase team members' skill and confidence. The leader gains a sense of satisfaction from developing less experienced team members. Developing behaviors include:

> Serve as a role model by demonstrating the appropriate behavior.
> Decide when to intervene, and when to allow team members to learn from experience.
> Provide opportunities to learn from experience.
> Help each team member learn how to solve a problem rather than just providing the answer.
> Assist each team member identify relevant strengths and weaknesses.
> Provide constructive feedback about effective and ineffective behaviors.
> Suggest specific things that could improve each climber's performance.
> Demonstrate a better way to complete a task.
> Express confidence the team members can learn to execute the task.
> At the end of the day, have a team debriefing (if the situation permits).

Recognizing the individual team member and the entire team for their accomplishment is a very important aspect in helping new climbers strive to reach their full potential. It is natural for people who successfully embark on a new experience, to want to be praised for it. Recognizing behaviors involve:

> Recognize a team member's successful task execution, or fear management.
> Recognize commendable efforts that failed.
> Provide recognition that is sincere and timely.
> Buy them some beer and pizza at the Front Porch.

Everybody feels a little happier when being recognized. Articulating praise for team members' individual, and for the entire team's collective achievements, is a source of joy and pride for the leader.

In summary, the effective leader of multi-pitch trad teams will strive to be high-high, or 9,9, on both dimensions of the Managerial Grid: task and people. Task orientation is my passion. I love a well thought-out and structured climbing venture. People orientation is my compassion. I feel deeply concerned about every aspect of the safety and well-being of my team members. I am proud when my team members gain self efficacy, the belief in their own ability, from a climb with me. I greatly enjoy when a sense of team spirit develops. I like to see happy faces and proud postures at the end of the day. And I love it best when I see my former students out there again on the rock.


*Much of the writing on leader behavior in this entry was taken, with only slight adaptation, from the following book: Gary Yukl, “Leadership in Organizations”, 2006, 6th edition, Pearson Prentice Hall.

End of Season at Seneca

Bonfire

The stars
over my head as I breathe in
peace.

What Sustains a Leader When All is Going Wrong?

With the death of Dr. Amy Stine on October 11, 2008, came the realization that one of us died climbing at Seneca Rocks. This realization is so different from book knowledge, or hearing about another deadly season at Mt. Everest on the news. It is knowledge gained through a lived experience. It's the difference between knowing on the surface, and knowing deep down. It is about how I now feel about leading after I have experienced its consequences through the death of someone I knew.

Last Saturday, a mere week after Amy's death, I returned to Seneca Rocks. I had signed up earlier in the term to lead a team of Pitt undergraduate students from the Pitt Outdoors Club. It was a very difficult experience, because everyone knew about Amy and was anxious, and because a lot went wrong on our climb. Joey, Thalia, Toni, and I, took ten hours and fifteen minutes “door-to-door” to climb “Young Ladies”. And although I learned a lot from this climb, I paid a high price for this new knowledge. I am grateful that we made it down the mountain safely and that all of us were in good spirits at the end of the day. The bonfire at the end-of-season celebration was spectacular under the Milky Way, and the company was vibrant.

Leadership becomes different once death is involved. My teachers Donna, Indy, and Bob, have had experiences of falling, injury, and death, on multi-pitch, trad climbs. They grappled with these difficult issues before me, and they shared their thoughts and feelings with me while I struggled these past weeks with my own thoughts about my short- and long-term future as a lead climber. In the wake of Amy's death, they helped me to return to trad leading. But on my first day out, so much went wrong. Will this experience dishearten me?

What sustains a leader when all is going wrong?

Leadership comes with responsibility. To paraphrase the U.S. Army: The leader is responsible for everything the team does or fails to do.

Sometimes the mountain allows us to see what we already knew with greater clarity. What sustains me as a leader when all goes wrong, is my passion to discharge my leadership responsibility to the best of my ability, and my compassion for the people on my team.

I once backed off from a leadership position when the responsibility for the people in my care became too much for me to bear. Yet as leaders in our professional environments, we are merely responsible for our subordinate's careers or livelihoods. Even that can be a heavy burden.

Leadership on the rocks feels much harder to me now than leading in my other arenas, science and academia. Leadership on the rocks can be the difference between life and death.

PS.

