I once had a team of sprinters. They were brilliant, fast, and full of creative energy. If you gave them a one week project, they would deliver something spectacular. If you gave them a one month project, they would deliver something good. But if you gave them a six month project, a true marathon with unforeseen obstacles and a distant finish line, they would fall apart.
Their initial enthusiasm would inevitably fade at the first major setback. The daily grind would wear down their motivation. They were a team of phenomenal starters, but they lacked the grit, the sheer, dogged perseverance to finish what they started. As their leader, it was my biggest frustration. I knew they were capable, but I did not know how to teach them to endure.
The business books all talked about grit, but the advice felt abstract. Then, I stumbled upon the story of Deeya Bajaj, a young woman from my own city of Delhi who, at 24, climbed Mount Everest with her father. I started to read about her journey, and I realized this was not just an adventure story. It was a perfect, real world playbook for perseverance. It was the story my team needed to hear.
Lesson 1: Define Your “Everest” — The Power of a Terrifying and Inspiring Goal
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Deeya did not just decide to “go hiking.” She chose to climb the highest and most formidable mountain on Earth. The goal was audacious. It was specific. It was measurable. And it was both terrifying and deeply inspiring. This kind of goal has a unique gravitational pull. It demands a different level of commitment and focuses the mind in a way that smaller, safer goals never can.
In the corporate world, we often give our teams a series of small, incremental tasks. But to unlock true perseverance, a team needs an “Everest.” They need a moonshot project, a big hairy audacious goal (BHAG) that captures their imagination. It’s the leader’s job to define and articulate this vision. A goal that merely feels achievable can lead to complacency. A goal that feels just on the edge of impossible is what ignites the fire of true determination.
Also read: Translate Your Vision Into Reality
Lesson 2: Embrace the “Acclimatization” — The Unglamorous Work of True Preparation
You do not just show up at Everest and start climbing. Deeya’s journey began years before she ever set foot in Nepal. It involved a grueling regimen of physical conditioning, mental training, and technical skill development. It involved smaller climbs to build experience. A crucial part of any Everest expedition is acclimatization, the slow and often tedious process of allowing your body to adjust to the thin air by climbing high and sleeping low. This part is not glamorous. It is a slow, methodical grind. But it is the unglamorous work that makes the final ascent possible.
This is a powerful lesson for our teams. We love to celebrate the final launch, the big win. But we often fail to respect the deep, unglamorous work of preparation. True perseverance is built not in the final sprint, but in the disciplined, daily practice of honing your skills, researching your market, and pressure testing your plans. As leaders, we must champion this “acclimatization” phase. We must celebrate the diligent preparation as much as we celebrate the final result.
Also read: Why Perseverance Matters
Lesson 3: Navigate the “Khumbu Icefall” — How to Lead Through Inevitable Setbacks
The Khumbu Icefall is one of the most dangerous sections of the Everest climb. It is a constantly shifting river of ice, with deep crevasses and towering seracs that can collapse without warning. It is a place where the plan you made at base camp can become obsolete in a matter of minutes. To cross it is to accept risk and to solve problems in real time under immense pressure.
Every ambitious project has its “Khumbu Icefall.” It is the moment when a key employee quits, a major client pulls out, or a new technology disrupts your entire strategy. This is where a team’s perseverance is truly tested. Deeya and her father navigated this danger not with panic, but with focus, communication, and a deep reliance on their training. For a leader, these moments require a shift from being a strategist to being a guide. Your role is to be the calmest person in the room, to remind the team of the ultimate goal, and to empower them to navigate the obstacle in front of them, one step at a time.
Also read: Why Failure Paves the Way for Success
Lesson 4: Find Your “Sherpa” — The Critical Role of Partnership and Trust
Deeya did not climb Everest alone. She climbed it with her father, Ajeet Bajaj. Their story is a profound testament to partnership. On the mountain, your life literally depends on the person you are roped to. You must trust their judgment, communicate with absolute clarity, and provide unwavering support. You are not just two individuals climbing; you are a single unit moving toward a common goal. They, in turn, depended on their Sherpa team, the true experts of the mountain.
This is the most human lesson for any team. The technical challenges of a project are often easier to solve than the human ones. Does your team have the psychological safety to be vulnerable with each other? Can they have honest conversations when the pressure is on? As a leader, it is your job to foster this environment of trust. Like Deeya and her father, a team with deep, trusting bonds can endure almost any hardship. A team without it will fracture at the first sign of trouble.
Also read: 100 Inspiring Quotations on Team Work
Lesson 5: Remember the “Descent” — Why Finishing Strong is Only Half the Battle
Reaching the summit of Everest is only half the journey. A staggering number of mountaineering accidents happen on the descent. Climbers are exhausted, their adrenaline is gone, and they can lose focus. Getting to the top is optional; getting back down is mandatory. The perseverance required to descend safely, when you are physically and emotionally spent, is immense.
In business, we make the same mistake. We put all our energy into the product launch or the project deadline. The moment we hit the goal, we mentally check out. But the post launch support, the follow through, the documentation, this is the “descent.” It requires a different kind of discipline. A great leader knows that the project is not over when the summit is reached. They keep the team focused and disciplined until they are safely back at “base camp,” with the project fully complete and the learnings captured.
How to Build a Culture of Perseverance on Your Team
I told my team Deeya’s story. We talked about our own “Everest.” We identified our “Khumbu Icefalls.” We discussed how we could be better “Sherpas” for each other. The story gave us a new, shared language to talk about our struggles and our goals.
Building a culture of perseverance is not about giving one motivational speech. It’s about:
- Celebrating the Grind: Acknowledge and reward the hard, unglamorous preparation, not just the final win.
- Framing Setbacks as Learning: When something goes wrong, lead a debrief focused on “What did we learn?” not “Who is to blame?”
- Modeling Resilience: As the leader, be open about your own struggles and how you work through them. Your team will follow your example.
The Summit is Within Reach
Perseverance is not a magical trait that some people are born with. It is a muscle. It is a set of habits and mindsets that can be trained and developed. Deeya Bajaj’s story is a powerful reminder that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things when they combine an audacious goal with disciplined preparation, a resilient mindset, and a foundation of unwavering trust. It proves that for any team, no matter how high the mountain, the summit is always within reach.
If you are looking to build a more resilient and high performing team, explore how FocusU uses experiential learning to teach the powerful lessons of teamwork and perseverance.
