PURPOSE | MOTIVATION
When Oracle exec and tech entrepreneur Igor Khalatian climbed Everest in 2002 , he had a strategy . Rather than approach the seemingly insurmountable 9,849-metre peak as the goal , he broke the climb down into bite-sized goals , setting his sights first on Camp 1 , Camp 2 , then 3 , 4 – and finally the summit .
It was a strategy that worked . Not only did the 44-year-old executive make it to the top , becoming the first Armenian to summit the world ’ s tallest mountain , but he has conquered a further four of the world ’ s seven highest peaks – Kilimanjaro , McKinley , Aconcagua , Elbrus – and reached the peaks of 200 mountains in total .
It ’ s the same strategy Igor uses in business . While acknowledging that ambition and vision are critical , Igor says the way to succeed as an entrepreneur is by taking one stage at a time – breaking the goal down into smaller tasks . “ It makes the progress manageable and when you achieve each small goal , you build momentum that is then hard to slow .”
60 November 2022