Everest Simulation Summary

I volunteered to be an observer for the Everest Simulation, and I learned a lot by observing participants interact with one another. As I walked around each group, I quickly realized that I wasn’t going to learn as much about the simulation by observing each group; I had to focus on one team and observe their work. As a result, I watched one team and learned many important management skills, such as leadership, planning and controlling, setting team and individual goals, and communication. The students were placed into teams of five members who had only known each other for approximately six weeks. In standard businesses, teams may know each other for months, years, or possibly decades. What made this simulation difficult is that students had five hours to collaborate, analyze their roles and responsibilities, and communicate while some businesses take months or years to get their teams in synch. I was beyond impressed with what I observed. Aside from learning the responsibilities and goals of the leader, photographer, environmentalist, marathoner, and physician, I learned more important lessons that apply to all successful organizations. First of all, communication is key. If only one or two members speak up, groups assume everyone is in agreement. Everybody must speak up; this means each member must have honest and direct conversations, ask questions, acknowledge errors, and offer ideas. Additionally, listening is just as important as communication skills.
Next, because trust is the foundation to a successful company, and these groups did not have the time most successful companies have to build trust, I realized that trust can be created quickly by successfully doing the following things: staying true to your commitments; being honest; being authentic; being clear and concise when communicating (especially when you only have three hours to complete a project); crediting others; and of course, listening. There are other ways to build trust, but