HCV Marketing

I recently had the chance to hear Erik Weihenmayer speak—you know, the guy who’s climbed more mountains blind than most of us have climbed stairs without complaining. His accomplishments are unreal, and his perspective is the kind of thing that makes you rethink every excuse you’ve ever made, including the “I can’t find the remote” one.

But here’s the ironic part: the way this event was “suggested” to employees by management. Top leadership said attendance wasn’t mandatory, just “highly encouraged.” Meanwhile, lower-tier managers delivered the message with all the gentle subtlety of a tax audit. Translation: You’re going. Not for inspiration—oh no, that’s optional—but for “appearance.” Because nothing builds trust like forcing people to show up to a trust talk.

Which brings me to the point Erik actually made: trust. Wild concept, apparently.

I’ve watched this company grow over the years. It started as a warm, scrappy, family-style outfit—like a small local coffee shop where the barista knows your dog’s name. Slowly, it morphed into a large, corporate, cold-brew-industrial complex. The kind where the top branches are polished and blooming while the trunk below is quietly rotting. And the line staff? Their trust in management is sinking faster than my optimism during a Monday meeting.

Erik described climbing with a rope team—literally tied together as they ascend a mountain. If one person slips, they all slip. If one person succeeds, everyone summits together. That’s teamwork in the real, not-just-on-PowerPoint sense.

Meanwhile, in this company, management “leads” from behind a screen like they’re trying to beat the high score in Excel. Occasionally they emerge—not to pitch in, but to redistribute tasks like they’re dealing cards. Compare that to another company I work with—one of the biggest retailers in the country—where every level of management jumps in alongside employees. They don’t just talk teamwork, they actually do it. Wild idea, I know.

If a CEO wants to toss around warm-and-fuzzy words like “team” and “culture,” then they actually have to live those words. Otherwise they’re just corporate confetti—decorative, useless, and found everywhere.

So if you’re a leader hoping to harness the kind of inspiration Erik delivers, here’s a thought: actually listen. Apply it. Live it. Don’t just herd employees into a room to watch it like it’s required viewing before they can clock out.

Your people notice the difference. And trust me—just like in Erik’s world—if one person goes, eventually everyone goes.