Last days in the Alps and situational leadership...

There is no doubt this is an absolutely beautiful part of the world. The people of Switzerland live surrounded by some of the most astounding vistas ever created.  The peaks rise out of the ground at every turn and the sky is a stunning backdrop.

                                                         The people are warm and welcoming and we had a very productive 10 days of meeting and training. Dr. Williams will be proud to know I even taught the part of the project management course on situational leadership. Maybe one of the best moments of the training came when we worked through a stakeholder analysis. When the groups started really listing everyone who could be considered a stakeholder in a global project, I could see all the pistons firing. It is one of those exciting moments teachers recognize as the real pay off for the hours in the classroom.

Our last afternoon before leaving, we drove up the Gasteretal Valley Pass to the base of one of the Alp's glaciers. We went until the road literally stopped and we could only go closer to the glacier on foot. 
As we travelled up the pass, the stream rushed by the road with incredible force far below us and the road hugged the rock of the mountain on the other side. The road is so narrow that there is a designated time at each end of the road for cars travelling up or down. No meeting oncoming traffic; there is no room for anything bigger than a small car. We were pretty sure that even a small truck couldn't make the turns under the rock outcroppings. One thing we did find at the last stop was cold coca-cola. Some things have made it to all parts of the world.

Our last night at Kandersteg my boss decided to host a real BBQ. We made the trip to the local market to get beef and chicken kabobs, fresh peppers and mushrooms, corn on the cob and cold soft drinks, beer and wine. We arranged to use the roof-top balcony and the gas grill. For our last night before we all went to the four corners of the globe, we shared stories about the week, good food, took turns cooking and even had a little free dance competition.