Published on
16 January 2026
Kenton Cool is a world-leading high-altitude climber and adventurer, the first person to complete the Everest Triple Crown in a single season, and may be the most appropriately named person on the slopes! With an Everest summit success rate of around 84%, and a guiding company, Adventure Base, that outperforms competitors by over 30%, Kenton’s approach to risk and performance offers valuable lessons beyond the mountain.
I was delighted to welcome Kenton to our latest Unique Perspectives event after his 19th successful ascent of Everest. Drawing on research conducted with the University of Leeds’ human behavioural faculty, Kenton explored why his teams consistently perform at the highest level in one of the most extreme and unforgiving environments on earth. At 8,848 metres, decisions are life or death, trust is non-negotiable, and teamwork is the difference between success and failure. Many of those dynamics caused me to draw parallels to our world as insurers.
Lessons from the mountain
I was struck by Kenton’s research, identifying five pillars of high performance: direction, collaboration, communication, agility and drive, all underpinned by a bedrock of trust. Together, these pillars form a simple but powerful framework for building resilient, high-performing teams and is applicable off the mountain and in the workplace.
Direction is about clarity of purpose. On Everest, the goal is not just to reach the summit, but also to return safely. In insurance, clarity of direction means a shared understanding of what success looks like for clients, brokers and internal teams, particularly during moments of pressure.
Collaboration and communication are inseparable. On the mountain, teams rely on concise, regular and unambiguous communication to avoid catastrophic misunderstandings. In our industry, effective collaboration across departments and teams depends on the same discipline. Clarity is essential to reducing risk.
Agility enables teams to pivot when conditions change. Weather, health and terrain can shift rapidly on Everest, requiring swift reassessment and confident decision-making. Insurers face similar volatility, whether from climate-driven losses, cyber events or market shocks. Agility, supported by trust in leadership and expertise, allows teams to respond decisively rather than freeze.
Drive sustains performance through fatigue and challenge. High performance is about consistency over time. For insurers, this means maintaining service standards and decision quality even during peak loss events or prolonged uncertainty.
High performance under pressure
Kenton illustrated these principles with some fascinating and hair-raising examples from his expeditions, including a crisis during an Everest summit where a rare oxygen-regulator failure threatened the entire attempt. The team’s response of calmness, simplicity and decisiveness stood out to me. Trust enabled rapid redistribution of resources, clear role allocation and continued progress toward the goal. Watching the CNN footage of this summit we could see his performance pillars in action with striking clarity. There was no debate, panic or unnecessary complexity. As Kenton described it, “In a crisis, simplicity saves lives.”
Coming from an engineering background, where precision and excellence are essential, I find that the lessons resonate with me and are widely applicable to all teams and sectors. All members of the team must be aligned and driven to affectively carry out their contribution to the goal. To reach this level of success, teams require clarity, confidence and decisive action. Teams that trust each other, understand their roles and communicate simply are best placed to deliver when it matters most.
The role of the individual
High performance is not just a team endeavour; it relies on individuals. I found the story Kenton shared of Japanese climber Yūichirō Miura motivating and encouraging. Though he was the first person to ski from above 8,000 metres on Everest’s near-vertical Lhotse Face, what defined Miura was not recklessness, but disciplined preparation. His belief in his vision and the courage to pursue an idea others thought was impossible is something to idolise.
As insurance professionals, this speaks to our personal accountability. High-performing organisations are built from individuals who bring focus, ambition and trust in their expertise, while remaining aligned with the wider team.
Further takeaways
Insurance, like high-altitude climbing, is fundamentally about managing risk in uncertain conditions. Trust underpins our relationships with clients, brokers and partners. By embedding the five pillars of high performance, we can build teams and partnerships that are resilient, agile and client focused.
Kenton closed with a simple challenge: “Be more Miura.” It captured the spirit of the session perfectly. Whether navigating an Everest summit push or a complex client challenge, balancing trust, clarity and adaptability is essential for success.
Everest may be far removed from the office, but the lessons Kenton shared offered powerful insights into leadership, teamwork and performance under pressure. It was a thought-provoking session, and one that left a lasting impression on how we can continue to raise standards across our industry.
