Who's On Your Bus?

And Whose Bus Are You On?

From the countless management theories I’ve studied over the years, nothing captures the key elements of team-building as simply and memorably as the bus analogy, described by Jim Collins in Good to Great.

For any endeavor that requires people to work together toward a common objective, the first thing you need to do is assess your team across three basic objectives:

1. You want the right people on your bus, meaning people with the skills, commitment, and work ethic to succeed.

2. You want the wrong people off the bus—those with bad habits and negative energy who can sabotage an otherwise thriving team.

3. And you want everyone sitting in the right seats, playing to their strengths and interests, applying their unique superpowers for the good of the team.

My life was transformed for the better in 1995, when I accepted an invitation from longtime friend Chris Kelley to join his exclusive hiking group, the Leantos. Every year over the past thirty years, except during the COVID pandemic, Chris has mapped out a challenging hiking adventure, from the White Mountains in New Hampshire to the Maroon Bells in Colorado, from the Dolomites in Italy to Mount Blanc in France.

Each trip takes on an epic quality, full of heroes and goats, facing unexpected challenges and overcoming adversity. In fact, every Leantos adventure plays out like a mini novel, an unfolding drama that tests our knees, hearts, and—most of all—our minds. One of life’s greatest lessons is that there’s no protection for the unprepared out on the mountain. All of us in the group have felt the weight of that reality and are better men for it.

Our most humbling experience by far was climbing Mount Rainier in August 2006, six of us led by two guides.

In an Alpine climb such as Rainier, you start in the early morning to avoid the ice melt from direct sunlight. This means you’re up at 3:00 a.m., and then you have to scramble for the next hour to go to the bathroom, put on layers of clothing, and eat breakfast, though you have no appetite due to altitude. For added security, you’re roped together, which means if one guy falls and slips, he could bring down everyone he’s attached to.

Though the physical climb was arduous, the mental anguish and pressure were far tougher and more taxing for me. After all the training, all the time and money, what if we don’t make it?

At one point, on the verge of giving up, I was desperate for something, anything, that would pick me up and give me the hope I needed to continue. Suddenly, another group on the descent passed us. Out of nowhere, I heard a woman’s voice say to me, “You’re almost there. Just take it a step at a time, and you’ll get there.” It was harrowing, but we all made it.

I never would have initiated climbing Rainier on my own. The thought came from David Dubin, a superfit, sub-three-hour marathoner who always finds a way to push the Leantos to the next level. Ride the bus with people who challenge you in ways you’ve never thought about and who hold you accountable for giving nothing but your best.