Pole, Pole: Leadership in Motion — Anouk Pappers
For nearly twenty years, I carried the dream of ascending Mount Kilimanjaro. This year, after months of preparation, training, and imagining what it might feel like to stand on Africa’s highest peak, I finally set out.
But here’s the truth: reaching the summit didn’t happen in a single moment. It took five days, and the dream unfolded one careful step at a time.
Early on, our guides introduced us to a Swahili phrase: pole, pole, meaning slowly, slowly. It became the rhythm of the ascent. One breath, one step, one deliberate move closer to the top.
The mountain requires patience. At over 19,000 feet, rushing is not an option. Each stage (rainforest, heathlands, alpine desert, icy summit) demands something different, physically and mentally. Preparation helps, but the real work is staying present enough to meet what’s in front of you.
I kept reflecting on how similar this is to our professional lives. We dream of what’s ahead, we prepare carefully, and then comes the true test; not the finish line, but the stretch where we’re challenged to keep going.
In leadership, the temptation is to skip ahead. We want the clarity of the summit view even before we have finished the hike. Yet what matters most is the step we’re taking right now: the conversations, the story we share, the way we choose to show up.
Preparation matters. It gives us a foundation, just as altitude training gave me the stamina to keep moving when the air grew thin. But presence matters just as much.
Because the summit, whether a career milestone or a personal dream, doesn’t define the whole story. The story lives in the years of visioning, the months of preparing, and the days of showing up, one step at a time.
In business, as on the mountain, progress isn’t measured by speed but by steadiness. The leaders who endure are not the ones who rush, but those who balance vision with discipline, speed with patience, and ambition with presence.
Success comes from honoring each stage of the journey while keeping the bigger goal in sight. And often, it’s the unexpected moments along the way that shape us most deeply.
Every step matters. Every moment counts. A career, like an ascent, is a collection of deliberate choices. Embrace each one fully, and you will find yourself closer to the summit than you imagined.
A brand anthropologist who has been storytelling for brands since 2002, Anouk Pappers has interviewed over 900 CEOs, CMOs, and business owners and published 15 books. Anouk’s primary focus is on working with leaders to define their brand and pinpoint their professional narrative. Through her company, Signitt, Anouk supports organizations and executives align their messaging and online presence with their personal and organizational brand, positioning them for growth, board opportunities, client acquisition, investor relations, and career advancement.
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