Write 2 responses to 2 students’ discussion , 150 words for each
Business Finance
StudentA:
In 1996, a tragedy occurred when mountain climbers were attempting to scale Everest. The incident led to the death of nine members of the expenditure. The victims could not endure the chilly temperatures, which were more than 100 degrees below zero. The novel Into Thin Air chronologically describes what occurred on that fateful day. Jon Krakauer wrote the book to provide his firsthand account of the hardship. The work offers a summary of both essential leadership skills and ineffective governance that contributed to the catastrophe.
Leaders should be flexible to make decisions depending on the situation. All 23 climbers relied on the guidance of their experienced trek leaders Scott Fischer and Rob Hall (Keller, 2007). However, when the unexpected storm hit the mountain, the two heads of the group were confused. The situation prompted them to make decisions based on cognitive biases that impaired their judgments (Elmes & Frame, 2008). The decision-making process made the group scattered. Therefore, it was impossible for the two leaders to control the team, leading to the Everest tragedy.
Leaders should be resolute in the decision-making process. Hall and Fischer informed the climbers that they would be forced to return to their camps if the group could not reach the summit by 1or 2 p.m. The two heads made this announcement several times during the trek to remind their followers of the possible dangers. The message was an excellent display of leadership qualities (Keller, 2007). Both understood the challenges that the climbers would face while returning to their camps if they did not reach the summit by the mentioned time. However, they did not abide by their command and allowed the first group of climbers to reach the peak by 4 p.m. (Krakauer, 1997). Hall and Fischer were wavering in their decisions. The unswerving nature of the two leaders provided the climbers with the opportunity to continue climbing the mountain past the deadline. Hence, leaders should guarantee that their followers abide by their decisions at any given time.
The Everest tragedy occurred since the leaders of the trek based their decisions on common cognitive biases that impaired their judgments. Hill and Fischer knew the possible dangers of reaching the summit past 2 p.m. They communicated to the climbers and agreed. However, the leaders could not implement their decisions. They allowed the climbers to reach the summit at 4 p.m., which led to the catastrophe.
Student B:
Leading a team is one of the critical aspects that determine a person’s effectiveness in management. It does not only encompass making decisions during critical times but also influencing followers to work towards common goals. Some of the situations that managers face require expertise and rational judgment to avoid calamities. In such a case, Jon Krakauer’s book Into Thin Air is one of the novels that reveal some of the consequences of decisions made by leaders. The author gives a personal account of the disastrous Mt. Everest expedition that resulted in the death of nine climbers. An in-depth analysis of the novel illuminates some of the vital leadership lessons that are essential in modern society.
The expedition guides played a fundamental role in directing and guiding climbers throughout the journey. The coaching and participation during the preparation phase portrayed the influence of managers on followers. Essentially, the climbers had developed trust and confidence on the leaders of various expedition groups based on their skills and expertise (Nahavandi, 2015). As a result, they did not envision anything to go wrong throughout the entire adventure. However, an error in the leaders’ decisions resulted in the death of nine climbers among them notable tour guides such as Rob Hall and Andy Harris. If the leaders had maintained their standard protocol of turning around climbers at 2 pm irrespective of how close a person was to the summit, the catastrophe could have been mitigated (Krakauer, 2009). However, internal and external factors played a role in motivating explorers to continue with the climb, exposing them to the dangers of the imminent storm. Such inability to make rational decisions during a crisis reflects the consequences of poor leadership.
