Singaporean motivational speaker and mountaineer David Lim explains how the peaks teach lessons about winning, at work and in life
In Singapore, children don’t aim to be mountaineers. They are expected to study well, go to good colleges and bag a great job,” laughs David Lim. Quite like India, one would say. But David was one of those who self-admittedly “loves going against the grain.” So a degree in law from Cambridge, and a career in media never hindered his real interest: mountaineering.
In the tiny island-nation David is revered as a hero for leading the first Singapore Mt Everest expedition in 1998. A veteran of over 50 alpine and Himalayan climbs, he has led expeditions to the French, Swiss and New Zealand Alps, Tibet, India, South America and Nepal since 1994. But evidence of his true heroics was seen when he successfully battled Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) — a nerve disorder he was afflicted with, ironically, a week after the Everest expedition. A condition in which a person’s auto-immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s own nerve sheaths, GBS rendered him paralysed and slightly disabled.
But his passion for the mountains never wavered and David made a stunning comeback, conquering the peaks of Aconcagua in Argentina — the highest in the Americas. He also gave his career a new direction by turning into a motivational coach for corporates, speaking about achieving dreams and creating winning teams.
Interestingly, it all started with a book.
PEAKS CALLING Twenty years ago, he read a book that changed his life. “The Shining Mountain by Peter Boardman was about two British mountaineers who chose difficult climbs and succeeded through sheer dedication,” says David who was in Mumbai recently. “I itched to do something similar!”
David began his initial training in technical rock climbing from Singapore itself, but cut his teeth in the Alps. But all through his career, he opted for difficult climbs, without the paraphernalia and logistics to cushion the blows. “The challenge of meeting the mountain on its own terms thrills me. There is no virtue in easy success, is there?” he says.
His success peaked with Everest but then came life’s biggest blow when he was struck with GBS.
ON COPING The initial weeks were shattering. David lost control of his limbs, his muscles froze and he couldn’t breathe. “Small things that one takes for granted became difficult,” he recalls. He spent about six months in a hospital and went through an intense rehabilitation programme where he had to literally re-learn simple tasks like breathing through the nose, writing, eating etc.
But all along, his mind was active as ever. Firstly, he laid a series of short goals for himself. “Such as being off the ventilator for two hours and breathe on my own. I then extended the goal to four hours. Walking was my next goal. Similarly, it took me three months to complete a full meal,” he says. In the year and a half it took him to recover, he also penned his first book, Mountains to Climb, on his expedition and the illness.
However, he had a bigger goal in his mind — to return to the mountains. Day by day he made progress and with the help of training at the gym and support and care by his family and friends, he was ready to don his trekking gear again. “Getting back was very difficult. Even insurance companies refused to insure me. But I was determined,” he says.
BACK TO THE TOP His perseverance paid off when, along with another mountaineer, he successfully, climbed the Aconcagua. Ever since, David has been going on expeditions and in 2001 again returned to the Everest. “I choose my climbs carefully now. I wouldn’t want my disability to create any problems for others for my aim in each climb is not to be a mere passenger, but a contributing member,” he says.
A decade ago, David turned corporate trainer and he travels around the world, imparting lessons that the mountains have taught him, which he says can lead to better organisations and more productive employees. In his words, some of these lessons are:
CORPORATE TIPS
• Mountaineering redefines success. The literal explanation of success is often wrong. For instance, you may have scaled a peak but if your team members got injured or broke into fights during the trek, should it be called ‘successful’? True success is being happy and fulfilled in every way, financially, spiritually and emotionally. And helping others to win in that journey.
• Failure teaches you more than success. I learnt a lot from climbing on the terms of the mountain, even if it was difficult.
• I travel with small groups, generally people who share my vision. Similarly, people in a company too should share the same ideals for success.
• Negotiation, persuasion, and meeting expectations are the biggest challenges for a leader. In mountaineering, the leader has to make tough decisions such as rejecting some people for the final summit. His challenge then is to handle egos.
• The adventure spirit is all about taking calculated risks which depends on your risktaking ability. For eg, if hiking or trekking is not your cup of tea, take up tennis. Define your goal depending on your strengths, but move away from your comfort bubble. Not taking risks can also lead to loss of opportunity.
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