Adventurer Alison Levine has skied to the North and South Poles, served as team captain of the first American Women’s Everest Expedition and scaled the “Seven Summits,” the highest peaks on every continent. So when Levine talks about high-impact leadership, she means it, literally and figuratively. Off the mountain, she is a leadership development consultant and keynote speaker with more than 20 years of experience working with leaders in business, sports, politics and academics. Levine also spent several years as an adjunct professor in the Department of Behavioral Sciences at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where she helped prepare cadets for life-or-death situations. “The leadership principles that apply in extreme adventures [and military operations] also apply in today’s extreme business environments,” she says, because both settings require leaders to “make crucial decisions on the spot and in conditions that are far from perfect.”
This book stands out from the rest of the leadership pack because of Levine’s knack for making mountaineering experiences relatable, personally and professionally. “It’s easy to get lost on a mountain during a whiteout and lose sight of the summit,” she writes. “It’s also easy to get lost in the unpredictability of life and lose sight of personal and professional aspirations.” On or off the mountain, leaders have to push through the toughest of times and adapt to a rapidly changing environment while maintaining a good attitude.
Whether she’s recounting a close call or moral dilemma while climbing Mount Everest or sharing another priceless leadership lesson, Levine keeps the reader engaged and occasionally enthralled by her adventurous spirit, her courage and insights. On the Edge
by Alison Levine
January
Business Plus; $27