Last week, after the outing with POC, Dr. Peggy Heely, with whom I co-teach the Senior Leadership Seminar at Pitt, asked me to come up with a make-up assignment for students who missed a portion of seminar when the class interviews visiting leaders. After each of our leadership interviews, students are assigned to write a reflective paper to connect one question & answer from the interview to a leadership theory which we read and discussed in class as well as to a personal experience; and they must write about how their new insights from theory and experience will shape their own future as leaders. The internet is a rich resource – and I found that

Sir Chris Bonington has this to say on “What sustains a leader when all is going wrong?”

The Death of Dr. Amy Stine

On October 11, 2008, my fellow Pittsburgh climber Dr. Amy Stine fell to her death while trad leading Streptococcus (rated 5.9 G) on the North Peak East Face of Seneca Rocks, WV.

The day Amy died was a beautiful fall day. She died doing what she loved, climbing, and she died from her fall instantly.

I had met Amy and her husband Bill, who belayed her on her last climb, through the sport we love. Amy was a joyful climber; and she climbed with much grace. Amy had Bill, who shared her love for climbing. Amy and Bill were out climbing together on many weekends. I remember vividly the pleasure of Bill and Amy's company around the camp fire at Princess Snowbird, where we tell the stories of our rock adventures.

It is almost two weeks later now, and still I struggle with my thoughts and feelings about the accident. Amy was the first climber I personally knew to perish on a climb. While knowing that trad leading has inherent dangers of injury and death, it is quite different experiencing the death of a fellow climber.

Climbing has risks, owing to environmental circumstance as well as human error, but l am quite aware of that at all times. I accept that risk. I manage that risk together with my climbing partners. I feel so alive when my body moves over the rock, when my mind is completely in the very moment, my motions are one with my mind.

When an accident happens, the ones close to us who do not climb raise their voices in concern. Why do you have to do this? Why do you climb?

My dad, an Olympic hopeful in rowing, understands and once articulated so well why I climb. He calls it the Koerpergefuehl, which the web tells me translates to coenesthesia. “Coenesthesia (according to dictionary.com) -- the aggregate of impressions arising from organic sensations that forms the basis of one's awareness of body or bodily state, as the feeling of health, vigor, or lethargy.” I climb because I love the bodily feeling of moving up on rock. But there is more. I love that climbing is complicated enough to completely absorb my thoughts and focus them in the moment and on task; because facing death helps me decide to continue to live. Once, while climbing, I experienced flow. This is something I have only felt climbing.

One of us was taken by the rock. What lessons have I learned from Amy's death?

To lead first and foremost requires that we lead ourselves.

The following options lay before me after Amy's death.
I could discontinue trad leading.
I could discontinue trad climbing.
I could stop to lead.
I could stop to climb.
Last Saturday I went back to Seneca to lead students from the University of Pittsburgh Outdoors Club. It was a very difficult experience. But I found that I had decided.

Knowing that I will continue to trad lead, the leadership questions in front of me now and for the future are different ones. How will I do even better to ensure the safety for all members of my team? How will I continue to bring to the outside the joy I feel on the inside when I climb? How will I do so in spite of all I know, and how will I share both, my knowledge and my joy, with others?

Lessons Learned from Amy:

Climb for life.
Climb for the love of it.
Climb with people you love, and people you want to come to love.
Climb to better understand yourself and others.
Climb safely.
Climb with joy.

Amy's death was sudden. I chose the lyrics below as my death poem for her.

does anybody really know the secret
or the combination for this life
and where they keep it
its kinda sad when u dont know the meanin
but everything happens for a reason (everything happens for a reason)
i dont even know what i should say
cause im an idiot
a loser, microphone abuser
i analyze every second i exist
beatin on my mind every second with my fists

and everybody wanna run (wanna run)
everybody wanna hide from the gun (hide from the gun)
you can take a ride through this life if you want
but you cant take the edge off the knife (no sir)
and now you want your money back (money back)
but your denied cause your brains fried from the sack
and there aint nothin i can do

cause life is a lesson
you learn it when your through

(Excerpt from Limp Bizkit – Take A Look Around. )

My First “First Ascent”

Trip Report

I have experienced most of my outdoor “firsts” in the company of Dr. Bob, Rayman, and Tim. This year alone, while traipsing through the wilds of Western Pennsylvania with them, I dry-tooled my first rock climb, learned how to cross a raging creek by joining a human tripod, saw my first Hellgrammite, built my first trail, and got a first ascent.

