Helping people to climb mountains

During a trip to Kuwait in 2016 I was asked by a fellow traveller what it was that I did for a living.  I must admit that the answer I gave was somewhat hastily given and came as something of a surprise to both of us.  The fact that I was just about to enjoy another spoonful of heavenly dessert when the question was posed, served by a delightful member of the Turkish Airlines cabin crew, may well have had some bearing on why I responded the way I did.

“I help people to climb mountains”  I replied.

“Oh… So what’s your final destination then?”  he asked; in an attempt to better understand the nature of my trip.

Expecting me to possibly say somewhere like India or Tibet, where there are mountains galore, my response only seemed to add to any initial confusion that my previous one might have caused.

“Kuwait”  I declared.

“I didn’t think they had any mountains in Kuwait”  he quizzed.

“To my knowledge they don’t” I politely remarked; as I lifted the third heaped spoon of Belgian chocolate mousse to my eagerly awaiting mouth.

For the next two or three minutes, as he contemplated my reply, not another word was spoken; during which time I was able to quietly enjoy what remained of the gastronomic masterpiece that had been placed before me.  Seeing that I had finished eating, and unable to make sense of why someone who helped others climb mountains would be going to a non-mountainous region, prompted him to ask his next question.

“So why are you going to Kuwait?”  he asked in a somewhat puzzled manner.

After having sought my travelling companion’s forgiveness, for the unarguable lack of clarity that my minimalist responses had thus far created, I went on to provide the clarity he was seeking.  I explained that the mountains I helped people climb were the ones that we tend to encounter when striving to master new skills, embrace new thinking or walk the path that leads to excellence.  Those that seem to suddenly rise up from nowhere; as if to somehow test our passion and resolve.  The kind that can at times, as we view them from the foothills of our learning journey, seem insurmountable.

I explained that I had been doing this for many years by way of delivering a wide range of award winning courses to both nationally and internationally based clients; my current assignment being the design and delivery of a series of highly acclaimed courses for The Training Foundation (as part of their TAP Diploma Framework).  I further explained that I had been delivering award winning training for more than twenty years;  from having won the National Training Award with my business partner in 1996 to being an integral member of the Training Foundation team that won the Queens Award for Innovation in 2016.

We then went on to talk for some length about the merits (or otherwise) of training.  The main issue being whether or not a significant difference could be achieved, in terms of an individual’s increased contribution to the bottom line, by simply attending a three or five day course.  Whilst I couldn’t speak on behalf of the myriad of trainers currently delivering training, or the organisations that they represent, I believe that I was able to provide sufficient evidence to convince my somewhat cynical travelling companion that I had been doing this for years.  Not just on the odd occasion but week in and week out.

As an accomplished training professional and executive coach, who has travelled the world helping innumerable people to reach the summit of their personal mountains, I think my earlier analogy of being something of a mountaineer is quite close to the truth.  I personally can’t think of anything more rewarding than being able to witness the joy and elation exhibited by those who conquer their fears and doubts; and to know that I possibly had a small part to play in the process.