Some friends and I recently climbed Mount Pulag, the third- highest peak in the country. The hike required us to sleep for only one and a half hours on back-to-back days. The hike was conducted in silence, out of respect for the locals in the mountain. While enjoying nature in chilly weather, I was able to reflect on the principles of quitting and letting go by just looking at my colleagues’ experiences during the Pulag hike.
Standing at 5 feet flat, my fellow lawyer in Philippine Airlines, Elaine, had a challenging time traversing the tough terrain. Mount Pulag was a combination of wet grasslands, moist clay, soggy soil and a few rocks in between. She lagged behind the group most of the times and practically gave up keeping in pace with us. But she eventually reached the peak. Her vinyasa yoga sessions coupled with her psychological fortitude helped her greatly. She was rewarded with an almost-perfect view of the celebrated sea of clouds of Mount Pulag.
In contrast, Paeng taught me to value my limits and let go when necessary. As the youngest in the hiking group, she was not able to reach the peak due to utter physical exhaustion upon reaching Camp 2, the midpoint of the hike. When we got reconnected in Camp 2, Paeng had the courage to let the group leave her behind. She knew her limitations, so she quit, physically. But mentally, she never gave up. Quit if she must, she found other ways to catch a glimpse of the sea of clouds. Together with our guide and another tired hiker, Paeng hiked toward the Tower Station, closer from Camp 2 but not as high as the peak. What we saw at the peak, Paeng saw, too.
In life, when there are things we truly want, we should never give up. When things get difficult, we must take extra effort and spend more time to get what we long for. In 2 Chronicles 15:7, the Bible tells us, “But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” Elaine did just that, patiently and with dogged determination, even if she took an extra hour to complete the hike.
But there is also wisdom behind quitting. When we don’t get what we long for despite earnest efforts, it might be a sign that we should let go. In Philippians 4:13, the Bible tells us, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” And all these things include having the courage to give up and find suitable alternatives. Unable to continue the hike, Paeng ingeniously found another way to get what she wanted. As my all-time favorite basketball player Michael Jordan once said, “Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it or work around it.”
Both Elaine and Paeng exhibited how companies should handle trying times—that is, never quit. All companies face adversities, but great companies with determined leaders persist and never give up. As the leader of Microwave Communications Inc., William McGowan was largely known for not quitting against AT&T, a telecommunications giant then. Due to his efforts, AT&T was forcibly divested by government, which eventually led to the opening of the long-distance telephone market in the United States. Known for working long hours, McGowan never quit on the job.
In contrast, my 25-year-old nephew, Luis, a graduate of a prestigious university, quit a much-coveted job in a multinational company. Having worked for that company for less than six months, I told him not to quit until he has spent at least two years in that job. My rationale is that it takes a learning curve of a year to understand his job functions to identify areas that he can change and another year of proposing changes, having them approved, and implement them. Despite such advice, Luis quit his job because he felt underutilized. I told him that initial feelings of discontent should not make him bail out immediately. But after a longer and deeper conversation, he said he was no longer challenged and was not having fun at work. Seeing him much happier now in a different industry, not as an employee but as an entrepreneur, I suppose quitting early was one of his best decisions. Luis may have quit his job a few years ago, but he was far from quitting during our Pulag hike.
In our professional and personal lives, some say that if you quit on a process, you also quit on the result. But some quit to find other ways to achieve a similar result. The trademark of a great leader is the ability to know when to persist and when to let go. It has been repeatedly said that winners never quit, and quitters never win. I say quitters, who find other ways, always win. My fellow hikers in Mount Pulag, Elaine, Paeng, and Luis are a special kind of quitter-winners.
For questions and comments, please e-mail me at sbmison@gmail.com.