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Professor Mike Grocott talks leadership with the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust
Xtreme Everest’s Professor Mike Grocott was invited to speak to a group of Olympians by the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust at an event held at the Institute of Sport Exercise and Health on the 10th June.
Mike was invited to speak as part of their 4th Annual Champions Voice event, which teaches boardroom vision, purpose and values. Professor Grocott led the 2007 Caudwell Xtreme Everest expedition and gave a detailed background into the set up of the whole expedition, the purpose of the research, what outcomes they expected and what they had learned since returning.
Starting with explaining what the Xtreme Everest research is, he told the group one of the key things the executive team agreed before setting off was they should ensure the order of three priorities:
1. SAFETY could the expedition take place safely for all those involved?
2. SCIENCE could they carry out the science required to get results?
3. SUMMIT could the expedition team summit Everest?
Number 3 would only be attempted if 1 and 2 were satisfied.
Talking about his background in leadership, Mike mentioned that he was also the leader for the 2006 expedition to Chy Oyu. He explained about issues faced, such as complicated planning schedules that took the team from conception to completion. He mentioned the logistics of moving 26 tonnes worth of kit from London to Nepal, and then having a system which meant items could be easily found once there, and ensuring the safety of 198 trekkers and 60 investigators.
Mike was quizzed by the Olympians about what the vision, mission and value was of the expedition. He explained that the Vision was to ultimately change medical practice through the research and results the team would achieve, the Mission was to not only test all those who had signed up but also reach the summit of Everest, and the Value was of acknowledging that everyone on the team was valuable and had given up personal goals (such as reaching the summit) to ensure that the expedition went well.
Mike was also asked what he considered to be key to being a good leader. He said that:
- Delegation/Trust and learning the ability to trust your team; that they can perform and make life or death decisions in your absence
- Treating everyone equally
- Giving people the chance to contribute to the decisions
- Building a “family” around you with the team you work with
The last question for Mike focused on what his most important achievement of the expedition was, to which he replied “Ensuring that everyone got safely back down to EBC after the summit of Everest”
To find out more about the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust, visit their website
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