Does Size Matter When it Comes to Community?

I’m not sure if the beekeeper woke up that morning knowing that he’d forever alter the course of history. For that matter, maybe the schoolteacher, statistician, and cameraman weren’t all that certain, either. After all, the team had just suffered failure a few days prior.

Did the solider know that today was the day? What about the doctor or the student? Someone had to feel it, right?

This motley team was destined for greatness. Adding to what others had done before them, they were prepared and had trained for this moment. With months behind them, there were only a few steps left to go. Mistakes could be fatal but success would make them immortal.

And with that in mind, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay made it to the summit of Mount Everest, around 11:30 am on May 29, 1953. The world’s highest mountain had been conquered.

It takes a community

Two men get the credit for reaching the top of Everest first, but they did so in community with a group of 13 other climbers. And about 20 guides. And some 362 porters. In other words, it took a damn village to get to the top of the mountain. As I’ve said before, the height of my success is directly related to the depth of my community.

If you want to go high, you have to dig deep.

But how many people will you need to accomplish something important? To have the personal and professional success you dream about?

I wish I had an ironclad answer for that. Or even a line up of key professions like the team Hillary and Norgay were a part of. A template for your own kitchen cabinet for maximal success.

But the only consistent truth I can offer is this:

Don’t worry about the amount of people in your community; worry about the amount of community in your people.

A baseball team takes the field with nine, a basketball team a few less. Championships are won (or lost) based on talent and passion applied toward agreed-upon goals and a shared destination.

It took around 400 people to summit Everest some 68 years ago. Over time teams have become much smaller. Weather conditions, skill, and finance certainly determine a trek’s success nowadays, but dedication and grit also play a part.

What mountain are you trying to summit? What success do you want to climb? Rather than focus on a big number, focus on a big, shared heart. A handful of dedicated people, singularly focused and sold out to a cause can shape a destiny much more than a crowd.

Indeed, “it is the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead