I decided again to watch the documentary Free Solo with my children. It chronicles the journey of Alex Honnold as he plans to attempt a ropeless ascent of the 7,569 foot granite face of El Capitan in Yosemite. I was originally drawn to it because of my love for our National Parks and nature in general. The trailer looked like it would provide some really cool imagery that I was excited to experience.
The first time I watched it, I focused such a great deal on the cinematography and the massive monolith that I completely missed the human element and how relevant Alex’s experience was to what all of us experience in our own way. The obvious difference is that the rest of us can have a higher tolerance for mistakes, not following a process, lack of preparation and overall complacency.
I also happen to be taking an online certification course called Strategy and Competitive Analysis. While not as enthralling as a mountain climbing movie, my mind was riveted by the lines connecting the course work to Alex’s experience.
The route that Alex chose to free climb up El Capitan has 31 pitches, or sections, and spans an incredible 3,000 feet. One extremely challenging section called the Boulder Problem had Alex particularly concerned. I was amazed at how Alex had choreographed his exact movements through this 10 foot section. He could visualize every hold, every shift, every challenge and his solution to that challenge. It didn’t matter if he nailed every move on the other 30 pitches. Anything but perfection during this or any 10 foot section was unacceptable. The outcome was complete failure. I talk about process as important, but his process saves his life.
In What is Strategy, Harvard professor Michael Porter states that “overall advantage or disadvantage results from all of a company’s activities, not only a few.” I went back and reread this article, which is part of my coursework, after watching this movie. Lines like this are accurate in our daily business life and absolutely critical to Alex’s success and survival. He understands this. He knows that he is uniquely positioned to do what he does. Everything he has experienced and worked toward has prepared him. All of his activities provide him with an advantage.
Alex did an interview in the movie and said that when he free solo’s, “risk is low, consequence is high.” He believes that because he knows he has done the research, made the plan, and worked the plan. The risk is inherent to the task, but he put in significant work to reduce risk. His confidence and ability to be brilliant comes from being prepared. The pursuit of excellence doesn’t just set him apart; it is imperative for his success.
Dedication to a goal isn’t easy. It requires terrific sacrifice and determination, the overcoming of setbacks, and perseverance. Alex says it best in the movie: “it’s all about performance… Nothing good happens in the world by being happy and cozy. No one achieves anything great because they are happy and cozy.” This immediately reminded me of Porter’s insistence that “tradeoffs are essential to strategy.” Things worth doing are typically hard. Becoming the best is hard.
This film is not just beautiful because of its scenery and story of a man attempting to achieve one of the greatest athletic feats in history. The humanity surrounding Alex and his girlfriend, friends and family are incredibly emotional and make this that much more relatable. He understands better than anyone that tradeoffs and strategy equal success. And he struggles with it.
But we all do, right? I know I do. Especially with everything going on right now. I just made a post on my LinkedIn page a few weeks ago about this. I question my commitment and my decisions. I let my confidence wane. Am I doing enough to meet my goals? Porter’s article and Free Solo helped me to refocus, though. It is crucial to trust in experience and process.
I have always believed in setting big goals in everything I do. After some successes and many failures, I came to appreciate the need for strategy. Creating a plan and working that plan. Trusting that plan, even when you fall. It is difficult, but always worthwhile. The path you set for yourself and your organization usually won’t be an appropriate path for everyone or anyone else. That’s your advantage in life; your uniqueness. Your ability to ascend the route that you have planned.
My favorite quote in the movie is, “it’s about being a warrior, it doesn’t matter about the cause necessarily. This is your path and you will pursue it with excellence. You face your fear because your goal demands it. That is the warrior spirit”. My line of work and the goals I have personally surely do not have the same consequences as Alex’s. Still, there is no reason I should approach them without the spirit of a warrior. So that’s what I’ll do.