The 20-mile march - Inspiration for daily life
- Athma
- 1 hour ago
- 2 min read
I've always been inspired by first ascents and discoveries that were driven by a desire to stretch the human imagination. Back in 2012, I read "Annapurna", a book by Maurice Herzog that documents the first ascent of an 8000+m mountain that is also known for a higher fatality rate than Mt Everest. I was so inspired by the book that I did a ~200km hike around the Annapurna range in Nepal. This area includes four peaks, designated Annapurna I through IV, and the Annapurna Circuit hike takes you on a complete loop around this impressive chain of mountains.
The first South Pole expedition in 1911
Last week, I came across an article titled "How to Manage Through Chaos" by Jim Collins. The article analyzed companies that performed better under uncertainty and chaos. In the article, Jim Collins compares the first South Pole expeditions of Amundsen and Scott in 1911 and draws on the insights for his research.
Amundsen’s expedition reached the South Pole first and returned safely, while Scott’s party arrived later and perished on the return journey. (source: Wikipedia)
Collins attributes the success of Amundsen's expedition to what he calls "The 20-mile March". The concept is essentially about fanatic discipline in execution (walking 20 miles each day), irrespective of external factors (weather, fatigue, etc.), and a desire to learn from mistakes and course-correct immediately.
I couldn't resist the temptation to compare with the chaos in our own lives.
What do we learn from this expedition?
Execution discipline is key to success. On the day before reaching the South Pole, Amundsen had 45 miles left. He didn't know where Scott was, but knew that Scott was ahead when they started (there were no radios or satellite devices at that time). Amundsen could have pushed for the final goal in a 24-hour sprint, but he knew that the crew would be fatigued and might not survive the return trip. He did 17 miles, which is right in the middle of his daily goal of 15-20 miles. The crew reached the South Pole the day after and returned safely. This applies to our personal goals as well - "fanatic discipline", as Collins puts it in his article, is key to success.
Waypoints: Define waypoints clearly in the execution journey of your goals. Amundsen's success was also due to the optimized placement of supply depots. Scott's party, on the other hand, unfortunately, died 18 km from a critical supply depot on the return journey.
Timely Pivots: Life happens, and detours are necessary. It is important to acknowledge the situation and pivot immediately. The farther you go on the wrong train, the longer the return trip is. In your lives, when you miss executing a couple of times (say, you didn't work out for a week), forgive yourself, reset, and start again.
As always, I'll leave you with a question to reflect on:
Are you an Amundsen or a Scott in managing chaos and uncertainty in your life?
Coach Athma
Certified Life Coach
Toronto, Canada
