Cathy O´Dowd
Cathy O’Dowd is the first woman to climb Everest from both south and north sides. She has stood on the slopes of the world’s highest mountain four times, reaching its summit twice. She has been on the mountain as the last minute ‘token woman’ team-member, and as an expedition leader. She has worked in partnership with a wide range of international teams forced to co-operate on popular routes, and has climbed on a team attempting a new route, the only expedition on the entire east face.
She has faced the ‘worst storm in the history of Everest’ and the giant avalanches of the Kangshung face, and she has faced warring team members as ego ran rampant. She has experienced both the thrill of the summit and the reality of failure, and has paid the ultimate price with the loss of fellow climbers.
Cathy draws on this wide-ranging experience of teams under acute pressure attempting overwhelming challenges to create her corporate presentations. Her stories touch on themes of importance to anyone trying to get the best out of people: Leadership Team dynamics Creating effective teams Risk-assessment Overcoming obstacles Motivation of self and others Facing new challenges Goal-setting Creating effective partnerships, including inter-cultural Cathy is a natural story-teller and her passionate delivery produces an inspirational tale - dramatic, memorable and packed with metaphors pertinent to business. All presentations are generously illustrated with dramatic photographs from the mountain. Cathy presents in English or Spanish language. Cathy's most popular presentation - Reach for the heights! Team dynamics and leadership on the slopes of the world’s highest mountain Everest: at 8850 metres high, this is literally the world’s biggest challenge - 3000 vertical metres of rock, ice and snow. Of the climbers who tackle this challenge, 75% will fail, one in a hundred will die. What makes the mountain so difficult? The obvious answers are crevasses, avalanches, blizzards. However, the most dangerous thing you will ever encounter on Everest is people: yourself, your team-mates. Reach for the heights! draws on the lessons Cathy O’Dowd learnt from her first Everest expedition. With the focus on finances and logistics, human dynamic came a pitiful last. The team collapsed into conflict from the first day, and three members resigned before even reaching the foot of Everest. Cathy and her team-mates discovered that there are hidden obstacles that must be met before the climbing can start, and throughout the expedition. And there are hidden tools that allow the successful 25% to triumph over the rest. There are three hidden obstacles as fierce as any storm: Complacency: which so easily destroys the achievement of a seemingly successful team. A climber ignores the safety procedures for two minutes and slips on the slick ice – to his death. Stress: caught in tiny tents for a week by bad weather, the team threatens to collapse over disputes about who does the cooking. Fear: a final knife-edge ridge, with a 2000 metre drop. We have to technical competence to climb it, but can we overcome the voices of fear in our heads? There are six key tools the successful teams use to meet the challenges of the mountain: A team united around a clear purpose Passion for the process Courage to make your own choices Determination in the face of disaster Fully integrate all talent within the team Motivation through recognition
