By the time Susan Ershler decided to climb to the top of Mt. Everest in the Himalayas – the highest mountain in the world — she was managing a 100-person sales team and trying to reach a $300 million sales goal for U.S. West, a small telecom company. These articles tell the story of how she accomplished both goals.
"The Women's Philanthropy Fund of Orange County, the largest women's giving circle in the nation, raised more than $130,000..."
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"Everest gave me the confidence to to other things I thought were out of my reach..."
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"Never be a Lone Ranger. When you're working in a large organization, your success rate is increased if you become one heck of a team player..."
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"This is my third trip to this region of the world and the memories and emotions from each adventure are distinct..."
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"Surmounting Everest's 29,035 feet remains one of the great mythic achievements, an undisputable display of skill and courage against ice and rock, bottomless chasms, body-numbing temperatures and tent-shredding winds, all in an oxygen-deprived danger zone five and a half miles up in Nepal. Whatever the numbers, this is an elite group..."
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• View article at NYTimes.com »
"When someone's been weathered off the mountain, they just want to take time off. But they didn't have that attitude..."
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"I spent three years pursuing this, and it all came together in one day..."
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"They built a house together eight years ago, so how hard could climbing Mount Everest be?..."
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"Climbing though the hierarchy of corporate affairs, she learned lessons that have served her in pursuit of mountaintops. Never quit. Try to figure out what you can learn from disappointment and rejections. Move on. Failure is just a requirement to attain loftier goals..."
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"As I struggled through snow and ice and over crevasses, I sometimes had trouble breathing. But nothing matched my sense of accomplishment when I stood on the 14,410' summit... Whether it is rejection or failure, never quit, try to figure out what you can learn from it and move on..."
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"If I can have any kind of impact, it would be to get people to strive for their dreams... Sue Ershler exudes success — but it didn't happen overnight..."
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"Things worth doing aren't necessarily easy and Everest certainly wasn't for us..."
• View article on the Lowe Alpine site »
"For a few days they had to hunker down in winds so fierce they were just hoping that their tent didn't blow away with them in it..."
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"It's one thing to be able to go mountain climbing and say you've done these things, but to do it with your husband or wife is pretty darned special..."
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"I feel great. We don't have a scratch on us and nobody got hurt. You couldn't ask for more than that..."
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Sample of Susan Ershler's keynote presentation as well as footage from Everest, including the summit:
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Susan's ability to relate the challenges, risks and rewards of climbing to the business world were invaluable. As we set out to reach new peaks, we will reflect upon her words of encouragement and structured approach to reaching our goals.
Sue's presentation was an outstanding story where we shared the excitement of her journey to the summit and how this experience is related to our business, specifically in terms of setting goals and teamwork. She is truly an inspiration for all of us!
Surmounting Everest's 29,035 feet remains one of the great mythic achievements, an undisputable display of skill and courage against ice and rock, bottomless chasms, body-numbing temperatures and tent-shredding winds, all in an oxygen-deprived danger zone. Ms. Ershler worked hard to get there.
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