From Asia to Autumn: What Mount Rainier Reminded Me About Leadership

Well, it's that time of year again. I just returned from traveling across parts of Asia — the Philippines, Thailand, Laos, South Korea, and China. It was a rich and inspiring journey, but I have to admit: it felt good to be home.

The first thing I did? I sat beside a fire, let the cool air of fall roll in, and listened to Vivaldi’s “Autumn.” As the leaves began to turn and the crispness settled into the air, I was reminded of how special the fall season is in the United States. Not all countries experience four seasons. In many parts of the world, the year is simply divided into rainy and dry seasons. And yet, the seasons we do experience here often trigger something deeper — memories tied to touch, smell, and sight.

Flashback: Seattle and a Leadership Challenge

As I sat in that chair, listening to Vivaldi, a vivid memory came flooding back — a time I was assigned to a project in Seattle, Washington, during my work in the bedding industry. The situation I walked into was overwhelming, to say the least. The numbers were down, the energy was low, and big changes were needed. I was brought in with a team to help turn things around.

That first weekend, a friend flew in to visit, and I decided to check something off my bucket list: Mount Rainier. I had always wanted to go. I had a photo of Mount Rainier on my wall — majestic and towering, with the Nisqually Glacier rolling down its southern face.

Mount Rainier: More Than a Mountain

As we drove up the winding roads, stopping at overlooks and trailheads, something shifted in me.

When I reached the Sunrise Visitor Center — 6,400 feet up — I looked out and realized something humbling: even at this height, I still had to look up. Mount Rainier stretched further into the sky than I had imagined. It was breathtaking. And it felt unattainable. That moment reframed everything. I drove back down into Tacoma with a new mindset about the "mountain" I was facing at work — and how to climb it.

Leadership Lessons from Mount Rainier:

1) Perspective: The Power of the Big Picture

• From the mountain, the noise of the valley disappears. Leadership is noisy. Pressure, metrics, meetings — all of it can cloud our judgement. But perspective doesn’t come from grinding harder — it comes from stepping back and looking again.

2) Stillness and Solitude: Space to Hear Yourself Think

• Great decisions are rarely made in busy rooms.Sometimes the best leadership move is to get quiet. Clarity comes in stillness. For me, that fire, that music, that mountain — all gave me the pause I needed to rethink everything.

3) Endurance and Patience:

• The Long Climb - Mountains aren’t moved in a day — and neither are cultures, teams, or legacies.