Management Lessons From Mount Kilimanjaro

Mount Kilimanjaro

Hiking Mount Kilimanjaro is not merely a bucket-list item. It is a physically and mentally challenging experience that teaches lessons for effectively leading an organization. Here are some lessons from the mountain.

Pole Pole 

Pole pole (POH-lay POH-lay) is Swahili for step by step or “slowly, slowly” and is heard up and down the mountain reminding hikers to take their time. It’s good advice as the trail surface at various points is mud, gravel, rocks, snow, ice, and ends on a glacier. At one point, hikers use hands and feet to scale a cliff. Throughout, hikers risk falls and injury that slows progress and can easily end a hike.

Walking slowly—pole pole—has surprising benefits. Besides reducing falls, many hikers feel less fatigued at day’s end. Studies show that slower hikers can reach the summit sooner than their faster colleagues. Women and older hikers are more likely to successfully reach the summit than younger males because they walk at an unhurried pace.

In today’s professional world, with deadlines always looming, it’s tempting to rush through projects, but slowing down brings important benefits. The most obvious is fewer errors. Taking time to check work and review our writing ensures reports are accurate and clear.

Less obvious benefits come from allocating more time upfront to project planning. This provides opportunities to include more stakeholders in the planning process, bringing new ideas that can improve project outcomes. Including more stakeholders in planning reduces potential opposition by providing the opportunity to address concerns from those invested in the status quo.

Ironically, slowing down, or “pole pole” can accelerate project completion and magnify outcomes.

Hike High, Sleep Low 

Altitude sickness is a serious health risk for hikers in high altitudes caused by breathing reduced levels of oxygen. Symptoms range from headache and dizziness to difficulty breathing, brain complications, and even death. Afflicted hikers must immediately descend and in some cases, be air lifted off the mountain.  

One strategy for avoiding altitude sickness is ending the day by hiking to higher elevations, then dropping down to lower elevations for sleep, called “hike high, sleep low.” The process stresses the body by hiking in lower oxygen air, then aids recovery by sleeping in higher oxygen air.

Hiking the Trail

This process of challenging ourselves, then providing time to recover is relevant to organizations. Capital campaigns, new fundraising initiatives, and system implementations increase workload and stress on the team but build long-term organizational sustainability. To optimize the benefit, we should give ourselves and our organizations a chance to celebrate, process the results, and recover from the effort. Letting staff take time off, socialize, and relax optimizes the benefits before moving to the next challenge.

Promote from Within

Typically, hikers hire “trekking outfitters” to lead the hike. These companies provide guides, cooks, porters, equipment, and supplies for the trek. One trekking company employed a very engaging and enthusiastic assistant guide named Innocent. (Innocent is a common name in many parts of Africa.) 

Innocent had accumulated extensive knowledge of the mountain’s hiking routes, weather patterns, animals, and plants, and the details he shared greatly enhanced the hikers’ experience. But Innocent’s greatest moment came when the trek is most difficult, the Barranco Wall. Here, the route became vertical, climbing up a stone cliff. Where to place feet and grab stone outcroppings is unclear and hikers rightly fear that one mistake could cause a deadly fall.

Through this challenging phase of the hike, Innocent calmly directed hikers where to place their hands and feet to reach the top safely and confidently. He had gained this skill through years trekking jobs, starting as a porter, and eventually rising to assistant guide. Porters follow the same route as hikers, while carrying up to 44 pounds of tents, sleeping bags, cooking equipment, food, and other supplies for the hiking team.

This highlights the value of promoting staff from within. Just as Innocent’s porter experience made him an invaluable guide, nonprofit leaders with experience in the organization’s programs, operations, fundraising, or finance functions can become more effective leaders. They can develop informed strategies, build respect and trust from staff, and navigate internal politics.

Living the Organization’s Values

Few hikers have trouble sleeping after a long day of hiking Kilimanjaro. On or off the mountain, sleep is more restful for those who live according to their values. Guide teams work incredibly hard, risking their own safety to give hikers a rewarding experience. Unfortunately, not all trekking companies treat their employees fairly. Hiring one that treats its employees well may cost a little more but leaves the hiker with a clear conscience.

The same is true for nonprofit organizations. Treating staff, volunteers, and other stakeholders well, and choosing to work with reputable organizations is good business. It says to the world that the organization not only pursues its mission but lives its values as well. This is especially important for charities relying on public support because reputation is essential to sustainability. It also helps management sleep at night.

Nourish the Team

Many hikers are surprised by the high quality of the meals served on the mountain given that the cook is using a portable gas stove. Trekking companies know that hikers need well balanced and flavorful meals to reach the 19.300-foot-high summit and guides regularly prompt their clients to drink two liters of water per day.

Does nonprofit staff need regular feeding and watering? Yes, but it comes in the form of refreshing and learning new skills and gaining knowledge. It is hard to keep up with today’s rapid pace of change in technology, politics, social media, economy, and regulations, but enlightened leadership understands the value of keeping staff skills and knowledge up to date.

There are many reasonably priced and easily accessed ways for staff to keep up. In-person and online conferences and seminars on fundraising, philanthropy, accounting, software, board governance, operations, and others are plentiful. Many universities offer nonprofit degrees and certification programs as well.

Sending staff to these learning opportunities has several benefits. First, staff learns skills to immediately apply to their job, creating an immediate return on investment through greater efficiency and work quality. One innovative idea can cover the entrance fee. Next attendees can make contacts that further enhance their work effectiveness. Finally, sending staff to learning events makes clear they are important, which can enhance morale and reduce turnover.

Choose Your Route

Happily, hikers can choose from seven routes, picking the one that best suits their time, conditioning, budget, and goals. Marangu, the shortest route, is colorfully named the “Coca-Cola” route because of its popularity and can be completed in just five days. At the other extreme is Northern Circuit, which is the newest and, at nine days, the longest route. It provides more time to acclimate to lower oxygen levels and yields the highest summit success rate at 98%. The trail is quiet, and the 360-degree views are breathtaking. Regardless of the route, they all reach the same peak.

That’s an important lesson for nonprofits. There is usually more than one route to fulfill the mission. An organization addressing a problem might seek to educate the public, advocate for specific legislation, organize public action, conduct research, or partner with other organizations.

An organization providing business coaches to entrepreneurs from underserved communities might hire full-time business experts, contract outside workshop presenters, or recruit volunteer specialists. Each option brings its own HR, management, and cost characteristics. The key is choosing a methodology that best suits the organization.

Bringing the Lessons Home

Moving carefully, challenging ourselves and allowing time to recover, capitalizing on staff expertise through internal promotions, acting ethically, investing in the team, and choosing the right route are keys to summitting Mount Kilimanjaro, and for leading a successful nonprofit organization.

John Citti, CPA, CTP, MIM is the founder of Impacting Nonprofits LLC, which builds nonprofit resources and capacity through outsourced financial management and strategic financial consulting. John fulfilled a lifelong goal of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in 2024 and has helped nonprofit organizations apply the lessons learned ever since. Contact John at john@impactingnonprofits.com and learn more at www.impactingnonprofits.com.