Introduction
As the world's tallest peak, Mount Everest is a natural wonder that many people attempt to conquer. However, successfully ascending and descending Mt. Everest requires a meticulous amount of planning, organizing, and ongoing decision making. The Everest simulation was an inimitable learning experience for me, that allows participants to experience group dynamics and leadership through the creatively designed online setting of a Mount Everest expedition while playing one of the five roles on the team of mountain climbers. According to the simulation design, I was randomly assigned to be the team leader and worked with four other members. The purpose of this paper is to write about my experience and evaluate the value of team building,…show more content… The environmentalist was given medications by the physician and we all decided to stay at the camp-2, while our photographer followed us behind to camp-2. At this point, we all showed empathy and trust for each other with a sense of “we are in this together”. With trust in place, it is important to agree on a clear goal and strategy earlier in time. The simulation exercise suggests that leaders need to engage in a delicate balancing act to nurture confidence, get past disagreement, and garner commitment within and from the group. Executives must strike a balance between overconfidence on the one hand and insufficient confidence on the other. Moreover, leaders must act decisively when faced with challenges, and they must inspire others to do so as well. For instance, at camp-3, the health of all members became critical, I knew that I had 15 years of mountaineering experience, so I could survive. However, I decided to understand and motivate the team in order to achieve our common interests. So, when we looked back at our goals as a team and as individuals, all of us decided to move on to the camp-4. That showed collaboration, trust, and teamwork. What I learned from this is, revisiting your team goals and taking a good strategic decision is vital, keeping the team motivation high helps to face tough external conditions, and group cohesiveness is imperative for its…show more content… During our simulation, I as the team leader was not responsible for all aspects of the decision-making process; all members had active roles in determining what actions the team should take. Empowering leadership is characterized by a set of behaviors dictated by the distribution of power amongst a team with the purpose of raising motivation. As a component of empowering leadership, knowledge sharing (sharing of task-relevant ideas, information, and suggestions) is of vital importance in a team environment as it allows cognitive resources to be fully utilized. What I realized is that the strong analysis of the Everest case provides a framework for understanding, diagnosing, and preventing serious failures even at an organizational level. It also teaches how leaders can shape and steer the processes through which their organizations make and implement valuable decisions. The simulation exercise recommends that leaders must pay close attention to how they balance competing pressures in their organizations, and how their words and actions shape the perceptions and beliefs of their team