Bill George, retired CEO of Medtronic, calls it “authentic leadership,” or a quiet kind of charisma that puts a sense of values and purpose ahead of backslapping and magazine covers.
But they had still gone higher than anyone before them, and they were able to do so because they relied on one another, and prioritized the success of the entire expedition over individual achievement.
Because almost everything all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.
They're not after the fame and the glory, for we all have egos and sometimes they like it stroked here and there, but they're really about the mission.
So success for me isn't about the glory of being at the top of an organization, it's about having the maximum impact that I can, but also about being an inspiration.