On Sunday, July 6, I made my first ever first ascent. I'd been present for other first ascents, most notably, with Indy at Cumberland, but I never had done one myself. So here goes.

Tim and other local PA activists have recently been climbing on some cliffs off of the Ohiopyle Bike Trail. Rayman, and Tim and Laura, have done most of the development, and have generously shared the new cliffs with us big-city climbers from the 'burgh.


Well, eventually the Park Service noticed the activity. Not that climbing in a PA State Park is illegal. But, they were concerned about the environmental impact of too many climbers accessing the cliffs, in particular as regards erosion.

I understand Tim and Laura had the opportunity to meet with two park rangers. And it turned out that there was a solution with mutual benefit to all. Being a local attraction/vacation destination, with Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater house, ample opportunities for hiking, kayaking, rafting, swimming and biking, a well developed climbing area would have the potential of further positive economic impact on the region.

The Park Service, so I heard, had a geological study done of the cliffs near Bruner Run, where kayakers and rafters take out their boats. The cliffs were deemed pretty solid and devoid of much loose rock, in other words, they were thought good cliffs to climb on by the geologists. The park rangers then flagged a possible access trail to the cliffs which would minimize the erosion of the hillside once large parties of guided climbing parties would begin to climb there.

All the Park Service needed was some local climbers to set up routes, and some volunteers to prepare the trail. So... Tim offered he would get volunteers to put in the trail and the routes and in exchange, the Park Service gave him a key to access the road that leads to the cliff, access to their tool shack (drool), and promised to cover expenses for anchors and bolts. How sweet its that!

Tim, Laura, Dr. Bob, Toni and I headed there on Sunday, armed with tools I had never seen, like a McLoud. Unfortunately, Tiziana, Rupert, and Nick, who tried to join as later, were unable to get to the area.

Tim explained how to make a trail, and we started to play in the mud! We prepped about 75 yards of trail, and engineered a log bridge and several stone stairs. Fun, fun.

Then, finally, it was time to climb. I walked along the cliff and looked at possible routes. Then, Dr. Bob went up to the cliff top and was kind enough to drop a toprope on what was to my mind the easiest route I had seen. I got to climb the line first; Toni belayed. There was some amount of loose rock that I trundled. And so, when I found out that this was indeed a new route and that I would get to name it, the first name that popped into my mind was “Trundlequeen”.

I thought the route should be graded 5.7. It was definitely harder than 5.5 and easier than 5.8. I was not sure whether it should be 5.6 or 5.7. The cliff was quite wet and somewhat dirty, so it might have felt harder to me on that day than it would on a dry day or once the route was cleaned of dirt. On the other hand, the route wanders a bit, and, while all the holds are there, one does have to look around for feet and work things out. Considering also that this is supposed to become an area for teaching new climbers, I thought there was no point in sandbagging this route by calling it a 5.6. A 5.7 grade seemed merited.

Toni, Dr. Bob, and Tim climbed the route as well, to confirm my assessment. Toni and Dr. Bob agreed with my 5.7 rating. Tim thought it could be a 5.6, also, renewing my doubts. But, then Laura chimed in that Tim only climbs very hard grades; and she thought he did not remember what an easy grade ought to feel like. A consensus was finally reached to grade the climb 5.7.

So here it is:



Tundlequeen, 5.7
FA: Regina Schulte-Ladbeck and Toni Price
6 July 2008
Bruner Run Take Out.






Leadership Reflections

Legacy is a strong leadership motivator. We can decided to organize our lives toward the legacy we wish to leave, and act accordingly.

We need witnesses to leave a legacy. Most of the time accomplishing anything in concert with, and to the approval of, others, is hard work. Yet it can also be very rewarding. There are many leaders whose leadership acts have been recorded, and judged. Their names are part of history.

Most of us have the desire and the drive to leave something behind to immortalize our existence. For many of us, having children is our legacy. Our children will remember us, talk about us, and will enact our lessons (so we hope), long after we are gone. As teachers we have many opportunities to influence and guide lives. We are rewarded when we learn that our progeny succeeded to find purpose and happiness through our teachings, and possibly, eventually superseded us. A scientists legacy takes the form of the tomes of knowledge that we produce. Our reward is in the recognition afforded us when other scientists refer to our contributions and build on them. When we publish, we do not perish.

