John Amatt

John Amatt: Program Outlines

No Mountain Too High
Challenging Change with the Adventure Attitude

John Amatt is somewhat unusual amongst Adventure Speakers in that he did not reach the top of Everest on his celebrated expedition. Instead, he was a leader of a dedicated team that suffered four tragic deaths in two unpredictable accidents before placing six climbers on the peak.

John’s mission in going to Everest was to place one of his team on top of the world’s highest mountain. In his own words … “It didn’t matter who reached the summit, because we believed that when one person stood on the highest point, the whole team had achieved the goal. I was totally fulfilled the day we reached the top and I would never go back to Everest, because my expectation as leader had been fully met”.

John Amatt is a superb storyteller, who has delivered highly motivational presentations to some 1,750 audiences in 44 countries worldwide. After a career of 25 years, he is one of the world’s most successful adventure speakers. An educator by training, he uses the lessons learned from his own life and death adventures in the world’s most remote places to articulate down-to-earth strategies for meeting the challenges of challenging times.

John is the Founder of the world-renowned Banff Mountain Film Festival, Founder and President of One Step Beyond WorldWide, and has been called “The World’s Best Adventure Speaker”.

In his new keynote, “No Mountain Too High”, John uses his exceptional storytelling ability and the power of metaphor to address the following themes:

• Setting Realistic Goals and Expectations
• Taking Calculated Risk and Being Adventurous
• Embracing Fear and Anxiety
• Avoiding the “Trap of Complacency”
• Understanding the Values of Commitment
• Learning from Setbacks and Applying the Lessons
• Questioning the Status Quo by always asking “WHY?”
• Building Trust within an Effective Team
• Leading by Personal Example
• Taking Pride in Your Individual Contribution
• Anticipating the Future and Being Prepared

Climbing Your Own Everest:
What it Takes to Get to the Top

John Amatt's most popular presentation, the highly motivational and inspirational 'Climbing Your Own Everest' explores the metaphor of striving to reach for the top of the world. Illustrated by magnificent colour photography from his successful Everest expedition, and supplemented by music, sound effects, and taped radio conversations, this presentation investigates the human qualities that we must all bring to bear in climbing to the top in the difficult and unpredictable economic environment of the 1990's, and the uncertain world of the 21st century.

Concepts which are explored by this presentation include: Teamwork, Preparation, Commitment, Adapting to changing environments, Setting realistic goals, The role of positive attitude By drawing the analogy between the challenge of 'Climbing Your Own Everest' in a personal and professional sense, this presentation lends special focus to the challenges facing us all in the future.

Straight to the Top and Beyond:
Nine Keys for Meeting the Challenges of Changing Times

Change is inevitable - and increasing! Rapid and radical change is the primary challenge facing corporations and professionals today. We cannot stop this change, nor can we ignore it. But we can increase our ability to adapt, to manage change effectively, and to benefit from the numerous opportunities that change creates.

In these rapidly-changing times, the metaphor of adventure is the perfect vehicle for articulating the strategy that will help us address this challenge. By definition, adventure involves dealing with the uncertain, the unpredictable and the unknown, just as change involves moving towards a future in which there are no guarantees. To succeed in the uncertain world of the 1990's and the 21st Century, we must learn to embrace change, and to become visionary and adventurous in dealing with the economic, social and political environments in which we must all operate.

The key to future success will be to develop the "Adventure Attitude "a pro-active approach based upon the following acronym:

A - Adaptability
D - Desire & Determination
V - Vision & Values
E - Experience
N - Natural Curiosity
T - Teamwork & Trust
U - Unlimited Optimism
R - Risk-ability
E - Exceptional Performance

Based on his new book of the same title, Straight to the Top and Beyond will captivate your audience. Using examples from John Amatt's lifetime of adventure and entrepreneurship, together with vignettes from our heritage of global exploration and discovery, this presentation will motivate your staff to embrace new opportunities in a changing world, to open up their minds to new realities, and to develop the "Adventure Attitude" strategies that will be the key to success in the future.

Meeting the Challenge of Change
(3 to 5 hour workshop)

John Amatt also offers seminars/workshops of 3 to 5 hours duration, which focus on the theme of "Meeting the Challenge of Change" in corporate and professional life. Designed as an in-house program, "Meeting the Challenge of Change" has also been integrated into annual meetings in a variety of major hotels and conference resorts internationally. The content can be summarized as follows:

A. The Mountain of Change

• A global perspective is mandatory
• The art of progress
• The paradox of comfort and security
• Change is inevitable

• From the known into the unknown
• Oceans of uncertainty
• A place to sleep in safety
• The choice - adapt or perish
• Complacency and tunnel vision
• The bubble of invincibility
• Leaving the beaten path

• Curiosity- to seek new opportunities
• Courage- to move forward and progress
• Commitment- to get started and keep going
• Creativity- to adapt to changing times
• Cooperation - to work together effectively
• Communication- to respect new viewpoints
• Concentration - to stay focused on goals

• The struggle of life itself, upward and forever upwards
• Overcoming the fear of what might be
• Respecting basic values and core beliefs
• Developing peripheral vision
• Teamwork based on trust
• Learning the lessons from experience
• F.8 ... and be there
• Adaptation, continuous improvement & positive dissatisfaction
• Penetrating the barriers of self-imposed limitations

• Attitude is the key to success ...
• Nine principles for achievement in changing times

• Characteristics needed in order to achieve fulfillment and success in the next millennium.