What's required to reach the top of the world? - my presentation made to London Business School MBA students on Oct 25th 2012.

1. Aim High!
Atte Miettinen
25 October 2012

3. Me
• 36 years
• MBA, London Business School
• Four start-up’s in it / telecoms
• Lived abroad for +10 years: USA, Singapore,
Denmark, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates
• Done business in approx. 50 countries
• Curiosity taken to all seven continents and almost
100 countries
• Desire to test my limits: marathons, scuba diving,
mountaineering
• 22.06.2012: first Finnish Seven Summits

4. Seven Summits
• Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
• Elbrus, Russia
• Mount Kosciuszko, Australia (Bass List)
• Carstensz Pyramid, Indonesia (Messner List)
• Vinson Massif, Antarctica (November 2011)
• Cerro Aconcagua, Argentina (December 2011)
• Mount Everest, Nepal (March-May 2012)
• Denali / Mount McKinley, USA (June 2012)

5. What’s required to
reach the top of the
world?

6. Setting Goals

7. Setting Goals
• Everyone has their own mountain
• No-one inherits ambition – you have to find it
inside you!
• Goals need to be challenging but realistic
• Readiness to make sacrifices
• If there’s no passion, a rational person will give up
• Desire vs. obsession
• First step is often the most difficult one

8. Preparation

9. Preparation
 Right skills
 Right physical and
Recognise the mental preparation
key success
factors!  Right people / team
 Right tools
 Right attitude

10. Right Skills

11. Right Skills

12. Right Physical Preparation

13. Right Mental Preparation

14. Right Mental Preparation
• Start with the end-goal in mind – no shortcut to
the top
• Resolve / long-term approach
• Readiness to make sacrifices
• Positive confidence vs. arrogance
• Recognising risk – margins of error are small and
consequences are often dire
• Scenario planning and ability to adapt when
needed

15. Right Mental Preparation

16. Right People / Team

17. Right Tools

18. Right Attitude
• Positive thinking – I can do this!
• Team approach – we’ll succeed as a team, by
supporting each other
• Be ready to learn
• Tolerance for discomfort as well as uncertainty -
surprises are part of life
• Fear is a healthy feeling, but it should not impact
decision making!
• High morals / ethics

19. Execution

20. Execution
 You
Recognise the
 Teamwork
key success  Uncontrollable elements
factors!
 Risk management
 Balance

21. You
• Right attitude / positive thinking
• Resolve / persistence – mountaineering, like
business, is about long-term focus
• Split the end goal into smaller objectives
• Ability to learn from your mistakes
• Recognition of stress and ability to deal with it
• Judgment – ability to objectively evaluate
situations and make rational decisions

22. The human capacity is
much bigger than we
believe!

23. Teamwork

24. Teamwork
• Everyone’s A-type personalities / naturally
competitive
• Succeed as a team = succeed as an individual
• Positive attitude / looking after team spirit
• Speak the same language
• Supporting / helping teammates
• Trust / be reliable
• Conscious avoidance of unnecessary conflicts
• How can I help the team to succeed?

25. Uncontrollable Elements

26. Uncontrollable Elements
• Mountains, just like customers / markets are
often unpredictable!
• Important that mental preparation has been
sufficient – on mountains you cannot control
everything
• Patience / results are only measured at the end
of the season
• Right timing is critical for success
• A successful expedition always requires a bit of
luck

27. Risk Management

28. Risk Management
• Starts already during preparation e.g. right people /
team and right tools
• Positive attitude but critical thinking
• Don’t assume or guess
• Seek to identify potential risks in advance
• Scenario planning
• Fear is a healthy feeling, but should not impact decisions
making

29. Balance

30. Dealing with Success and
Failure

31. Dealing with Success and
Failure
• Success on mountains is never guaranteed e.g.
on everest more than half of climbers return
home unsuccessful
• However, returning home with all your fingers
and toes intact is always a sign of a successful
expedition
• Failures teach you most about yourself and
others!
• The price of success should not be too high

32. The price of success should
not be too high – you need
to be ready to say no when
that’s the right choice!

33. Thank You!

34. www.sevensummits.fi
www.facebook.com/AtteSevenSummits
www.twitter.com/AtteMiettinen