The rocks the Appalachians have been here for 300 Million years. Perhaps they were climbed by many others before us. Though there is no record of the deeds of our forefathers that we know of (other than one purple sling). And so, from now on, let it be known that, with help from Tim and Laura, Dr. Bob, and Toni, I saw and climbed a line at the Bruner Run Take Out cliffs, and that it shall be called “Trundlequeen”.

There is more than one way to leave a legacy.


To Grow List

1. “The legacy you leave is the life you lead”
(Kouzes & Posner, 2006, A Leader's Legacy, ISBN 0787092962)

2. You can realize good things with good planning and preparation;
you can accomplish exceptional things in the company of exceptional people

3. Remember humility.

How to Lead 5.9*

Trip Report

I led my first 5.9 sports route on Friday, July 4th. It was “Souled Out” at Summersville. I had attempted 5.9 leads in the past, but had not finished an entire route before.

How did I do it? First, I spent much of the 3h drive from Pittsburgh envisioning that I'd lead a 5.9. I also told myself I was ready this season: I had good preparation climbing in the Baltimore gym in April and early May, and did well climbing outdoors and toproping harder grades in May and June. Then, after warming up on Hippie Dreams, where my performance was so-so, I did notice that Souled Out was open, and I decided I wanted to do it.

My main issue with leading above 5.7, really, is fear of falling. This is not an entirely irrational fear, since falling can result in injury. Now, Souled Out has several redeeming features. First off, after the first bolt, it is straight up, even has a small overhang, in the difficult sections. This meant that any potential fall would give me airtime but I wouldn't hit any ledges. Also, I had toproped this climb several times before. I never got it cleanly, but I trusted that I'd be focusing better on lead. So, I set out to do it.

I approached the climb from the ledge, which is about 12 feet off the ground and one can walk onto it from Hippie Dreams. The first bolt is another 12 feet or so above the ledge. Francesca came up to the ledge with me and insisted to stick-clip the first bolt for me. She did, but the when she pulled on the stick, it separated, leaving half of it hanging off the bolt. At this point, quite a few of the other climbers at Orange Oswald gave us doubtful looks... Nevertheless, and quite courageously, Francesca stepped up into the climb a few feet and pulled the stick off the bolt. Then it was time for me to climb.

Michelle put me on belay. I climbed up to the bolt, and sat on it. I sat on it for a very long time, because I just could not see how to get to the second bolt. The bolts at Summersville are quite far apart, 6-8 feet – see fear of falling above. I finally got a sequence worked out and went for it. I got the second bolt to Michelle and Francesca's cheers.

I sat again as soon as I clipped bolt #2. The next bolt was actually not too hard to get to, and I figured out the moves quickly. But then there was this mini overhang in the route. It was not a roof or anything like that, in other words, I thought it would not be hard to pull, and it wasn't. But it was enough of an overhang so that once I moved above it with my upper body, I could no longer see my feet. I spent a long time here, going up, and down, and assessing the possibilities. I finally used my friend Cindy H.'s advice, and put chalk marks on all the possible foot holds – makes them look bigger, she says. I also drew some lines downward from the three best feet so I would be able to find them once I stepped up. The feet I finally chose were to the left of the bolt, and the hand holds I found were to the right of the bolt. So, hands right, feet left, I stepped up. I found a handhold up and left and shifted my weight over my feet. Then I threw my right leg onto the lip of the overhang and cranked, hoping for the best. Well, it worked!

After that, the climb backed off to about a 5.8. Another 2 bolts, and I made the anchors.

Later in the day I also led That Eight, but felt pretty weak on it. I had rained lightly on and off, and water had collected in some of the holds. Or maybe I was just exhausted.

After climbing, Michelle, Francesca and I swam in the lake. It did start to rain in earnest finally, and it was fun to watch the shapes that the rain drops made hitting and dragging tear-shaped droplets back up from the lake surface.

And then Michelle and Francesca bought me some beer and pizza, to celebrate our excellent day together. Michelle and I exchanged our squids; and we are now squid sisters. (You have to ask her about Jose Jalapeño to understand, watching this clip might help you get an idea.) Thanks for your support, guys, and for a great 4^th of July, on a steeek!

