Business and major project strategy is often discussed in boardrooms, whitepapers, and away-days with post-it notes and flip charts. But sometimes, the most profound lessons come not from a corporate retreat, but from the sharp sting of wind on a summit ridge, the weight of a sweat sodden pack, and the quiet resilience demanded by three days traversing the Lake District in a mountain marathon.
Recently, I completed the Great Lakeland 3 Day—a 50-mile mountain marathon across the rugged beauty of Cumbria. It’s not a race in the traditional sense; the ethos is one of exploration over competition. And yet, the physical and mental demands are no less formidable. As I reflect on the experience, I find echoes of business strategy in every blister, contour line, and checkpoint. Here’s what the mountains taught me.
The Map: Strategy’s Visualisation
A mountain map isn’t just a tool; it’s a vision made visible. Each contour line, each shaded crag, and each marked path is a representation of terrain, time, and danger. In business or major deal projects, strategy too requires a ‘map’—a visual representation of the operating environment, the risks, the routes, and the goals.
But just like in the fells, it’s easy to mistake a map for the territory. Businesses cling to spreadsheets, dashboards, and Gantt charts with a kind of religious fervour, forgetting that they are abstractions, not realities. The map does not care about the weather, the fatigue in your legs, or the surprise bog where you expected a dry ridge. Does great strategy not demand we interpret the map wisely overlaying it with lived experience, challenge, and continuous recalibration? Recently a project I have been involved with has fantastic programmatic views but delivery is unrealistic.
Planning the Route: Intent vs. Adaptation
Before setting out each morning, my running mate Paddy and I would hunch over the map, tracing lines with fingers, estimating timings, debating terrain. We’d select a route: not just the fastest, but the wisest—balancing ambition with reality. A longer ridge walk might give panoramic views but sap reserves for the next day. A shortcut through a gulley might save time—or blow the quads.
So too in projects: setting a route is about aligning aspiration with operational capability. What market to enter? Which projects to prioritise? What talent do we need on board? Plans must be crafted with the same humility that mountain weather demands—yes, plot a bold line, but be ready to alter course when the clouds descend. Do you create time to stop and review?
Checkpoints and Review: Milestones Matter
Each day’s journey was punctuated by checkpoints—some obvious, others hidden in folds of land or behind craggy outcrops. Reaching them brought a moment of confirmation and satisfaction. Miss them (as we did once!), and you’d be off-course, racking up time penalties and wasted energy.
Business strategy requires its own checkpoints: milestones, quarterly reviews, metrics. But more than just performance monitoring, these moments should be about reflection. Are we still on course? What has changed? Who’s flagging, and who’s thriving? Without review, we can’t course-correct—and in both mountains and business, drift can be fatal. What are your checkpoints?
Resource: What’s in Your Pack?
For the mountain marathon, we travelled as light as we could but required food, clothing and technical kit. The pack was both lifeline and burden. Each gram mattered. Strip too much, and you suffer. Overpack, and you carry regret on every climb.
In business, resources—capital, people, technology—are your pack. Strategy must include ruthless prioritisation: what do we truly need to succeed? What is weighing us down? Resourcefulness isn’t about having more, but knowing how to use what you have wisely.
Equally, strategy must account for how resource needs shift along the journey. A team that was ideal in early growth may struggle in scale up. That legacy system might be robust—but is it stopping your innovation climb?
Pace: Sustainability Over Sprinting
The temptation at the start line is always the same: go fast. Burn through the first miles with the adrenaline of fresh legs and blue skies. But the wise know that pace is not about ego; it’s about endurance.
In business, too many strategies fail because they sprint into execution. Teams burn out, change fatigue sets in, or infrastructure fails to scale. Sustainable pace means understanding your people’s capacity, building in moments of rest and reflection, and holding discipline when urgency whispers shortcuts.
Pacing is also a test of leadership. It’s not how fast you can push, but how consistently you can progress without breaking the team or the mission.
Base Camp Time: Use It Well
Each night of the mountain marathon ends at a base camp. Tents bloom across sheep-nibbled fields, runners boil couscous and share stories. But smart teams use this time for more than recovery—they reassess tomorrow’s plan, recalibrate gear, and mentally reset.
Business has its own ‘base camp’ moments: end of quarter, year-end, project launches. These aren’t just times to pause—they’re opportunities to sharpen. Reflection isn’t indulgence; it’s preparation. Strategy that doesn’t build in decompression space will find itself breathless before the summit.
No One Cares Outside Your Team
On the hill, no spectators cheer. No one tracks your splits, your pain, your triumph. Only your teammate sees the misstep, the extra hill you climbed by mistake, the quiet encouragement passed under breath. Choosing who you spend time on the mountain with is critical. I chose wisely this weekend for sure! In business, external applause is fickle. Don’t measure progress by headlines, likes, or awards. The only people who truly understand the work are those on the hill beside you. Strategy must build internal cohesion—shared purpose, trust, and the quiet satisfaction of work well done.
In my view true strategy isn’t performative. It’s collaborative. It lives in the team, not the press release.
Therefore, success begins with assembling a team whose strengths complement one another and align with the shared vision. Beyond technical skills, choosing individuals with the right mindset—resilience, curiosity, and a willingness to challenge constructively—is essential. A well-chosen team doesn’t just execute tasks; it elevates thinking, adapts swiftly to change, and fosters innovation. In the end, the right team is not a collection of the best individuals, but the best combination of people for the task at hand.
Celebrate the Peaks—but Know They Aren’t the Race
Reaching a summit in the Lakes is a special kind of high. On Raven Crag the view opened, sweat cooled, laughter broke out. But here’s the truth: summits are moments, not destinations. The race continued after the view, down into knee screeching descents and up again into the unknown.
Project and strategy victories—are peaks worth celebrating. But don’t confuse them with completion. Strategy is a continuum, not a crescendo? The most dangerous moment in climbing is often after the summit—when focus dips and complacency creeps in. So celebrate. But know the path continues. Strategy is the art of moving from one peak to another, wiser each time.
Effort: Invisible, Essential
Every mile in the mountains has its cost. Sore shoulders, wet trainers, doubtful moments. But to the outside world, all they see is a photo on a summit. Effort is largely invisible.
In business, the same applies. Strategy takes grind: workshops, data gathering, stakeholder meetings, reviews, rewrites. The unglamorous graft behind direction. I have always thought that leaders must model this effort, not hide from it. As such strategic success doesn’t come from charisma or clever slogans. It comes from discipline, hard work, and the quiet confidence to stick with the mission when others chase novelty.
Final Descent: The Wisdom of the Hills
As I made the final descent on day three, tired but intact, I felt something deeper than victory—a kind of strategic humility. The mountain had not been conquered. It had been respected, endured, and understood.
Business strategy needs the same mindset. The world is not a puzzle to be solved once, but a landscape to navigate again and again. With every project, every change initiative, we are returned to the start line—with new weather, new terrain, new teammates.
The only constants are the skills we develop: reading the map, choosing the route, trusting the team, pacing the journey, and valuing effort. In the end, strategy is not a destination. It’s a discipline. A way of walking through the world—with courage, clarity, and commitment.
The mountains don’t care who you are. But they will teach you everything, if you pay attention. So too in your sector of choice: the terrain is tough, but the lessons are rich. Bring your map. Pack wisely. Keep going.
Stuart
Stuart Rimmer is the Founder of Inner Mountain Advisory, Deputy CEO at Thames Freeport and Visiting Associate Professor at BPP University. He is the author of ‘A Stoic Reckoning: Why Stoicism is True’ available on Amazon
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