The competitive demands the global economy imposes on today's businesses require an extraordinary level of commitment from their leaders. These individuals realize that executing meticulous planning is essential to adapt their companies to a rapidly changing environment. Finding the right strategies to survive can no longer be limited to, or inspired within, the comfort of a boardroom.

Like mountaineers, business leaders are constantly struggling to take their companies to new heights. They know their tenacity to overcome obstacles and reach the summit will be rewarded with a vantage point over the competition. They understand that staying ahead of the game doesn't stop once they reach the top but when the path leading up to it is duly mastered. Mountaineers and business leaders, both, rely on cohesive teams to achieve a common goal.

The Aconcagua 2001 Expedition mirrors, metaphorically, many of the elements business leaders grapple with in an entrepreneurial setting. A team of three individuals from different nationalities and cultures will work together for a common goal during a 17-day journey under difficult conditions. The team leader needs to manage the expectations of a group that shares a common friendship and a common second language (English). The leader has to constantly mediate the egos and aspirations of the members who know little about each other. He must set the pace to guide them to the top, but he needs to be flexible and sensitive to their physical and psychological shortcomings. The leader needs to show courage not only to lead but also to let the weakest member of the team set the pace of the climb to achieve the final objective.