* The title of this entry was adapted from the title of Eric Hörst's book “How to Climb 5.12”. His book “Training for Climbing” introduced me to two concepts which have been important to my climbing, sacrifice, and the Law of Practice. I now have to come to know the latter as the “10-year rule” (see “The Expert Mind” by Philip E. Ross in Scientific American, 2006, Vol. 295, No. 2, p. 64). It basically states that deliberate and prolonged practice is important in mastering any field. I also occasionally re-read Arno Ilgners' book “The Rock Warrior's Way”. Both, Eric and Arno, write about how to manage fear, and I continuously draw on their experiences to help me manage my fear of falling. Both point out how visualizing a performance helps achieve it. My successful attempt at leading Souled Out was definitely influenced by this advice. Arno talks about the importance of gathering information (cf. the chapter on Accepting Responsibility). I was able to open my mind to a lot more holds than I would have seen, had I not thought about Arno's insights. And perhaps two summers of trad climbing helped.

Leadership Reflections

Fear can result from taking risks, for ourselves, or with the lives or livelihoods of those whom we are trusted to lead.

Gathering and evaluating information is key in helping us manage risks. A technical risk has odds for which probabilities might be calculable. Many of the risks involved in climbing are technical in nature and can be managed with skill and experience. Yet in leadership, many risks are political. The relationships between people and their different cultures are often complex; the perceptions of an action, however well intentioned, not always predictable. Reading the politics of a situation is a leadership art much more than a leadership science.

All too often, accepting a greater risk holds promises of higher rewards. Risk for some of us, some of the time, can be a thrilling rush. Fear can be the warning sign that keeps us from trying to achieve our goals at a price we should not be willing to pay. This is when to back off may be the better choice.

But sometimes the situation requires us to act in the face of fear. Should we?

“Fear is the mind-killer.”^ In climbing and in leadership, when we fear, we loose clarity of thought. Knowing ourselves is instrumental in helping us to decide when fears are founded in reason, and when phantom fears obstruct our vision. Conquering the fears that stem for our inner dialog may be an ever-lasting battle. But, with deliberate and prolonged practice, we may yet best ourselves one day.

Choosing which action to take, in climbing and in leadership, requires skill, experience, and a calm and clear mind. Some call this wisdom.

To Grow List

I must not fear.

Fear is the mind-killer.

Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.

I will face my fear.

I will permit it to pass over me and through me.

And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.

Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.

Only I will remain. ^

^ Herbert, Frank (1965). Dune. ISBN 0-441-17271-7.

Leading Teams for the Explorers Club of Pittsburgh Rock School Graduation Climb 2008

Trip Report

On June 7 & 8, 2008, I led two teams for the Explorers Club of Pittsburgh Rock School Graduation Climb.

Toni was my second/co-leader. We drove to Seneca together on Friday the 6^th to get ready. Toni had not done any trad climbing yet this season, and we both felt that we should practice multi-pitch trad climbing together before taking on a student.

Upon our arrival, the thermometer on the Front Porch read 98 degrees Fahrenheit. The bad news was that it would stay this hot all weekend. The good news was that it didn't rain for once on a Seneca weekend!!! I particularly liked that, since I am not a happy camper under the best of circumstances, and rain definitely puts a damper on sleeping in at tent for me. No rain was very good.

We decided to warm up (ha) on something on the East Face, since the Sun had come around to the West Face by the time we got going. A fave of ours, since it was the first trad climb we ever led together, is Worrell's Thicket. I led up; then we made our way across the Broadway Ledges together, roping up twice for small, harder sections. I led up East Face to Gunsight Notch, and then after Toni joined me, we belayed each other passed my anchor to the rappel tree on top of Banana for our descent.

On Saturday our student was Jess. I was sure Old Ladies would be the right climb for us. It is easy and not too exposed. After breakfast at the 4U, Toni and I picked up Jess in the campground and off we went. Jess had no trouble walking up the stairmaster and making the scrambles to the start of the first pitch. I took time talking to Jess and Toni before we started, going over what the climb entailed and what we would do, what I expected Jess to do, and how we all would communicate. I would lead the climb on two singles, with Jess tied in on the yellow rope and Toni on the orange rope. Toni would belay me up. Then Jess would come up and unclip her rope, yellow, while leaving orange in the pro for Toni. Toni would climb up last and clean the pitch. We would repeat this procedure on all three pitches of Old Ladies. Jess did a great job and made it to the somewhat exposed belay stance at the end of pitch #1 all smiles. She was telling us about her husband, Jeff, who was on another ECP team, and she hoped he was having a good time.

