Leadership lessons from climbing the Matterhorn

Leadership lessons from climbing the Matterhorn

When you’re hanging off a rock face at over 4000 meters with the cold wind gusts threatening to knock you off balance and push you off the mountain, leadership feels a lot less theoretical. To me leadership is about providing clarity and direction when everything feels uncertain. In the summer 2023, I climbed the Matterhorn with my good friend and a mountain guide, Dominik Schwitter. The majestic Matterhorn rising just short of 4500 meters stood in front of us, an iconic statue of Switzerland. It wasn’t just an adventure; it was a masterclass in leadership, perseverance, and the mindset required to trust your vision and complete the mission ahead.

As a biotechnology founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO), I’ve led teams of brilliant scientists through the highs and lows of building a startup. However, the leadership lessons from this climb are etched deeper in my mind than any business books I have red. Here are some insights I took with me from the Matterhorn climb.

Orange line is the Hörnligrat route (Normal route, ZS+) 1290 meters ascent. Time needed for the climb from Hörnlihütte is app. 9 - 11 hours.

1. Leadership is about direction

On the Matterhorn, no one cares about your title. The mountain doesn’t know you’re a CTO. Our climb started at 3.50am in the glimmer or hundred headlamps, here we go. Leadership is about providing direction and clarity when you can only see a few meters ahead. On a narrow ridge with sheer drops on both sides, hesitation can be deadly.

In business, it’s the same. When markets shift, unexpected tariffs are placed between you and the market or when funding is uncertain, your team looks to you for direction, not perfection. They need someone who can reassure the path is correct, even when the path ahead isn’t fully visible. The best leaders aren’t fearless—they acknowledge the fear and uncertainty but move forward anyway.

2. Consistent preparation is the key

Summiting the Matterhorn takes months of conditioning. It’s early morning runs, strength work, acclimatization and technical practice with ropes and crampons on smaller peaks. Most of that effort isn’t visible on the summit day, but without it, you don’t even make it past the Hörnlihütte. I trained for the climb by scheduling a triathlon a few weeks before the climb and climbed above 3000 meters for 4 days prior to Matterhorn.

Building a biotechnology company works the same way. The science and product that convinces investors? It is built over months—sometimes years—of consistent effort, failed experiments, and tedious process work. Preparation is rarely glamorous, but it is the consistency of effort that builds the success. Leaders’ role is to motivate and enable the scientists to persevere and continue.

3. The team is always roped together

Climbing the Matterhorn is done roped together. If one person slips, the others feel it. It forces an awareness that your decisions affect the entire team. It is direct responsibility for your actions and you make it or break it together, as a team.

In larger companies, it’s easy to think of roles in silos—engineering, marketing, operations, etc. but you’re roped together. If the pre-clinical study results are delayed or raw material is missing, the rope pulls everyone into delay. If one team lags, the others feel the rope drag. Communication and cross-functional alignment are key factors to success. Leadership should enforce open and honest communication for everyone’s benefit. Communicate often and early.

4. Commitment and perseverance, stubbornness gets you killed

People think climbing the Matterhorn is one bold decision. It isn’t. It’s hundreds of commitments and decisions to evaluate the weather, climbing speed and conditions to decide whether to push through or to turn back. On our climb, vicious blizzard winds started after reaching the Shoulder at around 4000 meters where you are staring at the Matterhorn’s north face. We paused, evaluated, and decided to continue through the summit icefield—but with constant recalibration.

In business and climbing, perseverance is celebrated, but blind stubbornness kills. Commitment and remaining comfortable in uncertain conditions are the real superpowers. Keep moving forward but always scan the weather and market environment.

5. The summit is only halfway

Standing on the Matterhorn’s summit was incredible and humbling, but in -20°C temperature and gusting ice-cold winds, one can only think the task is only halfway done. Most mountain climbing accidents happen on the way down, when everyone is tired and focus is drifting away with exhaustion. This is the moment when the real leader steps in and keeps the team on the correct path down.

In entrepreneurship, approvals, exits and IPOs are summits, but they’re not the end of the task. When leading through a major victory, the celebration of the success is important for the team spirit. Life needs to be fun and have reasons to celebrate. However, after the celebration the leaders will show up focused and are ready to continue.

The route is often close to vertical and a few sections in the summit icefield are overhanging but secured with fixed ropes.

Final thoughts

If you’re a founder, an investor, or anyone leading a team, I can assure you, the mountain or the market won’t care about your situation. Both mountain climbing and business leadership demand the same virtues: Direction, Consistency, Communication, and Commitment to keep moving when the air gets thin and when the economy is in turmoil.

And just like climbing the Matterhorn, the startup journey, investing or leadership isn’t for everyone. Those who accept the uncertainty and can deal with the risks in these endeavours, the experience and the achievement is worth it.

Matti Kesti, PhD
Founder & CTO, Auregen Biotherapeutics

Angel investor & startup advisor

Passionate mountaineer

Temperature on the summit was crisp – 20°C and the ridge was narrow and exposed. The view and accomplishment was worth the effort.