After copious rope management and switching gear, I headed into the second pitch. It is mostly a traverse, with one move at the start. I usually climb down from the belay station, then place a piece in a flake, and pull that one move into the traverse. This time, I was concerned about protecting the traverse well for Jess, and, after stepping up on the flake, I placed another piece, my green DMM cam, high above the flake. All went well for Jess; she came over to the second belay and continued to be all smiles. Toni, on the other hand, took a lot of time coming over. Since we couldn't see her, and the batteries on our radios had died Friday night, it was not clear what exactly was delaying her. When she finally joined us at the second belay, she told us that she had tried for a very long time, but she just could not get that green cam out. I thought that I might have placed the cam too high for her to reach comfortably, considering she is about a foot smaller than I am (see picture). We knew that there was another ECP team behind us that had queued up for Old Ladies, and we hoped they would see my cam and get it out.

Off we went into the last pitch. Jess got to be surprised when she topped out. Her husband Jeff, who had just made it up the final pitch of Old Man's with his team led by Bill, was waiting to greet her. Oh, romance on the rocks! After a bit of chit chat with the other team and some rest, our team carried on toward the summit, leaving one rope and most gear behind. Then our team happily summited.

This is when major delays started to set in. There were 5 other teams on the summit. Bill's team which included Jeff, and Bob's team which included Olga, were up there with us enjoying the view while writing in the summit register. That was 9 people. Then 2 teams passed through from the north, while yet another ECP team tried to come up from the south. It was a major congestion. I have no idea how long we sat on the summit, but I do know that I got serious sunburn on my shoulders and that I did run out of water there. Finally, it was our time to descend from the summit. Bob graciously offered to give us all a belay. I was grateful for that since the unroped downclimb from the summit continues to make me feel nervous. Thanks, Bob!

Then it was time for the double-rope rappel off Traffic Jam. Aptly named, we encountered more congestion. There was a team climbing the Traffic Jam climb also, and I waited to go through to the anchor, belayed by Toni, until they were well off the ground. Then, before I could belay Jess over to the anchors, yet another team decided they were in such a hurry to descend that they needed to pass our team, and use the tree instead of the anchor bolts to get down to the Neck Press anchors. Once they had cleared out of the way, I belayed Jess and Toni over to the Traffic Jam rappel anchors. We all looked at the setup and ingrained into our minds – pull orange! Toni was the first to rappel; her job was to clear the rope and to give a fireman's belay to Jess who would go second. With a 220 foot rappel to master, Jess once again showed the true spirit of a Rock School graduate and got it done in style. I was to go last, but it turned out another ECP team had patiently been waiting to do the final pitch of Old Man's while all the rappelling was going on, and they requested to come up next. I agreed, and waited for their team to make it passed me. Finally, it was my turn to get off the rock. When I touched down, I had been 3 hours without water (although I did get some sips from Toni who still had some), and I was ready to be done and get my team safely all the way to the parking lot.

Toni and I headed straight to Harper's General Store to purchase some ice cold beer. Being a German, I believe beer works best for serious re-hydration. Pack in hand, we transported ourselves over to the swimming hole, where we met up with Jess, Jeff, and a lot of other hot and sweaty happy climbers for a well deserved cool down.

While none of our other ECP teams retrieved my DMM cam on Saturday, I was lucky enough that it was still on Old Ladies on Sunday, when Jeff B. and his team climbed the climb. Jeff did get it out and returned it to me. Thank you so much, Jeff.

Sunday would be a shorter day for Toni and I, since we planned to drive back to Pittsburgh. Jess and Jeff decided to leave in the morning, foregoing climbing on Sunday, and for a while, we thought we would be without a student. But then, Olga decided to join us. She reasoned it would be a good experience for her to climb with a different team on day 2 of her graduation weekend. So we had another all women's team!

Considering departure times and temperature issues, I decided against a summit attempt (Olga had summited on Saturday and was happy with that). Instead, we would just do the first pitch of Totem, the Buttress. I led up, and, using just one rope, belayed Olga up tied in to the middle, and then Toni, tied to the end, all the while enjoying watching Sid leading Candy Corner and Jim and Erik leading Roy Gap Chimneys. We had a good time hanging out in the anchor and talking with Olga about setting up toprope (we agreed we had enough time to do the climb again).

By the time all three of us had rappelled back down, Erik and Rick had cruised on over, waiting for their turn on Candy Corner. They asked us if they could take a run on our toprope. We readily agreed, under the condition that they would allow Olga to belay them so she could get additional practice in. So they did, and Toni and I in turn backed up Olga's belay while they did the climb. Time was running out once all of that was done with, and we decided that Toni should just go up and clean Totem, while I belayed. To keep things interesting for Olga, I handed her my rack and sent her off to place some gear at the bottom left of Totem and towards the Cave. Toni and I would later come and critique the placement of the pieces. Think “Rock Idol”, or “Project Rock School”.

I believe Olga really got a kick out of that. She set to work with great determination and joy. Olga did a fine job placing several cams and nuts. She parked my purple DMM cam so well, that we all fiddled with it for the longest time before I managed to get it back out. All's well that ends well!

Note on Olga – not only is she a good climber, she is also VERY funny. And for a non-native English speaker, she does verbal humor beautifully! We were entertained a great deal by her various insightful and offbeat remarks.

On our way down to the parking lot, Toni and I introduced Olga and Erik to Dr. Bob's pagan ritual of thanking the Rock Goddess for letting us climb safely another day (Jess and Rick had been inducted earlier). It involves dipping a body part into the creek. Thanks, guys, for agreeing to giving thanks in this way. Another good day of climbing was had by all!

It was my pleasure to meet and climb with Jess and Olga. Thanks Toni, Jess, and Olga, for trusting in my leadership and for showing me such a good time. Thank you Phil, our long-time organizer, and Jeff B., for putting the teams together for this trip. You did a fine job.

Leadership Reflections

Trust is important, in climbing and in leadership. As leaders, we must have trust in ourselves. And we have to trust in each of our team members. As team members we have to have trust in our leader and also, in ourselves, and in our peers.

Trust takes time to develop. It builds incrementally and accumulates the more interactions we have with one another. We know from experience to which extend we trust a family member or a friend. But how, then, as in the trip described above, can we trust a complete stranger, and how can a stranger possibly trust us, especially under circumstances that involve physical danger?

The ability to develop trust quickly can be important in assuring a positive outcome of our joint ventures. It is therefore worthwhile to inquire how trusting may be expedited.

Interestingly, recent research on trust finds that it is a chemical reaction mediated by the molecule oxytocin (yep, our feelings are run by chemicals in the brain). Read in “The Neurobiology of Trust” by Paul J. Zahn in Scientific American (2008, Vol . 298, Issue 6) about research using the “trust game” that is beginning to uncover how the human brain determines when to trust someone.

The bottom line is this: give trust to someone, and that person will very likely reciprocate and be trustworthy (in 98 % of cases in lab studies, not bad!). This occurs thanks to an increase in oxytocin levels generate by the initial act of trust.

The implication of this research is that we can jumpstart trust among our team members, by simply “trusting forward”.

Giving our trust to others, versus making others earn our trust, is a strategy for team building worth exploring in the field. Stay tuned for updates!

To Grow List

• Give trust to your team members

• Explain the process, and your expectations of everyone's responsibility in it

• Help your team visualize a positive experience

• Engage in continuous and honest two-way communication with your team

• Behave trustworthily.

The Leadership Certificate: Combining Liberal-Arts and Experiential Learning

Leadership on the Rocks

The Beginning

Most of what I've learned about leadership I've learned from climbing rocks. This is a sad comment on what I've learned about leadership in my #1 career, as a scientist.

I started rock climbing in winter 2000 in the Pittsburgh climbing gym, The Climbing Wall, Inc. Thanks, Donna, my climbing mommie!

The leadership lessons I learned rock climbing have affected many parts of my personal and professional life. For once, I could never have served as Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies for the School of Arts and Sciences had I not been a rock climber. Being a rock climber was what got me the job!

As an academic, I am used to publish what I learn. But where do you publish your thoughts about leadership, on the rocks, and off?